A fresh debate looms over property sales after Henderson Land asked potential buyers to pay a deposit before joining a ballot for private sales in a new development. The company wants prospective buyers to pay HK$100,000 to enter the ballot for flats in the Grand Waterfront project in To Kwa Wan. Those missing out on the flat of their choice would receive a refund. In all, 5,588 customers paid the deposit before the August 26 sales and were given only a price list after submitting their cheques. Henderson Land said it required the deposit to ensure only serious buyers joined the ballot and it did not break any rules as the development was not subject to the government's consent scheme. But the action was at odds with a pact reached by the Real Estate Developers' Association (Reda) in 1997 that all developments be sold under consent scheme rules. In private sales, the developer of a consent scheme project can accept a deposit of about 5 per cent of the purchase price only when the buyer signs a provisional agreement for sale and purchase. The consent scheme usually applies to developments on newly auctioned or newly developed land, while non-consent scheme projects are often in redeveloped areas, such as the To Kwa Wan site. Without naming Henderson, the Consumer Council said it was concerned about the issue. 'It is difficult for buyers to identify between consent scheme and non-consent scheme projects,' said council chief executive Pamela Chan Wong Shui. 'We noticed that there are non-consent scheme projects being sold in a different way from consent scheme ones. We have informed the government and we will call for another meeting with the Reda when necessary.' Ms Chan said the council supported the sale of new flats by ballot, but said information on available units and a price list should be issued before a deposit was paid. The sales procedures for all developments had to be unified, she added. A senior government source said officials had already been informed about the case and would look at the issue in detail. An industry source said developers preferred potential buyers to pay a deposit before buying a flat to give the developers an early indication of the market response. A spokeswoman for Henderson Land said the 1997 Reda agreement was aimed at combating speculation, which was different from the current situation. Tony Tse Wai-chuen, the company's general manager of sales, said: 'If they can register for the ballot simply with their identity card or business registration, then everyone will join.'