The Land Registry 2007/08 Annual Report
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Operations and Customer Services
Services and Workload
- Registration of land documents;
- Search of land registers;
- Supply of copies of land records;
- Certification of copies of land records; and
- Owners’ corporation services.
(A) Registration of Land Documents
In the financial year 1 April 2007 - 31 March 2008, a total of 799,033 land documents were lodged for registration, an increase of 35% compared with the previous year. On average, 3,196 documents were registered each working day.
Number of Land Documents Lodged for Registration
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Number of Land Documents Lodged for Registration Per Month in 2007/08
2007/08
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Distribution of Land Documents Lodged for Registration in 2007/08
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160,587 (20%) of the documents lodged for registration in 2007/08 were Sale and Purchase Agreements of building units. The number of these Agreements is generally regarded as a key indicator of the level of activity in the property market.
Number and Consideration of Sale and Purchase Agreements (SPAs) of Building Units Lodged for Registration
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Number and Consideration of Sale and Purchase Agreements of Building Units Lodged for Registration Per Month in 2007/08
2007/08
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Number and Consideration of Sale and Purchase Agreements (SPAs) of Residential Units Lodged for Registration
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Number and Consideration of Sale and Purchase Agreements of Residential Units Lodged for Registration Per Month in 2007/08
2007/08
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(B) Search of Land Registers
5,396,269 searches of land registers were made in 2007/08, a 22.8% increase compared with the previous year. On average, 20,033 searches were handled each working day. More than 89% of the searches were conducted through the IRIS Online Services.
Number of Searches of Land Registers
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Distribution of Searches of Land Registers
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(C) Supply of Copies of Land Records
In 2007/08, the Land Registry provided 704,873 sets of imaged copies and photocopies of land records to customers, a 8.7% increase compared with the previous year.
Number of Sets of Imaged Copies and Photocopies of Land Records Supplied
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(D) Certification of Copies of Land Records
In 2007/08, the Land Registry certified 169,972 copies of land records, a 24.6% increase when compared with the previous year.
Number of Copies of Land Records Certified
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(E) IRIS Online Services
Since February 2005, we have been providing search services over the internet (IRIS Online Services) for 16 hours a day, 7 days a week.
By the end of March 2008, the number of subscribers to the IRIS Online Services reached 679. Searches conducted online took up about 90% of the total search volume. Searches by ad hoc users by means of credit cards and PPS constituted about 17% of all online searches.
To promote the service, the IRIS Online Services were showcased at the ICT Expo 2008 held in April 2008.
(F) Staff Productivity
Over the year, the overall efficiency of registration and search processes has increased steadily. For registration service, the output per man-day increased from 35 in March 2007 to 43 as of March 2008. For counter search, the outputs per man-day for search of land registers and imaged copies have increased from 90 to 106 and from 77 to 90 respectively.
(G) New Territories Search Offices
Since the launch of IRIS Online Services in February 2005, many customers have switched to use internet services. The number of customers using counter services, particularly in the New Territories, has decreased substantially. This very low use has led us to review the cost-effectiveness of maintaining the New Territories offices. After review, the North and Sai Kung District Search Offices were closed on 16 April 2007.
At the beginning of 2008 we carried out another review of the utilisation of the remaining New Territories District Search Offices. Demand for services at the Tuen Mun District Search Office had remained at a low level and, despite the recent increase in property market activities, the number of customers using the office had been declining. The daily average number of customers had dropped to 21, compared with 32 in February 2005. Requests for owners’ corporation services had averaged less than two per day since April 2006. In light of this very low and declining demand for services, we decided to close the Tuen Mun District Search Office with effect from 5 May 2008.
Counter search services continue to be provided at our Central Search Office in Queensway Government Offices and the District Search Offices at Shatin, Tai Po, Yuen Long and Tsuen Wan. Customers can also conduct Internet searches at http://www.iris.gov.hk.
After closure, the owners’ corporation services previously provided at the Tuen Mun District Search Office were taken up by the Tsuen Wan District Search Office at 11th Floor, Tsuen Wan Multi-storey Carpark Building, 174-208 Castle Peak Road, Tsuen Wan.
All customers and stakeholders, including owners’ corporations in Tuen Mun district, were informed of the new arrangements before closure of the search office.
(H) Owners’ Corporation Services
The Land Registry is responsible for registration of owners’ corporation and search of owners’ corporation records under the BMO. The Ordinance, which falls within the policy jurisdiction of the Home Affairs Bureau, aims to enable owners of multi-storey buildings to form owners’ corporations to deal with building management matters. During the year, 244 new owners' corporations have been formed, making up 2.9% of total number of owners' corporations (8,449).