Land Registry

(A) Brief History of the Land Registry

In 1841 the government appointed a Land Controller to manage the land, collect land taxes and supervise public works. The government stipulates that citizens must apply for land directly to the Lands Officer. Since then, the principle of land registration has been established and the Land Registration Ordinance (Chapter 128) was passed on February 28, 1844, which is one of the earliest extant laws in Hong Kong. In the same year, the Land Registry was established under the Land Registration Ordinance and on April 1, 1949, it was merged with the Companies Registry, the Trade Marks Registry, the Bankruptcy Administration Office, the Trust Administration Office and the Marriage Registry to form the Registrar General's Office to centralize the work of the above departments. In May 1993, the Registrar General's Department was dissolved and the Land Registry was established to replace the Land Office. It is responsible for land registration and registration of owners' corporations and became one of the first departments to operate as a trading fund.

The Land Registry originally only provided registration services for land on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. The contract registration work for properties in the New Territories was handled by the District Lands Offices under the jurisdiction of the then District Officer. The former Registrar General's Department gradually replaced the District Lands Offices in 1982 to handle land registration in the New Territories. The entire project was completed on 23 July 1990 when it took over the North District Lands Office. Since 1997, the Land Registry has been under the jurisdiction of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and continues to provide local land document registration and search services to the public.

(B) Duties and roles of the Land Registry

The Land Registry aims to maintain an efficient and effective land registration system to facilitate orderly land transactions.

The main responsibilities of the Land Registry are as follows:

• Register all documents affecting land in accordance with the Land Registration Ordinance;
• Providing services for searching and supplying copies of land register information and related records;
• Providing property information to government departments and agencies;
• Registering owners' corporations under the Building Management Ordinance.

(C) Value of the Land Registry

The Land Registry maintains a public land register which records registered documents affecting land. This public land register not only makes it easier to trace and determine the ownership of land and real estate, but also helps prevent secret and fraudulent property transfers. In addition, public land registries facilitate property transactions, encourage investment and promote economic development.

(D) Current land registration system

The current land registration system in Hong Kong is a contract registration system implemented under the Land Registration Ordinance. Under the current system, deeds affecting land properties are sent to the Land Registry for registration.

The deed registration system accords priority only to registered deeds and provides public notice of the registered instrument. Registration does not guarantee that the person registered as the owner has good title. The advantage of this registration system is that it is simple and easy, while complex ownership issues have to be handled by legal professionals.

Hong Kong has been using this system since 1844. Upon the commencement of the Land Titles Ordinance (Cap. 585), the Land Registry will implement a title registration system in Hong Kong.

(E) Over a century and a half of land registration services

• Hong Kong Government Gazette No. 1 Land Sale Notice in 1855
• The Land Officer's proposal for a blueprint for urban development in 1843
• Land Registration Ordinance: Ordinance No. 3 of 1844
• Memorial No. 1 registered at the Land Registry
• Block Crown Lease
• Land Registration in the New Territories
• Index of Streets, House Numbers and Lots in 1894
  (also known as "Street Index")
• Land registration system during the Japanese occupation
• Circular from the Registrar General's Office regarding separation from the Registrar of the Supreme Court
• A sales advertisement for a strata building in the 1950s
• Registers and registration cards in book form
• Microfilm copies of land documents
• Take over land registration services in the New Territories
• Computerisation of Urban Land Registers
• Direct Search Service
• Central Image Processing Center
• Central Registration System
• Integrated Registration Information System (IRIS) Online Services
• Title Registration System