Experience Sharing

Mr G would like to purchase a residential property in a completed f irst-hand residential development.

The estate agent told Mr G that it would take about 45 minutes from the sale office to the development by car, and the vendor had set up show flats in the sales office so that prospective purchasers did not have to go to the development to view the completed flats.

Mr G considered that nothing would go wrong even if he did not view the completed flat, given that there were no completed flats for viewing in the purchase of an uncompleted first-hand residential property, and that he had already visited the show flats. He therefore agreed in writing that the vendor was not required to make available the residential property which he would purchase, or a comparable residential property, for his viewing before the purchase.

After the handing over of the residential property, Mr G considered that the view of the residential property was not what he had expected. He regretted that he had not viewed the completed flat at the time of purchase.

Advice from the SRPA:

• Don’t give up the right of viewing completed first-hand residential property lightly.
• Under the Ordinance, the vendor must, before selling a completed first-hand residential property to a person, make that residential property available for viewing by that person. If it is not reasonably practicable for the vendor to make available that residential property to be viewed by that person, the vendor should make a comparable residential property available for viewing by that person. If the vendor considers it is not reasonably practicable for any such comparable residential property to be viewed by that person, and that person agrees in writing that the vendor is not required to make such a comparable residential property available for his viewing, the vendor then does not have to make such arrangements.
• The Ordinance does not prohibit vendors from making available show flats for viewing by the public or prospective purchasers when selling completed first-hand residential properties. But show flats of completed first-hand residential properties are not subject to the requirements of show flats under the Ordinance.