The government should ban estate agents from arranging the sale or lease of properties which have illegal structures or were structurally altered, a Kowloon City district council special meeting heard yesterday.
'There are many properties with illegal structures being sold or rented out blatantly in the market. I think the situation is similar to selling drugs - if someone sells drugs in the streets, he will be prosecuted,' district councillor Ho Hin-ming said. 'So why can't we do the same for illegal buildings? Can we charge the agents?'
Ho called on the government to outlaw the practice which he said was particularly prevalent in old districts.
Estate agents oppose the move.
A spokesman for the Estate Agents Authority says there is no law banning agents from arranging the sale or lease of properties structurally altered or with illegal structures. But agents are obliged to provide tenants or buyers with documents from the Land Registry showing whether repair orders or orders to remove illegal structures have been issued.
The authority said tenants or buyers can lodge a complaint if agents fail to comply. The errant agents will be fined or lose their licence. However, no compensation can be sought.