Demand rises for high-quality building managers

The mainland's growing middle class is demanding qualified supervisors to promote safety and better services, and Hong Kong may oblige. Wang Feng reports.

The headline read "Hangzhou nanny sets mansion on fire", and the 2017 arson case in the capital of Zhejiang province has been a focus of attention on the Chinese mainland ever since. Investigations that followed the tragedy - in which a woman and her three children died - also cast the spotlight on the failings of the management of the 25-story building.

"The (property) industry on the mainland is moving so fast that the fundamental elements are not keeping up," said Edmund Tong Wingho, a chartered surveyor in Hong Kong who also works as a property manager on the mainland.

One of those fundamentals is the need to implement and enforce safety standards, he said, adding that failure to do so has been a common problem in the mainland's property management sector. He used safety protocols as an example, saying sometimes they are well set out, but are not enforced correctly.

Tong, who has worked in the industry for more than 20 years, also noted the need to maintain a hygienic environment in communal areas and ensure that repairs are tackled promptly, along with ground maintenance and landscaping work. These are all areas where the mainland's property management industry needs to improve.

When it comes to emergencies, such as fires, Tong said effective property management involves the preparation of backup plans, so that if "Plan A" goes awry, a fallback can be deployed. Even the approach to dealing with residents' complaints has to be taken to heart and must be internalized by all members of staff.

"Establishing a set of rules and guidelines is relatively easy. The hard part is implementation (especially with regard to fire safety issues)," he said.