TOO many advertisements for property in China tell only half the truth and could mislead the public, the Consumer Council warned yesterday.
The council urged newspapers to check advertisements before they ran them and called on the property industry to regulate itself.
It was a common tactic to use partial or incomplete information, council member Lo Chi-kin said.
Location, price, transport links and completion date were frequently exaggerated while promised gifts had limited availability.
Advertisements for property in Shenzhen said the buildings were next to subway stations, but failed to mention the subway would not be built until at least 1999.
Another for property in Zhuhai said it was half an hour's drive from Hong Kong on the Zhuhai-Tuen Mun bridge, without mentioning the Hong Kong Government had not agreed that the bridge be built.
The real selling price could be up to $100,000 higher than advertised, while buildings supposedly completed might not be fit to live in for another year.
