LEAK DETECTION
Leak Detection with a Written Report: You Can't Fix What You Can't Find
Quick answer
Leak detection uses instruments (moisture meters, infrared thermography, coloured-dye testing, sometimes pressure testing) to trace a seepage source and produce a written report. The market guide price is HK$8,000-12,000 including the report (a pricing-guide figure, not invoiced-reality data); one operator advertises from HK$6,500 per unit. From 16 July 2026 the Joint Office's own pilot scheme adds infrared thermography and moisture meters to its Stage 1 process — but the value of private detection is in the cases the Joint Office won't touch at all: rain ingress through roofs, flat roofs, balconies, external walls or windows, and neighbour disputes that need documentary evidence.
When will the Joint Office act — and when won't it?
The Joint Office (Buildings Department + Food and Environmental Hygiene Department) handles neighbour-to-neighbour seepage complaints filed via 1823: contact within 6 working days, then a 3-stage investigation (Stage 1 only proceeds to Stage 2 if moisture readings reach 35% or above). But seepage caused by rainwater penetrating roofs, flat roofs, balconies, external walls or windows is normally NOT actionable as a public-health nuisance under the Joint Office's governing ordinance — the government will only advise owners to hire their own building professionals. That's exactly where private detection with a written report becomes the only route forward.
- Stage 1 moisture below 35%, seepage that's mild or intermittent, or a source that can't be identified — the Joint Office stops investigating, and private detection is what generates the evidence from there.
- Rain ingress through roofs, flat roofs, balconies, external walls or windows — normally outside Joint Office scope; the government's own guidance is to hire a building professional, which is exactly this service.
- From 16 July 2026, a pilot scheme (applicability per the Joint Office's own announcements) adds infrared thermography and moisture meters at Stage 1 and can issue a 'Suggested Repair Notice' within about 14 working days, with non-compliant owners facing a minimum HK$17,000 cost-recovery for inspection fees — raising the stakes for owners who need their own evidence.
Pricing
The market guide range is HK$8,000-12,000 including the written report, drawn from published pricing guides rather than invoiced job data — actual cost depends on unit size, the number of suspected sources, and which instrument combination (moisture / thermal / dye / pressure) the job needs.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a leak-detection report be used as evidence in a dispute or with the Joint Office?
A written report can support a neighbour dispute, an owners' corporation meeting, or legal proceedings such as the Small Claims Tribunal. For expert-witness-grade reporting, that's our separate Surveyor Report service, priced separately.
How is this different from the Joint Office's own 16 July 2026 pilot inspection?
The pilot scheme's infrared and moisture-meter upgrade only applies to cases the Joint Office actually accepts. Rain ingress through roofs, external walls or windows, and cases the Joint Office has already stopped investigating, still need private detection.
How long does detection take, and is the report extra?
It depends on unit size and how many suspected sources there are — we assess scope on-site before quoting. The written report is included, not a separate add-on.