Annual Report 2001 - 2002

Service is at the core of the Land Registry's mission. Our information technology system will soon match the best available and our human resource development demonstrates our commitment to staff and customer satisfaction.

The Land Registry aims to give Hong Kong the best standards of service. Although a weaker property market in 2001-2002 resulted in a decline in the levels of demand for most Registry services, we continued to improve the range and quality of our services. Business practices were reviewed to seek out efficiencies to maintain low costs to clients and customers. This year we will review our customer service standards to identify opportunities and targets for further improvement.

 

Development Projects and New Services

Land Registration System

The Land Registration System comprises the Land Registry's fully computerised system for the storage of historical and current information on property particulars, including owners' names and encumbrances. The system has been enhanced to provide information as to whether a deed has been withheld from registration.

Direct Access Services (DAS)

DAS was introduced in 1994. 80% of land searches and 75% of orders for copies are now being made through this efficient on-line land search service. The Land Registry made this service even more user-friendly during the past year by extending the document pick up facility to the New Territories Land Registry offices.

Document Imaging System (DIS)

DIS comprises the Land Registry's fully computerised system for secure storage and retrieval of land documents. As part of the ongoing IT improvements, discs and memory were added to the DIS servers in November 2001 to improve the serviceability of the system.

Street Index Compact Disc

A street index was first compiled in the 19th Century. 2001-2002 saw the 34th edition of the Street Index issued on compact disc. The edition provides the "Index of Streets, House Numbers and Lots in Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Kowloon" and correlates property addresses with the corresponding lot numbers. The Index makes urban land searches easier. In this edition 14 new streets and 116 new lots / sections / subsections were added.

The next edition of the Street Index will be further improved for clients and customers by providing Chinese building names as an additional means of retrieval.

New Territories Lot / Address Cross Reference Table Compact Disc (CRT)

The 2nd edition of the CRT issued in 2001-2002 correlates property addresses and buildings with lot numbers to help land searches in the New Territories. In 2001-2002, 44 new streets and 1,436 new lots / sections / subsections were added. Chinese street names were also incorporated in the CRT this year as a further improvement.

Colour Imaging of Plans (CIP)

To improve the quality of services and complete the transfer of all data into digital format, the Land Registry is in the process of converting all plans into electronic colour images.

The CIP Project commenced in March 2002 and will take approximately nine months to complete. Conversion of all registered plans is being carried out on a district-by-district basis. CIP will help to reduce conventional storage space and manpower costs. Better security for documents will be provided and higher quality of copies obtained. Customers will be able to obtain colour plan copies more quickly. There will be no fee increase for the improved service.

Distribution of Direct Access Services Subscribers by Business Type

Total number of subscribers as at 31 March 2002 : 507

 

Operations and Customer Focus

Management Structure

The Land Registry's key services are:

• Registration of land documents;
• Search of land registers and records;
• Supply of copies of land records; and
• Certification of copies of land records.

Productivity

14.8% (89,733) of the documents lodged for registration in 2001-2002 were Sale and Purchase Agreements of building units, a 4.1% increase over the previous year. The number of these agreements is generally regarded as a key indicator of property market activity.

 

Number of Sale and Purchase Agreements (SPAs) of Building Units Lodged for Registration Per Month in 2001-2002

 

Number of Sale and Purchase Agreements (SPAs) of Building Units Lodged for Registration

In the 2001-2002 financial year, 604,419 land documents were lodged for registration, a decrease of 7.4% compared with the previous year. An average of 2,268 documents were registered each working day.

 

Distribution of Land Documents Lodged for Registration in 2001-2002

 

Number of Land Documents Lodged for Registration Per Month in 2001-2002

 

Number of Land Documents Lodged for Registration