ICAC sees 30 percent jump in property management cases

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) on Friday said it received 30 percent more complaints relating to the property management sector in 2023, compared to the year before. The watchdog said it received 236 reports, up from 182 in 2022. Corinna Wong, the ICAC’s director of community relations, said many of the reports last year were linked to repairs and maintenance contracts, with allegations that some were awarded through bribery or that they came with exaggerated price tags. Other complainants alleged that some property management firms took bribes from jobseekers, or fabricated duty records. Wong said there were 51 such corruption reports in the first quarter of this year. She said while there may be "rotten apples" in the industry, the increase in complaints does not mean that the sector has become more corrupt. “Sometimes after we investigated corruption cases, and they were widely reported by the press, members of the public may become aware of that particular case and then may come forward to report to us similar cases," she said. "In the property management sector, after the ICAC operations department discovered several cases last year, there was a slight increase in the corruption cases we received." The anti-graft watchdog said it is working with the Property Management Services Authority to offer training for companies and workers to enhance integrity standards across the sector. The authority’s vice-chairperson, Eddie Hui, noted that property management workers must now obtain a licence, and that all of them will need to receive training in areas including anti-corruption awareness starting in 2025.