In May 2022, the New Territories East Joint Office (JO) received a water seepage complaint from a private housing estate in Tai Po.
The complainant indicated that the flat concerned had been beset by water seepage for as long as six years at the bathroom ceiling remaining unresolved. While the JO had identified the source of seepage in 2021 and issued a Nuisance Notice to the flat upstairs, the water seepage problem had not been completely resolved after repair works had been carried out at the flat upstairs. The situation greatly bothered the complainant, who thus made a complaint again in May 2022.
The JO then continued to proactively follow up on the case and identified the source of seepage again after investigation in 2023. Signs of defects were found at the waterproofing of the floor slab and enclosing walls of the shower compartment in the bathroom of the flat upstairs, and the JO thereupon issued a Nuisance Notice to the flat. After the JO staff patiently explained the investigation report to the complainant and the flat upstairs, the flat upstairs was impelled to face and shoulder its responsibility for repair and to properly address the water seepage problem in the bathroom. As a result, the seepage problem was satisfactorily resolved in February 2024 and the complainant no longer had to suffer from the misery of water seepage.
Subsequently, the complainant thanked the JO staff through an email, expressing appreciation for their work performance and commending their devotion and dedication in helping to investigate the source of water seepage. Thanks to the patience of the JO staff in explaining the various details of the investigation in an orderly approach, the complainant had been able to obtain a clearer understanding of the case progress and expressed heartfelt gratitude for their efforts and professionalism. The JO staff was grateful to the public for their recognition and support to the department and would continue to provide services to the public in a professional, earnest and responsible manner.