Veteran lawyer urges Hong Kong government not to rush through land title registration law
Lilian Chiang of Deacons says government should ensure that the interests of property owners are protected and some of the rules must be improved
Hong Kong’s new land law, which aims to offer greater certainty of property title and simplify conveyancing procedures, could have lasting consequences, so the government should not rush to implement the legislation that the city might come to regret, according to a legal expert.
Lilian Chiang Sui-fook, senior partner and head of the property department at the law firm Deacons, supports the proposed legislation as the land registration title law simplifies flat buying procedures, benefiting both property owners and legal professionals.
“However, there are a number of contentious issues such as the provisions of the rectification and indemnity schemes that have not yet been resolved,” she said. “The government should ensure that property owners are well protected before implementing the law.”
The Land Title Ordinance, enacted in 2004, aimed to simplify the land and property registration system. But the ordinance has not been enforced for 13 years as the government and the stakeholders have not yet reached a consensus on a number of issues.
Chiang said the existing rules were too complicated and need to be improved.