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(B) Search
Conducting Search
| Q1: | Can I obtain a computerized land register or other land records at any of Land Registry's offices? | | | | A: |
Yes. You can obtain the computerized land registers and copies of imaged land documents for properties in the territory from the Land Registry's Customer Centre at Queensway Government Offices and its Search Offices in the New Territories. |
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| Q2: | How can I obtain the owners' names and particulars of a property? | | | | A: |
The information is available from the land register of the property. There are two types of land registers : "current" and "historical and current". Please refer to Q2 under "Land Register" for the differences between a "current" and "historical and current" register. |
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| Q3: | Where can I find the land use and area of a particular lot? | | | | A: | These particulars in most cases are available from the New Grant, Government Lease, Conditions or Block Government Lease under which the lot is held. You can order copies of these documents with reference to the land register. | | |
| Q4: | Where can I find the Chinese name of the owner? | | | | A: |
From 12 February 2005, the party names in Chinese will be entered on the Land Register if such information is provided on the Memorial lodged for registration. If such information is not available in the Land Register, you may obtain a copy of the relevant Assignment or other documents to check if the owner's Chinese name is available. |
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| Q5: |
Can a member of the public conduct a land search by an owner's name? |
| | | A: | Under the Owner's Properties Information Check service, a member of the public can submit an application for a search on properties registered under his own name. To avoid infringing on the privacy of other individuals, the Land Registry will not accept applications for a search on properties registered under the name of another individual unless the applicant can produce an authorization document by that individual. A non-refundable application fee of HK$1,000 is payable for the service. | | |
| Q6: | How to find the lot number of a property? | | | | A: | You may make reference to the "Index of Streets, House Numbers & Lots" (for urban properties) or the "New Territories Lot/Address Cross Reference Table" (for NT properties) which are available at our Search Offices and this homepage for free browsing, or you can approach the relevant District Survey Office for the information required. | | |
| Q7: | Can I conduct land search by phone or on the Internet? | | | | A: |
Land search cannot be conducted by phone. However, you may either
come to our Customer Centre at Queensway or any of New Territories
Search Offices to conduct a land search in person. You may also conduct
land search by using IRIS Online Services through the Internet (details
refer to the section on IRIS Online Services on this webpage). |
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| Q8: | What kind of documents should I bring for conducting a land search? | | | | A: | No supporting document is required. Just provide us with the address/lot no./PRN of the property or memorial no. of the document. | | |
| Q9: | For searching the land record of a property in a Demarcation District, is it sufficient to provide the address of the property only ? | | | | A: |
No. Some of the properties in a Demarcation District do not have the address. We need to identify the record by the lot number. So please provide the Demarcation District number and the Lot number of the property. The information is available from the relevant land documents such as an Assignment, or you can approach the relevant District Survey Office of the Lands Department. |
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| Q10: | Some of the original New Grants cannot be traced, why and what should I do? | | | | A: | Some New Grants were lost during the Japanese Occupation. You may obtain a copy of the New Grant Register which contains some information on these New Grants. This New Grant Register is not a statutory record required under the Land Registration Ordinance and the Land Registry cannot guarantee the accuracy of the data therein. You may also approach the District Lands Office for additional information, if any. | | |
| Q11: | What identity proof is required for collecting ordered items at the counter or orders via IRIS Online Services? | | | | A: | Please present the copy of Acknowledgement Page printed from the IRIS Online Services. For orders made by a company, the representative of the company has to bring along the company chop for collection of the ordered items. | | |
| Q12: | Are search tickets required for conducting searches? How to handle search tickets previously purchased? | | | | A: |
Search tickets are not required for conducting search
since 12 February 2005 with the rollout of our Integrated Registration
Information System (IRIS). For refund of search tickets previously
purchased, please complete the Application for Refund of Search Ticket
(obtainable at all search offices) and return the unused search tickets
to our Customer Centre at Queensway or any of New Territories Search
Offices. We will send the refund cheque to you by post within 3 weeks. |
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| Q13: | Is there any index table for cross-checking the lot no. and the New Grant No.? | | | | A: | At present, there is no such index table for cross-checking the lot no. and the New Grant No. Searchers can locate the New Grant No. or the Condition No. from the "Property Particulars" Section of the land register of the relevant lot. For Government Leases (GL) and Block Government Leases (BGL), searchers are required to provide the lot no. | | |
Land Register
| Q1: | What kind of information is available in the computerized land register? | | | | A: | A computerized land register comprises 4 sections. You can obtain different information from each section.
