Professional property management in China and Hongkong has a history of nearly 50 years. As early as the early 1970s, faced with huge population pressure, Hong Kong and Britain launched the "Ten-year Housing Plan" and invested a lot of resources in the construction of public housing. However, most citizens still use wooden houses as their homes. These wooden areas are not ideal in safety, environmental sanitation and other aspects, let alone professional management. At that time, most professional housing managers worked in the Housing Department. Except for a few large private housing estates, only watchmen (commonly known as watchmen) are responsible for security and even cleaning. Looking back, when I first entered the business, the living conditions of the citizens were not high, so having a "watch" was quite noble. The vast majority of citizens' understanding and acceptance of property management is quite lacking and narrow, and the so-called management is limited to the security of public places and general maintenance and cleanliness. After World War II in the 1940s and 1950s, the population of Hong Kong surged. At that time, * * * mainly monitored municipal environmental sanitation, such as street cleaning, rodent control, "Ye Xiang" and other public health services, while the general public security was the responsibility of the police, while some merchants and residents of private properties could only hire "Lian Lian" or escort agencies as civil self-defense at their own expense. Other ordinary people can only help themselves with their housing and environmental problems. There was no property management at all during this period. Until 1948 China Hong Kong Housing Society was established, this non-profit organization mainly solved the housing problem for people in need. Even so, * * * failed to solve the housing problem of the rapidly growing population at that time in policy and administration. 1953 On Christmas Eve, a fire broke out in the squatter house in Shek Kip Mei, leaving more than 50,000 people homeless. * * * Decided to build a seven-story rental building to resettle the victims. Since the completion of the first public housing in Shek Kip Mei on 1954, housing management has been introduced into China and Hongkong from Britain. With the successive completion of low-rent housing, the responsibilities of the Housing Department are not only to allocate public housing and collect rent for eligible people, but also to manage housing estates. Until 1973, the Housing Authority was reorganized according to the Housing Ordinance to co-ordinate housing and resettlement affairs, and estate management was established as one of the main projects. As the executive arm of the Housing Authority, the Housing Department is responsible for estate management in accordance with laws, contracts and policies. Apart from public housing and squatters, private buildings built in the 1950s and 1960s also provided housing for the public, but there was no professional property management at that time. As a result, the phenomenon of "subletting for many times", "bunking before living" or building attics and rooftop structures is common in private properties, and residents can only solve the problems of public security, sanitation and maintenance by themselves, thus creating the demand for property management. In the late 1960s, large private residential villages such as Mei Foo New Village were completed one after another. Developers set up large-scale and professional property management companies to provide systematic security, cleaning, maintenance and management services, and sign deeds of mutual covenant with the owners as the power source of private property management. However, except for some large housing estates, other general private multi-storey properties only have watchmen at the entrance of the building, and the management fees collected are used to pay for cleaning and simple maintenance. Ordinary residents' understanding of the importance of property management is still insufficient, and professional property management is not common in private property. In the 1970s and 1980s, the population of China and Hong Kong increased dramatically, and the "10-year housing plan" of Hong Kong and Britain could no longer meet the people's demand for housing. Under this huge business opportunity, some developers also actively invest in real estate, and large and medium-sized private real estate development projects emerge one after another. * * * On the one hand, we are happy to see private capital invested in the real estate market, but on the other hand, we are worried that private property that lacks management will often cause serious problems. In view of this, * * * requires developers to promise future management when granting land, thus giving birth to the particularity of private property management. On the other hand, * * * also enacted the Multi-storey Buildings (Owners' Incorporation) Ordinance (Chapter 344) in 1970 to encourage residents to set up their own statutory organizations to manage their own properties.
Since then, the public's understanding and requirements for professional property management have been increasing, and professional property management has taken a big step in the market development of private property. In addition to the above measures, * * * has also strengthened legislation to regulate the safety of private property. For example, new buildings must meet the requirements of the Buildings Ordinance, the Fire Services Ordinance, water supply and power supply, and old properties will be monitored. At this time, professional property management in China Mainland and Hongkong has begun to take shape. Since 1980s, people's living environment has been improved, and their understanding and recognition of property management has greatly increased. At the same time, the laws and guidelines on the contents of building deeds of mutual covenant are constantly revised, such as the Security and Guarding Services Ordinance, which regulates security personnel and security companies, and the parking regulations on private roads. Apart from mandatory laws, the Government also encourages property management companies and owners to improve the maintenance and safety of their buildings through various measures, such as the Building Safety Loan Scheme. The Home Affairs Department has assisted owners in setting up owners' corporations, and set up a "District Building Management Liaison Group" and a "Building Management Resource Center" for consultation, thus establishing the professionalism of property management. In terms of educational development, * * * has even set up part-time courses in tertiary institutions to enable private property management practitioners to further their studies and obtain professional qualifications. In 2000, the Housing Manager Registration Authority was established, which made professional property management a step forward. On the other hand, as early as 1990, private property management companies in Hong Kong established the China Hong Kong Property Management Company Association, which contributed to the self-discipline and continuous improvement of the industry, and also served as a bridge between the private sector and the industry to ensure that owner autonomy and professional management complement each other.
Reference: Development of property management in China and Hong Kong —— Interview with Mr. Lin, President of China-Hong Kong Property Management Company Association.