| Land search fees to be reduced Service hours to be extended
The estate agency trade associations have appealed to the EAA to seek the lowering of the cost for land search. They also requested that the service hours for land search be extended. These suggestions are now accepted by the Government.
On 12th February 2005, the Land Registry introduced a Central Registration System to upgrade its services and to enhance efficiency. Under the new system, the existing nine district registries are merged into a single registration unit for the whole of Hong Kong, and the registration service is provided centrally at the Land Registry headquarters. Search offices, however, will be maintained to handle enquiries and provide search services to the public in each district. At the same time, in order to enhance efficiency, the Land Registry introduced an Integrated Registration Information System (IRIS) to replace the three service systems (namely the Land Registration System, Direct Access System and Document Imaging System) previously in use.
Search services at the counter are available at the Customer Centre and the 7 New Territories Search Offices. Self-service terminals are installed in these offices and can be used throughout office hours, including lunch hours. Customers may also conduct land search through the internet. The service hours for internet search are extended from 10 hours per day previously to 16 hours per day (8:30 am to 12:30am, including Sundays and public holidays).
The Land Registry also reduced the fees on land search services commencing 12th February 2005. The services most often used by estate agents in the course of business are covered in these fee-reduction proposals, for example, the fee for a search on "current particulars of a property" was reduced from $15 to $10. The reduced fees are summerised below : -
| Service |
Original Fee |
Revised Fee |
| Supplying information in the form of a computer printout or any other form indicating - |
|
|
(a) current particulars of a property
(b) historical and current particulars of a property |
$15
$30 |
$10
$25 |
| Supplying a copy, imaged copy, or a hard copy from a microfilm, or in any form by any method, of the whole document of any instrument, memorial or Government lease - |
|
|
| (a) |
for each memorial and any instrument annexed thereto supplied |
| (b) |
for each Government lease supplied |
|
$120
$190
|
$100
$120
|
Addresses and telephone numbers of the Customer Centre and the seven New Territories Search Offices of the Land Registry are as follows:-
| Customer Centre |
Queensway Government Offices, 19/F, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong |
2867 2868
2867 2871 |
| Tsuen Wan Search Office |
Tsuen Wan Station Multi-storey Carpark Building, 11/F, 174-208 Castle Peak Road, Tsuen Wan |
2416 3505 |
| Yuen Long Search Office |
Yuen Long Government Offices and Tai Kiu Market, 7/F, 2 Kiu Lok Square, Yuen Long |
2475 0341 |
| Sha Tin Search Office |
Sha Tin Government Offices, Room 901, 9/F, 1 Sheung Wo Che Road, Sha Tin |
2158 6434 |
| Sai Kung Search Office |
Sai Kung Government Offices, 4/F, 34 Chan Man Street, Sai Kung |
2792 4532 |
| Tuen Mun Search Office |
Tuen Mun Government Offices, 5/F, 1 Tuen Hi Road, Tuen Mun |
2451 3162 |
| Tai Po Search Office |
Tai Po Complex, 4/F, 8 Heung Sze Wui Street, Tai Po |
2653 5859 |
| North Search Office |
North District Government Offices, 2/F, 3 Pik Fung Road, Fanling |
2675 1805 |
To facilitate practitioners to familiarize themselves with the IRIS system, the EAA will give two seminars, on 15 April (in English) and 20 April (in Cantonese) respectively, at which representatives of the Land Registry will demonstrate how to conduct land searches via the new system. For registration and enquires, please call the EAA at 2151 2922.
|