Q: Which government bodies should I know about as an agent?

1. Land Registry

You can find a lot of the needed information for property transactions by searching the Land Registry. This shows who owns the land, any claims on it, and major dealings like long-term leases. You can do a land search online.

2. Rating and Valuation Department

This department provides information about properties, like their size, usage, and year of completion, available online. Every year, they release the Hong Kong Property Review, which looks at the property market over the past year.

3. Buildings Department

You can get copies of occupation permits here.

4. Lands Department

This department provides information about land auctions, tenders, and other property sales by the government.

5. Housing Department

This department handles the removal of restrictions on transferring units under specific housing schemes.

6. Companies Registry

You can find information about limited companies here.

7. Stamp Office

Estate agents might need to handle the stamping of tenancy agreements, sale and purchase agreements, and assignments for clients at the Stamp Office.