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Property policies

Property policies
Due to ample liquidity, property in Asian markets such as Singapore and Hong Kong has been driven relentlessly higher for years. As a result, governments have introduced property-cooling measures.  On the other hand, Chinese government started easing restrictions such as lowering the down payment for second homebuyers to improve the real estate sector. Western countries also impose different policies against foreign property buying.
UBS predicts Hong Kong’s property market’s recovery will moderate both in property prices and rents during coming months due to four disrupting factors. Photo: Eugene Lee
Hong Kong property

Is Hong Kong’s property market recovery running out of gas? UBS flags 4 risks

Amid AI’s impact, slower population growth, regional integration and newly built homes, investment bank says property prices likely to remain flat.

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China property

China’s first‑tier new home prices flat in July, ending 4‑month rebound

China property

In Focus | Bottom fishers? Foreign funds’ moves on China property give hope for rebound

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Hong Kong society

Subdivided flat residents suffering in heat that feels like 52 degrees: study

Survey of 86 households across nine districts finds 80 per cent of people living in such homes reported dizziness and headaches.

Homemakers, who made up 48 per cent of the households surveyed, were the group most affected by the heat. Photo: Dickson Lee
Hong Kong property

To rent or not to rent? That is the question for Hong Kong homebuyers

Rising residential rents and the looming shadow of interest rate increases have the city’s homebuyers trying to balance out the risks.

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China property

Rebound in China luxury home sales divorced from rest of market: analysts

Data from a real estate consultancy shows 38 per cent rise in sales of homes priced between 30 million and 50 million yuan in first half.

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Hong Kong economy

URA posts HK$338 million operating surplus after three years of losses

Chairman Chow Chung-kong reveals at URA’s 25th anniversary banquet that body has returned to profit in the 2025-26 financial year.

Urban Renewal Authority chairman Chow Chung-kong addresses a banquet to mark the body’s 25th anniversary. Photo: Facebook/URAmity
Hong Kong property

Hong Kong property recovery faces new risk as Beijing widens offshore tax net

Potential taxation of offshore property income could curb mainland demand, while weaker insurance activity hits decentralised office markets.

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China's economic recovery

How China’s Zhangjiajie aims to revive a US$296 million loss-making tourist site

A 150,000-visitor opening offers an early signal, but analysts warn that lasting cash flow will require stronger products, local culture and tighter operations.

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Hong Kong society

Opinion | Hong Kong needs regenerated districts, not piecemeal renewal

The government should tie redevelopment of properties in old districts to Northern Metropolis development rights and create an urban regeneration authority.

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Illustration: Rocio Marquez
China property

China’s investors snap up prime office space, betting on a property rebound

Commercial properties are changing hands at a much faster rate in Shanghai and other major cities, as investors bet on a market rebound.

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Commercial property deals in Shanghai have risen significantly in recent months. Photo: Shutterstock
Hong Kong housing

Hong Kong gauges feedback on 50:50 split for public flats, subsidised sale homes

Total supply of public housing will reach 196,000 flats over the next five years, government minister says.

Transport and logistics

End of the 3-yuan ride? Shanghai considers first subway fare increase since 2005

Surging operational costs and strained municipal budgets are forcing mainland transit authorities to review long-suppressed fares.

Singapore

Singapore signals housing market stability by scrapping public housing wait

Private home owners can now buy public resale flats without delay, aimed at boosting a sluggish market after months of slow growth.

A block of Housing Development Board (HDB) flats in Singapore. Photo: Getty Images
Northern Metropolis

Opinion | What Hong Kong can learn from Northern Metropolis’ first land tender

Pilot tender of large mixed-use plot for public-private development shows scale of complexity requires flexibility and constant adjustment.

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The Northern Metropolis land disposal tender site of Hung Shui Kiu, seen on December 29, 2025. Photo: Eugene Lee
Hong Kong property

Hong Kong first-half home sales to boost developers’ earnings

Despite the brighter residential market outlook, commercial real estate continues to be weighed down by a lack of demand in non-core areas.

International Property

Chinese immigrants play outsized role in Canada’s housing scene amid foreign ban

Chinese permanent residents, exempted from the ban, are estimated to have bought US$4 billion worth of homes last year in Canada.

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China property

Opinion | Why China is untangling its banks from the property wreckage

Authorities are rewiring financial architecture to address the systemic risk, breaking the deep structural ties between property and banking.

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People look at a property model displayed at the China International Fair for Trade in Services, in Beijing on September 12, 2025. Photo: NurPhoto via Getty Images
Hong Kong property

Hong Kong’s property market outlook cools amid capital outflow crackdown

Secondary residential market faces uncertainty following a strong first half, as Beijing’s capital outflow crackdown cools sentiment.

International Property

Mainland Chinese, Hong Kong homebuyers flock to Australia. What drives the rush?

Moderating prices and a relaxed lifestyle are among factors reinforcing Australia’s safe-haven appeal for foreign investors, agents say.

Hong Kong property

Hong Kong’s prime office space finds support but noncore demand lags

Demand in Central and Admiralty is picking up, but vacancies of up to 30 per cent and tight bank lending continue to weigh on noncore areas.

View of Admiralty from the Bank of China Tower's top floor. Demand for prime office space in Central and Admiralty picked up in the first half of the year. Photo: Robert Ng
China property

China’s first-tier home prices extend 4-month rebound amid market stabilisation

However, only Shanghai recorded a year-on-year increase – of 3.1 per cent – with Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen all down.

Blocks of flats in Shanghai. Photo: JPix/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Hong Kong property

Hong Kong holds world’s costliest-property crown, but quality of life takes hit

Deutsche Bank cuts the financial hub’s quality-of-life standing as soaring expenses squeeze households, and Seoul emerges as a tech-driven regional competitor.

China stock market

5 years after Evergrande, does China’s stock market signal a turnaround?

Domestic A-shares have returned to near-2021 levels as real interest rates decline, though researchers warn a sustained recovery is not yet guaranteed.

Hong Kong property

‘Good time to enter market’: rebates rise as Hong Kong property demand recovers

Mortgage battle intensifies as lenders raise cash rebates to lure buyers amid Fed rate uncertainty.

Banks are competing more aggressively for business after the property market gained momentum this year. Photo: Karma Lo
China property

China’s developers eagerly line up to offer commercial-property Reits

Exchanges receive 19 listing applications after enthusiastic investor reception for first four such trusts.

A person walks past a construction site in Beijing’s Central Business District on July 14, 2024. Photo: Reuters
Hong Kong society

Editorial | Hong Kong must step up its efforts to bring subdivided flats up to code

The government must build on the progress of three certified units and speed up registration and compliance for the city’s tenants.

International Property

Berkshire Hathaway’s multibillion-dollar Taylor Morrison buy to boost confidence

While Chinese investors are turning away from America, the conglomerate’s US$6.8 billion cash acquisition could encourage more home sales.

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