As SHKP's property management services entered the digital age with technological advancement, Hong Yip and Kai Shing have invested significantly in developing mobile apps in recent years.

Home owners can sign documents, store and upload defect records that they can check any time, which saves time in dealing with the various requirements in person. Hong Yip and Kai Shing also have apps exclusively for residents that offer the latest estate and other real-time information and booking of clubhouse facilities and services.

SHKP News watched in amazement at the thorough efficiency of housekeeper Bowie Ng tidying a room at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong. The process starts with a systematic inventory of the guest's room habits so she can clean for their preferences, and any special requirements are logged on the hotel's international system so the guest receives custom service whenever they stay with the group around the world. Bowie finishes up by leaving a personal note for the guest to make them feel at home. Housekeeping staff even dust rooms twice daily when vacant.

PARK YOHO in Yuen Long's Kam Tin North has more to offer than superior quality and amenities; SHKP also spent considerable time and effort planning and executing the restoration of a blighted five-hectare wetland within the project that it now calls Fairyland. The Sha Po wetland had been used for farming but was abandoned and eventually dried up. Now a combined initiative among SHKP, the government and ecologists has brought life back to the area, providing a habitat for over 180 species including migratory birds again.

Growing food in the city isn't as hard as you may think, and here are some tips from colleagues who look after gardening in residential estates.

It's easy to grow melons in a pot on the home balcony, says head Valais gardener Cheng Wing-hong. Fuzzy melons for example just need water once a day and fertilizer once every 3-4 weeks to get a crop over the summer.

People who keep freshwater fish at home can try aquaponics, says Chi Fu Fa Yuen property officer Joe Tsang. Just replace the tank filter with a tray of clay pellets to grow plants without soil, using the fish excrement as fertilizer.

It’s not uncommon to consider replacing the plumbing during home renovations, especially in the wake of the lead-tainted water scandal. This edition of Good to Know has advice from Project Monitoring colleagues on what to tell your plumber to minimize the possibility of having contaminated pipes installed at home.