Hi all,
You mentioned a few times the distinction between residential and commercial building. Is there an official website where we can check the status of a specific building? Also, is subdividing an apartment into sub-units legal?
Thanks
You can run a land search which cost hk$10.
https://www2.iris.gov.hk/eservices/welcome.jsp
The land type will be listed along with the owner, and illegal building structures on file, previous transaction history and liens.
This is definitely worth it. I was going to buy a property and checked the land search to see red building department orders. Had I signed the purchase agreement and paid the deposit, I might have not been able to secure any financing and have to lose my deposit.
Another thing you can try is to search centadatas website. Usually they only list residential units in their 16 year history. I found that usually commercial deed flats were not listed.
Thanks so much for the quick response. I checked on centadatas and the building is not listed. I ran a search on the Land Registry website, and our floor is actually listed as "Office A" and "Office B... However our part (the supposed "Office A") has been subdivided into 3 flats...
My question would then be: can this be used in our favor in case of litigation with the landlord?
Thanks so much for your help