(a) Property Particulars
- lot number and address
- share of lot
- lease term (commencement date, right of renewal )
- rent per annum
(b) Owner Particulars
- Name of Owners
historical owner (chain of title)
current owner - Capacity (if not Sole Owner)
Joint tenants
Tenants in common
Administrator/Administratrix
Executor/Executrix - Date of instrument (transaction)
- Consideration
(c) Incumbrances
| The incumbrances section contains the land documents which affect the property but may not change the ownership, examples are : |
- Court order e.g. charging order, etc.
- Mortgage
- Occupation Permit, Deed of Mutual Covenant (for age and use of building)
- Agreements for Sale & Purchase
- Sub-sale Agreement, Nomination
(d) Deeds Pending Registration
| This section provides information on transaction(s) affecting the property already lodged with the Land Registry but, for one reason or another, registration of the same has not been completed. For a document which has been "stopped" and returned to the lodging parties for clarification, a remark (¼È½wµù¥U REGISTRATION WITHHELD) is shown against the entry.
Documents listed under the Deeds Pending Registration Section may or may not be eventually registered. The Land Registry will only proceed to register a document when it complies with all requirements under the Land Registration Ordinance. |
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| Q2: | What is the difference between a "Current" and a "Full"(i.e. Historical & Current printout) enquiry? | | | | A: | A "Current" enquiry contains the current information of a property i.e. only the latest transaction in the "Owner Particulars" section and only those subsisting (now affecting) incumbrances. A "Full" enquiry contains the historical and current information of a property i.e. all transactions that have been registered against the property. | | |
| Q3: | Can I obtain the land register for a public housing estate? | | | | A: | Most public housing estates are occupying government land and the right to use such land is granted to the Housing Authority. The Land Registry has no record regarding the names of the occupants of a unit in these public housing estates. However, after the implementation of the Tenants Purchase Scheme, some public housing estates are purchased by the occupants. Therefore, similar to private properties, the Land Registry provides land registers for such public housing estates. | | |
| Q4: | Where can I find the completion date of the building i.e. the age of the building? | | | | A: | There are various ways you can obtain such information :-
- Occupation Permit or Letter of Compliance (if registered) usually
contains the date of completion of the building. You may obtain
a copy of the relevant document.
- The Rating and Valuation Department provides the Property Information
Online at www.rvdpi.gov.hk
(Tel No. 2150 8836) for information on age of private domestic
properties (excluding village type houses).
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| Q5: | Where can I find the user restriction of a building and the unit? | | | | A: | The user restriction of the lot is in the Government Lease under which the lot is held. For user restriction of the unit, you may refer to the Occupation Permit or the Deed of Mutual Covenant. If the Occupation Permit is not registered (i.e. not available in the Land Registry), you can approach the Buildings Department for a copy. | | |
| Q6: | How can I check whether there is an injunction against sale of property? | | | | A: | The "Incumbrances" section of the land record contains information of Court Orders. If the incumbrances section contains a 'Court Order', check the contents of the Order. You are advised to seek assistance from your legal representatives on interpretation of Court Orders. | | |
| Q7: | Is there any indication in the Land Register about the settlement of land premium for removal of the sale restriction for Small House cases or Home Ownership Scheme/Private Sector Participation Scheme Flat case? | | | | A: | Small House
Consent letters (relating to payment of premium) issued by the Lands Department can serve as an indication for payment of the land premium. However, such consent letters may not have been registered in the Land Registry. If you cannot find such consent letter in the land register, you may approach the Lands Department for clarification.
