Registered contractors Hong Kong: RGBC, RSC, RMWC search

In Hong Kong, building works under the Buildings Ordinance (Cap. 123) are carried out by contractors on registers kept by the Building Authority. There are three contractor registers: Registered General Building Contractors (RGBC), Registered Specialist Contractors (RSC) and Registered Minor Works Contractors (RMWC). Before you sign with a contractor, check the company on the Buildings Department (BD) Registered Professionals or Contractors search, and check that its registration covers the work you are paying for.

The three contractor registers

These sit beside the registers of building professionals, such as Authorized Persons and Registered Structural Engineers. A contractor on one register is not on another unless it has its own entry there. Our guide to searching Buildings Department registers covers every register code.

Specialist contractor categories

BD’s practice notes designate five categories of specialised works. Each has its own sub-register, shown on the search with codes such as RSC(D) for demolition, RSC(F) for foundation and RSC(SF) for site formation.

• Demolition works. All demolition works, except limited cases that meet every condition BD sets out, for example that no part of the building is more than 10 m above the adjacent ground and that no other building is within 5 m.
• Foundation works. All foundation works, except where the penetration depth of the foundation element does not exceed 3 m.
• Ground investigation field works. Exploratory drilling, boring, excavation and probing of land to obtain information on ground conditions, including installing instruments, sampling and field testing in boreholes.
• Site formation works. All site formation works, unless the maximum gradient across the lot from boundary to boundary is not more than 15 degrees.
• Ventilation works. Ventilating system works to which the Building (Ventilating Systems) Regulations apply.

The full definitions are in BD’s Practice Note for Registered Contractors 38 and practice note APP-96.

Minor works contractors

Minor works are smaller building works carried out under simplified procedures. BD sorts them into Class I, II and III, in descending order of scale, complexity and risk to safety, and into types:

• Type A: alteration and addition works
• Type B: repair works
• Type C: works relating to signboards
• Type D: drainage works
• Type E: works relating to structures for amenities
• Type F: finishes works
• Type G: demolition works

A minor works contractor may register as a company, which BD says includes a sole proprietorship, or as an individual practitioner. Registration is valid for 3 years and is renewable. A registered minor works contractor may only carry out the class, type and item of minor works it is registered for. Our guide to the Minor Works Control System explains the classes and submissions.

Who acts for a contractor

A registered contractor is a company or individual, but named people act for it. BD’s registration guide for general building and specialist contractors says the authorized signatory (AS), and where necessary the technical director or other officer, attends an interview by the registration committee on behalf of the applicant. The committee advises BD to accept, defer or refuse the application. An accepted applicant gets a result letter and a demand note for a 3-year registration period.

An authorized signatory is not an Authorized Person. The AS acts for the contractor. The Authorized Person is the building professional on the separate AP register. BD also runs a search for former authorized signatories.

How to check a contractor, step by step

1. Ask for the contractor’s full company name exactly as it should appear on the register.
2. Open the Registered Professionals or Contractors search and pick the register that matches the work: general building, the right specialist sub-register, or minor works.
3. For specialist work, check the category. For minor works, check the class, type and item against the work in your quote.
4. Check that the entry is current and that the name matches your contract.
5. For window inspection or repair under a statutory notice, also use BD’s qualified persons search. Our MWIS guide explains why.
6. Keep a dated screenshot or note with your project records.

Common mistakes

• Hiring an unregistered firm for minor works. BD’s minor works FAQ says the person who arranges the works must appoint the prescribed professionals and contractors, and may be liable to prosecution if they knowingly fail to.
• Checking the wrong register. A general building contractor entry does not show a specialist category. Look up the sub-register for the work.
• Mixing up AS and AP. The two roles sit on opposite sides of the job.
• Treating an architecture practice as the contractor. Design and statutory submissions sit with the building professionals. See the professionals the Buildings Ordinance requires.

Our architecture directory lists practices, not contractors. ranked.hk is not the Buildings Department, and this guide is not legal advice.