Developers may get revised guidelines urging clarity on fixed windows

Guidelines on sales tactics may be revised as it emerges that buyers may not be getting clear picture on flats with windows that don't open

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The Riva in Yuen Long is one of the estates put on the market over the past year that observe the environmental rule by using fixed windows.

Published: 5:00am, 30 Jun 2014Updated: 8:38am, 30 Jun 2014

Revised guidelines on sales tactics may be issued to property developers after it emerged that some could be fudging information on flats - leaving homebuyers unaware that opening their windows may mean enduring traffic noise that exceeds environmental standards.

At issue are fixed windows that developers install as one way to meet government approval criteria and buffer flat occupants against street noise.

Some windows can be opened for maintenance using removable handles, but the design is not always communicated clearly to homebuyers.

The trend towards fixed windows in new homes is set to intensify, given the government's ambition to create 470,000 new public and private flats in the next decade by building on every inch of available space - even if the homes end up next to busy highways or industrial zones.

"Such an arrangement bypasses the planning system. The loophole should be plugged," said University of Hong Kong planning professor Ng Cho-nam, who used to sit on the Town Planning Board.

Ng called it "a trick that can satisfy both the government and the buyers". To the government, the window cannot be opened; to the buyer, it can, by attaching a removable handle.