Land Zoning & Ownership

In Hong Kong apartments and town homes are the most popular types of dwelling available to, with villas and detached homes also available, but at a higher cost than attached properties. Village houses are common in South Lantau, Sai Kung and Clearwater Bay plus other parts of the New Territories. These village houses are built on village land and are subject to different rules and restrictions than structures built by developers.

The following table demonstrates the most popular areas with Expats, types of dwelling, and whether the area is affordable, moderate or luxurious, based on their descriptions.

Property Location	Dwelling Type	General Pricing
Causeway Bay	apartments	affordable - luxurious
Gold Coast	villas & apartments	affordable- moderate
Happy Valley	high & low rise apartments	affordable - luxurious
Mid-Levels	high rise apartments	moderate - luxurious
North Point	high rise apartments	affordable - moderate
Pokfulam	low rise apartments	affordable - moderate
Repulse Bay	high & low rise apartments & villas	moderate - luxurious
Sai Kung	villas & village houses	moderate
Shouson Hill	low rise apartments & villas	luxurious
Soho	apartments	moderate - luxury
South Lantau	villas & village houses	affordable
Stanley	low rise apartments	moderate - luxurious
Tai Tam	low rise villas	luxurious
The Peak	low rise villas & apartments	luxurious
Wan Chai	high & low rise	affordable - moderate

China put in place the Administration of Foreign Investment in the Real Estate Market on July 11, 2006, known as "The Opinions". The purpose of The Opinions is to tighten regulation of foreign investment in a growing and "hot" real estate market.

Hong Kong is exempt from The Opinions. Any individual or corporation may purchase property in Hong Kong with no restrictions.

The Conveyancing and Property Ordinance (CPO) is the main law that governs Hong Kong real estate and was first introduced in 1984.

All land in Hong Kong is held by the government and leased on short term agreements up to 999 years. Older leases are simple and contain few obligations and restrictions, though newer leases are now incorporating more detailed restrictions, obligations and development conditions, including environmental control.

All land leased by the government is registered at the Land Registry, which is public record and can be accessed by anyone for a small fee. Failure to register with the Land Registry may result in loss of priority to any subsequent registered transaction and is therefore an essential part of property transactions.

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ExpatFlats - Land Zoning & Ownership