Title Registration : Recent Development

HIGHLIGHT

Preparation work for title registration continued in 2008/09. A three-month public consultation on the amendments to the Land Titles Ordinance was launched in January 2009. The Land Registry and Radio Television Hong Kong jointly produced a TV series entitled “Stories of Our Land” to raise public awareness of security of property rights and the new title registration system. Looking forward, we are preparing the Land Titles (Amendment) Bill and related rules for introduction to the Legislative Council in 2010. We are also planning for the launch of the public education and professional training programmes for the implementation of title registration.

Recent Development

(i) Consultation on Amendments to Land Titles Ordinance (LTO)

In December 2008, a progress report on the preparation of the amendments to the LTO and the remaining substantial matters to be finalised was made to the Panel on Development of the Legislative Council (LegCo). A Joint Subcommittee of the Panel on Development and the Panel on Administration of Justice and Legal Services was set up to monitor the Administration’s work on the amendments to the LTO.

From 1 January to 31 March 2009, a three-month consultation was launched to invite views from the public and key stakeholder groups on two major aspects of the amendments to the LTO: the conversion mechanism and the rectification and indemnity provisions. A consultation webpage was set up on the Land Registry website with background information and explanatory documents to facilitate the public to understand the issues and give comments. Views received were posted on the consultation webpage.

We also wrote to the Law Society of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Bar Association, Consumer Council, Heung Yee Kuk, Estate Agents Authority, Hong Kong Association of Banks, Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Real Estate Developers Association, Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Limited and Hong Kong Family Law Association to seek their views on these proposed amendments.

(ii) TV Programme –"Stories of Our Land"

Raising public awareness of security of property rights and preparing them for the coming title registration system are two main objectives of the public education programme for title registration. The Land Registry kick-started the programme by partnering with the Radio Television Hong Kong to produce a TV series entitled “Stories of Our Land”. The ten-episode TV series, broadcast from February to April 2009, reviewed the development of the land registration system in Hong Kong over the past century and drew the attention of the public to the close relationship between land registration and themselves.

A premiere-cum-guest talk to launch the TV series was held on 7 February 2009. The ceremony was officiated by Mrs Carrie Lam, Secretary for Development, Mr Franklin Wong, Director of Broadcasting, Mr Lau Wong Fat, Chairman of Heung Yee Kuk, Mr Lester Huang, Chairman of the Law Society of Hong Kong, and the Land Registrar. The Land Registrar also delivered a talk on “Land, the Source of all Material Wealth” and shared his views and ideas on the topic with the guests and audience.

The TV series, using an innovative and lively approach, helped the general public understand more about the current land registration system reform and its bearing on their everyday life. It was well received by the audience.

(iii) Preparation of Land Titles (Amendment) Bill

Consultation with various departments

We consulted departments in relation to (1) the interrelationship between the LTO and existing ordinances and (2) rights and charges under other ordinances. Comments received from the departments were being considered to determine the amendments required to the LTO or other ordinances to resolve any conflicts or incompatibility.
Preparation of subsidiary legislation

Preparatory work for the drafting of the rules i.e. Land Titles Rules, Land Titles Court Rules, Indemnity Fund Rules and Land Titles Fees and Levies Rules was underway.