ENG-1975 — Page 125

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LAND AND HOUSING

of transactions relating to land on Hong Kong Island, in Kowloon, in New Kowloon (with a few exceptions) and in the more urban parts of the New Territories are kept in the Land Office. Records relating to transactions affecting the other parts of the New Territories and the few exceptional New Kowloon cases are kept at District Land Offices forming part of the New Territories Administration.

The Land Office has responsibility for the registration of all instruments affecting land; the settling and registration of conditions of sale, grant and exchange of Crown land; and the granting of mining leases. It gives legal and other advice to the government generally on matters relating to land.

The Land Office has recently assumed responsibilities in connection with the enforcement of covenants contained in Crown leases. A team of assistant registrars inspect certain classes of buildings from time to time, and if breaches are discovered steps are taken to ensure that they are rectified or the lease is modified, usually on payment of a premium.

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The Land Registration Ordinance provides that all instruments registered under it shall have priority according to their respective dates of registration. It also provides that unregistered instruments, other than bona fide leases at rack rent for any term not exceeding three years, shall be null and void as against any subsequent bona fide purchaser or mortgagee for valuable consideration. Registration is therefore essential to the protection of title, but does not guarantee it. The ordinance is under review and changes in the system have been recommended.

-The number of instruments registered in the Land Office rose during the year by 8.2 per cent, bringing the total to 92,138 as compared with 85,182 last year. More detailed statistics and comparisons with previous years are contained in Appendix 29. At the end of the year, the card index of property owners contained the names of 279,065 people, an increase of 27,792 over the previous year. Some own several properties, but most are owners or part owners of small individual flats.

Several ordinances affecting the work of the Land Office came into force during the year. These were the Crown Lands Resumption (Amendment) Ordinance 1974, which provides for disputes concerning compensation to be referred to the Lands Tribunal for determination of the amount of the compensation to be paid; the Landlord and Tenant (Consolidation) (Amendment) (No. 3) Ordinance 1975, which affords further protection to intending purchasers of flats in uncompleted buildings; and the Multi-storey Buildings (Owners Incorporation) (Amendment) Ordinance 1975, which confers upon a corporation of owners the power to hold an undivided share in its building together with the right to the exclusive possession of any part of the building other than the common parts.

Urban Renewal and Environment Improvement

Progress on the Urban Renewal Pilot Scheme continued during the year. Negotia- tions are being held with those owners wishing to dispose of their property to the government, although the resumption programme has been suspended to conserve funds. There are at present only 49 properties within the pilot scheme area remaining