Beware risks of buying property overseas, Consumer Council warns Hongkongers
In one case, a buyer shelled out close to HK$400,000 for a property in the UK that was never developed
A Hong Kong buyer shelled out close to HK$400,000 for a down payment on a property in the UK but last July, two months before it was due to be completed, the site lay empty and deserted.
In September, the buyer learned that the developer, sunken by debt, had not proceeded with construction and had appointed another company to manage the process of compensating owners. But he struggled to get any further information from both the agent and the lawyer in Hong Kong who had been involved in the initial transaction for the HK$740,000 property.
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This case was held up by the city’s Consumer Council on Wednesday as a warning to Hongkongers to beware of the risks of buying property overseas, whether for investment or residential purposes.
Last year, the council received 35 complaints on overseas property purchases, more than double the 16 complaints in 2016.
Unhappy buyers complained mostly about developments they bought that languished uncompleted, agents who they suspected had misled them by not disclosing the risks of insufficient property valuation, and sales and purchase contracts that differed from what agents had described.
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In the case of the Hongkonger mentioned above, the council advised him to seek legal advice as the transaction involved an overseas developer and complicated legal issues.