One of the title-holders of the building later complained to the Ombudsman that the department had failed to notify them before repair work started. The Ombudsman found the complaint partially substantiated.

The department decided to carry out the work after an inspection revealed loose plaster on the walls, caused by incessant downpours.

But it was unable to contact the block's owners because the building did not have a management office or owners' corporation.

The gate of the main entrance was blocked and there was no mail box.

Department staff then asked a shop tenant in an adjacent building to notify the building's owners about the emergency repairs and arranged a contractor to carry out the work two days later.

Before work started, the department posted a notice about the repairs at the block's main gate, and told tenants of shops on the ground floor and the caretaker of an adjacent building. The repairs were completed within a day, and the department later wrote to all owners to recover the costs.

A senior investigation officer of the Ombudsman's office, Alex Chiang Chi-wai, concluded that while the department was empowered to carry out emergency work without giving prior notice to the owner, it should be more considerate to affected occupants.

'Although the [department] had tried to [inform owners] through the tenant of a shop on the ground floor, the latter had no obligation to comply,' Mr Chiang said.

The Ombudsman's office recommended that the department send a letter of apology to the complainant, instruct staff to do their best to contact building owners in future and formulate relevant guidelines.

The department accepted all the recommendations and agreed to implement them.