Land search and property information

How Hong Kong's land register is laid out, what each entry on a land search means, the difference between a current and a historical search, how to search through IRIS, and where else to find property information. Part 4 of the SQE syllabus sets searching and analysis at Level 3, and the same skills carry the Part II land search questions.

Part I · Stand-alone questions9 min read9 sections

Checked against the Land Registration Ordinance (Cap. 128), ss.2 to 5A; Practice Regulation (Cap. 511C), s.13 and Form 1; Buildings Ordinance (Cap. 123), ss.24 and 33; New Territories Leases (Extension) Ordinance (Cap. 150); Extension of Government Leases Ordinance (Cap. 648, in force 5 Jul 2024); Government Rent (Assessment and Collection) Ordinance (Cap. 515); EAA Practice Circulars Nos. 05-07 (CR), 09-06 (CR), 13-01 (CR), 13-03 (CR, effective 1 Apr 2013), 15-02 (CR) and 16-03 (CR); EAA, A Study Guide to Estate Agency Law and Practice, Part 4; Land Registry IRIS services (landreg.gov.hk); checked 11 Oct 2026.

Must-know for the exam

Hong Kong uses deeds registration under Cap. 128: registration gives priority, not title. Title is proved from the deeds themselves.
Every land register has four sections: Property Particulars, Owner Particulars, Incumbrances, and Deeds Pending Registration.
Date of Instrument is when the document was signed or issued; Date of Registration is when it was lodged. Within one month, priority runs from the instrument date (s.5).
Joint tenants: the survivor takes the whole by survivorship. Tenants in common: each share passes by will or intestacy. All co-owners must sign (Circular 15-02 (CR)).
The vendor's agent searches immediately before the provisional agreement or lease and gives the purchaser a copy (Practice Regulation s.13; Circular 13-03 (CR)).
Vendor registered owner for under five years: also get a historical and current search, and look for a deed of gift or nil-consideration assignment (Circular 13-01 (CR)).
A building order with no registered letter of compliance is outstanding. A s.33 Buildings Ordinance certificate is a first charge, ahead of the bank.
New Territories leases were extended to 30 Jun 2047 (Cap. 150). Under Cap. 648, eligible leases get 50 more years without premium, at 3% of rateable value.
Charging orders and lis pendens take priority from the day after registration (Cap. 128, s.5A). Either is a reason to stop and get legal advice.
Anything in Deeds Pending Registration is not yet registered: treat it as live and recommend legal advice before the client signs.

On this page · 9 sections

Traps that cost marks

Expecting rates or rateable value on the land register.
Thinking a joint tenant can leave his interest by will.
Letting one co-owner sell the whole property.
Forgetting that the one-month back-dating is lost if registration is late.
Applying the one-month back-dating rule to court notices.
Thinking every unregistered document loses priority.
Assuming the Land Registry approves or guarantees title.
Treating a pending deed as having no effect.

Why this matters in the exam

Every sale you handle starts and ends with a land search. The Practice Regulation requires one immediately before the provisional agreement, Form 1 requires a copy to be attached, and the purchaser relies on it. The exam tests whether you can read each section, explain what an entry means for title, and know when the answer is 'recommend legal advice'.

Part I questions here are mostly definitions (what is a lis pendens, what does 'Deeds Pending Registration' mean) and short rules (who must sign, when a historical search is needed). Part II then hands you a full search and asks 10 linked questions, so the vocabulary below is worth learning well.

The four sections of a land register

Section	What it shows	What to check
Property Particulars	Lot number (and section), address, share of the lot, type and term of Government lease, commencement date, Government rent and premium	Does the address include a roof, flat roof or car park? Is the lease renewable? When does it expire?
Owner Particulars	Registered owner(s), capacity (sole owner, joint tenants, tenants in common with shares), memorial number, date of instrument, date of registration, consideration	Who must sign? How long has the vendor owned it? What was paid?
Incumbrances	Registered documents affecting the property: agreements for sale, legal charges and releases, leases, building orders and letters of compliance, court orders, occupation permit, DMC

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