Home Ownership Scheme/Private Sector Participation Scheme Flat
For properties under the above scheme, the Housing Authority issues consent letters certifying the lifting of restriction on sale of properties upon the payment of land premium. Such letters may not have been registered. If you cannot find such consent letter in the land register, you can approach the Housing Authority for clarification. | | |
| Q8: | Does the land register show the arrears of management fee or government rent and rate? Who should be responsible for such arrears? | | | | A: | Normally, the creditor will register a document such as Memorandum of Charge in the land register. However, for some cases, such document may not have been registered. The owner of a property should be responsible to prove that there are no arrears against his property when selling the property. The intending purchaser should check with the owner for the most recent receipts for such fees. If the receipts are not available, he should check with the management company or the Rating and Valuation Department. | | |
| Q9: | How can I check the amount of government rent payable for a property? | | | | A: | The information is available in the "Property Particulars" section of the computerized land register and the Government Lease / Conditions of a lot. You may approach the Lands Department for assistance. | | |
| Q10: | How can I find out whether there are other documents lodged for registration but the entries have not yet been recorded in the land register? | |
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You are advised to check the Unposted Memorial List (UML) by using the IRIS Online Services or Self-service Search services to find out if there are any documents lodged for registration but for one reason or another entries of the documents have not yet been made in the land register. To view the UML, select the "Search Unposted Memorial Information" option from the function menu of IRIS Online Services or the Self-service Terminals, then key in the Lot Type and click "Continue". The UML which contains brief information of the unposted memorials under the required Lot Type including Memorial No., Lot No., address and nature of instrument etc. will be displayed for viewing free of charge.
If you want to obtain additional information of any documents listed on the UML such as date of instrument etc., you can order the Unposted Memorial Information (UMI) by selecting the required item from the UML and add the selected order to the Order List. | | |
| Q11: | How can I find out whether there are any illegal or unauthorised structures? | |
| A: | Buildings Orders on illegal or unauthorised structures may be registered in the land register. Please obtain a copy of the land register and check if there are any outstanding orders issued under Buildings Ordinance. You may also seek confirmation from the Buildings Department. (www.bd.gov.hk) | | |
| Q12: |
What is the meaning of the remark "PT." that is shown in the consideration column of some of the memorial entries in the land registers? |
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"PT." is an abbreviation stands for "PART". If "PT" is shown in the consideration column of a memorial entry in a land register, it indicates that the related document affects more than one property (e.g. several units, a unit and a car park, etc.). For details of the affected properties, you may place an order for a copy of the memorial for reference. |
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| Q13: |
Does it mean that the Remaining Portion of the lot will be carved out if the property remark "RP carved out by Deed Poll Mem. No. XXX" is found in the land register? |
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| A: |
The property remark only reflects that the Remaining Portion of the lot was carved out from the mother lot via Deed Poll Mem. No.XXX. It does not mean that the Remaining Portion of the lot will be further carved out. |
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Copy of Document/Plan
| Q1: |
Can I inspect original plans? |
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Inspection of plans attached to memorials is not available from 12 February 2005. However, you can inspect the plans deposited in the Land Registry under the provisions of any Ordinance or Government lease. Plans deposited under Ordinances can be inspected free of charge at our Customer Centre at Queensway Government Offices. The plans deposited under Government lease can be inspected at the Customer Centre as well and the inspection fee is $10. |
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| Q2: | How to obtain a floor plan? | | | | A: | Obtain a historical and current computerized land register and check whether a floor plan has been attached to the registered documents. | | |
| Q3: | How to obtain a hard copy of the Deed of Mutual Covenant? | | | | A: | Obtain a current computerized land register of the premises and check the memorial number of the Deed of Mutual Covenant shown in the 'Incumbrances' section. Then you may place an order for a copy of the Deed of Mutual Covenant. | | |
