By South China Morning Post | Created at 2024-12-16 05:41:12 | Updated at 2024-12-16 08:52:15
3 hours ago
Hong Kong homebuyers should be required to hire a surveyor to check for illegal features on properties that would hold owners liable for severe unauthorised structures under proposed legal amendments, an industry leader has said.
Francis Lam Ka-fai, president of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors, said on Monday the proposed legislation should refer to a comparable framework in the United Kingdom, under which a building survey report must be provided by those wanting to buy a property on a mortgage.
Lam said this would ensure that real estate agents and lawyers, who might not have the technical knowledge about illegal structures, would not be unwittingly held liable.
Under the UK’s practice, homebuyers wanting to buy a property on a mortage must hire a building surveyor to submit a report of the construction and condition of the property, detailing its inspections and identifying potential issues, before its valuation.
According to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the survey usually costs between £600 to £1000 (US$758-US$1,263), depending on the property.
“In Hong Kong, this [should] extend to whether there are unauthorised works, or if low-load-bearing walls that should not be demolished have been taken down,” Lam told a radio show.
