Ling Wang
Friday, August 01, 2014
An investigation has been launched after property agents allegedly helped a client fake her proof of income to gain a mortgage loan from banks to buy a flat, the Estate Agents Authority said.
Chief executive Ruby Hon Yuen-ping said the case is "very serious" and that the agents may have committed a crime.
"Agents involved will also have their licenses revoked if they are found guilty," she said.
The case came to light after a 57-year-old woman, surnamed Yu, called police on Wednesday, claiming she was persuaded by agents of Centaline Property to buy a HK$5.89 million flat at Mont Vert in Tai Po.
The woman had failed to be allotted a two-bedroom unit under HK$4 million.
  |
She told police agents then said they could help fake her proof of income.
Meanwhile, the authority said it received a total of 186 complaints in the first half of the year, 28 percent down from a year ago. But there were 23 complaints about new homes, compared with 18 in the same period last year.
Five cases were related to agents paying in advance for customers.
"Paying for customers will mislead them while they are hesitating whether to buy or not," Hon explained.
In the first six months, a record 30 agents had their licenses revoked. Most of them, however, were because of cases not related to the property industry, Hon said.
Separately, Sino Land's Mayfair By The Sea II, in Tai Po is putting 57 units on the market, including four special units with gardens, on Sunday.
The prices are from HK$8.35 million to HK$62.73 million, or HK$11,764 to HK$29,550 per sellable sq ft, after discounts.
Sino Land has already offloaded 720 apartments at Mayfair By The Sea I and II.
Cheung Kong's Mont Vert I, also in Tai Po, will sell a four- room, 932 sq ft unit tomorrow for HK$8.31 million after discounts, or HK$8,919 per sellable sq. ft.
Also, Lai Sun Development has priced nine flats at its project at 339 Tai Hang Road at HK$53,100 per sellable sq ft.
That puts the minimum cost for a home there at HK$53.82 million after discounts.
