Loans for landlords

NEEDY landlords may be given loans by the Government to pay for building inspections, Director of Buildings Dr Choi Yu-leuk said yesterday.

But Dr Choi ruled out subsidising the inspections.

A consultation paper was issued last week on the Building Safety Inspection Scheme, which requires mandatory checks on private buildings that are more than 20 years old.

Dr Choi denied that the Government was passing on its responsibility to inspect old buildings to landlords.

He likened using official manpower to inspect old private buildings to raiding public coffers to shoulder the burden of a small group of people.

'I believe this is not a good principle in a free society,' he told a Commercial Radio phone-in.