| Q4: | What is the difference between a plain copy and a certified copy of a document? | | | | A: | A plain copy is a record generated from Land Registry's record. If customers required any proof of a land record being issued by the Land Registry, they could apply for a certified copy which is printed on security paper and containing a certification by the Land Registrar. | | |
| Q5: | How to obtain copy of the document with the Action Number stated in the property remark of the land register? | | | | A: | The documents that bear Action No. are not statutory records required under the Land Registration Ordinance and such documents are not available in the Land Registry. Customers may approach the respective District Land Office for additional information, if any. | | |
| Q6: | What is the largest size of plan provided by the Land Registry? | | | | A: | The Land Registry can provide copy of plans from A4 to > A0 size. | | |
Search Fee
| Q1: | Can I pay search fees by personal cheques? | | | | A: | Yes. However, in order to avoid any revenue loss due to dishonoured cheques, services requested will be provided after the cheques have been cashed. You have to bring along the original receipts after 11:30 am on the third clear working day following the date of presentation of personal cheques to collect the requested documents. | | |
| Q2: | What are the fees for land register / land document? | | | | A: | | Current Search of computerized land register | $10 | | Historical and Current Search of computerized land register | $25 | | Unposted Memorial Information | $10 | | A full set of copy of memorial document | $100 | | A copy of memorial form | $10 | | A copy of a plan or plans attached to a land document | $15 | | A copy of colour plan | $150 | | A copy of Government lease | $120 | | A copy of letter of compliance attached to a Government lease | $10 | | Certification of a document | $150 | | A copy of stopped deed | $100 |
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Others
| Q1: | How can I obtain the gross floor area and net floor area of a unit? | | | | A: | To obtain the information, you may consider the following ways:
- Refer to the sales brochure.
- Refer to the registered documents in the land register. Normally,
the area of a unit is not specified in the registered documents.
You may, however, work out the area by making reference to the
dimensions of the unit as shown on plan(s) attached to registered
documents.
- For developments under the Consent Scheme of the Lands Department,
the net floor area of the unit is usually available from the first
Agreement for Sale and Purchase.
- Go to the Property Information Online of Rating and Valuation
Department at www.rvdpi.gov.hk
(Tel No. 2150 8836) for information on saleable area of private
domestic properties (excluding village type houses).
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| Q2: | Where does an estate agent get my telephone number? | | | | A: | The Registry does not have the telephone number of property owners. Please check with the estate agent direct. | | |
| Q3: | How can I know whether the scavenging lane is owned by our building? | | | | A: | Check the site plan, deed poll and carving out plan to see if it falls within the boundary of the lot of the building. At the same time, you can also make reference to the Deed of Mutual Covenants of the building to confirm whether the scavenging lane is owned by the building. | | |
| Q4: | How to obtain a copy of the Occupation Permit if it is not registered in the Land Registry? | | | | A: | Please approach the Buildings Department. (www.bd.gov.hk) | | |
| Q5: | How to obtain a building plan if it is not registered in the Land Registry ? | | | | A: | Please approach the Buildings Department. (www.bd.gov.hk) | | |
| Q6: | How can I obtain the information of a company which is the owner of a property? | | | | A: | You may conduct a search at the Companies Registry (www.cr.gov.hk). | | |
| Q7: | How can I obtain the old editions of the Street Index and CRT? |
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The old editions of the Street Index from the 31st to 43rd editions published between 1999 and 2011 and CRT from the 1st to 12th editions published between 2000 and 2011 on compact disc are still available for sale. The price for the 31st to 34th editions of the Street Index and 1st to 3rd editions of the CRT per compact disc is $300. The 35th to 43rd editions of the Street Index and 4th to 12th editions of the CRT per compact disc costs $250.
The Land Registry is also in possession of the 24th to 30th editions of the Street Index in bound volume published in 1936, 1938, 1956, 1961, 1967, 1977 and 1987 respectively. They are available for free inspection at the Customer Centre. Photocopying is subject to a fee.
To purchase the old editions of the Street Index and CRT on compact disc or to arrange for inspection of the bound volumes of the Street Index, please call 3105 0000 and press "6", "4", "3" after language selection.
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