Ombudsman Fumes Over Leaky Air Conditioners

The Ombudsman has accused the government of having a lax approach to handling the problem of dripping air conditioners, saying officials drag their feet in taking punitive action against offenders.

Leaking air conditioners become the bane of Hong Kong's people lives during summer time, as water drips from exhaust valves due to faulty thermostats onto many streets. Thousands of complaints are registered over this, according to media reports.

According to the law, a leaky air conditioner can lead to a daily fine of HK$200 and a maximum penalty of HK$10,000. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) even runs a 24-hour hotline for complaints related to water dripping from air conditioners.

The Ombudsman said it received 212 complaints against the FEHD between 2013 and 2017 for failing to properly follow up on complaints. In its investigation, a number of inadequacies in how complaints were handled were uncovered.

There were instances where investigations were not pursued because the weather turned cooler, and air conditioners were no longer used. This meant the problem wasn't fixed, and the next summer it started again.

In some cases, inspections were done at a time of day that was different to when the complainant said the dripping occurred, making the whole exercise pointless.

But Lau acknowledged that building owners also need to play a part in solving the problem. She said they should install communal drainage pipes to collect water from air conditioners and prevent it from falling onto the streets.

The Ombudsman said she had recommended that the Buildings Department encourage owners to do so.