Flat sales tactics

THE government has proposed three rulesgoverning the sale of uncompleted flats. Itremains to be seen how effective they willprove. However, in their interactions with thegovernment, developers have always found ways tocircumvent its moves. Being infinitely creative, theyoften lead the government by the nose. Therefore, thegovernment must criminalise deceptive flat salestactics to protect citizens' interests.

Some time ago Secretary for Transport andHousing Eva Cheng made surprise visits to the showflats of two new developments. Yesterday sheannounced three rules governing flat sales. First, showflats should not be with such fittings as to giveprospective buyers wrong ideas about their sizes, andthere should only be fittings and appliances that will befound in completed flats. Second, the exact locationsof uncompleted flats must be clearly indicated in salesbrochures. Third, developers must disclose connectedtransactions between them and their high high--rankingemployees. Developers would be required to identifythe flats that have been sold and reveal the prices atwhich they have been sold in such transactions. Tostrike a proper balance between the public's right toknow and privacy, the government has suggested thatthe connected persons need not be identified.

Walls and doors have been removed in most showflats so that they may seem more spacious than theyare. There may be lines and brief indications on thefloor to show where those doors and walls would be.However, they may not help prospective buyers tovisualise the completed flats with those doors andwalls. Show flats should, as they are called such, beaccurate samples of completed flats. Most show flatsnow give prospective buyers wrong ideas. Thissituation ought to be rectified as it tarnishesdevelopers' image and damages their reputation.

Some dried seafood shops resort to misleadingtactics. For example, the characters for units of weight(( jjiinn and lliiaanngg) on their price tags may be extremely) tiny. One taken in by a dried seafood shop may loseat most several thousand dollars. However, a flateasily costs millions of dollars. In most cases, acitizen's home is the biggest investment he makes inhis life. A home purchaser misled with a show flat mayregret his loss for the rest of his life. Unscrupulousdried seafood shops and market stalls that havesupplied short weights may be punished under theWeights and Measures Ordinance. However, there isno legislation against unscrupulous flat sales tactics.Developers' profits are out of all proportion to theirlegal liability. That shows the government only dares tocrack down on small businesses' unscrupulouspractices. It does not dare to touch developers, whichare financially powerful.

Developers have come up with infinitely creativedesigns and sales tactics. For example, they haggledwith the government for years about built built--over areaand saleable area. On the face of it, the question hasbeen clarified. However, it is still not clear on what kindof area the per per--square square--foot prices of the flats in somedevelopments are based.

Many things that have happened in recent yearsshow it is hardly effective in protecting flat owners'interests to rely solely on developers to policethemselves. Therefore, the government should makedeceptive flat sales tactics illegal by legislation. It maytake some time to do so, but it is desirable, for onlywhen there is such legislation will citizens' interests beadequately protected.(D0905)

明報英語網「雙語社評」english.mingpao.com/critic.htm

立法規管售樓手法才可確保市民權益

政府推出33 項規管銷售樓花措施，成效如何尚待驗證，不過，證諸過去發展商與政府在這方面互動，是「你有張良計，我有過牆梯」，發展商的創意無限，政府往往被牽着鼻子走；所以，政府有必要透過立法規管，把售賣樓花涉及欺騙的行為刑事化，以保障市民權益。

運輸及房屋局長鄭汝樺早前「突擊視察」兩個新樓盤的示範單位，昨日，她宣布政府以33 招規管售賣樓花，包括：（ 11）示範單位展示的裝置及設備，不能讓買家有）空間感增加的錯覺，另外，單位內提供的設備，須與交樓時相符；（ 22）樓花的宣傳資料，須列明正確地區及位）置；（ 33）涉及發展商高層人員的相連交易必須公布，不）一定要公布交易者的身分，但要公布價錢和單位，使公衆知情權與私隱得以平衡。

現在大多數新樓的示範單位，都以拆門、拆牆和豪裝等手法增加空間感，然後在原本有門、有牆之處，在地面以畫線和簡短陳述交代，在視覺上，準買家參觀示範單位時，無法準確掌握門牆矗立之後的實况。其實， 既名之為示範單位，就應該如實反映單位的真實情况；現在的示範單位有誤導之嫌，也有損地產商的形象和商譽，必須糾正。

一些海味舖以不良售賣手法（例如斤、両等單位字眼寫得很小），誤導消費者；買海味被騙，只是一千幾百元的事，買樓動輒數百萬元，是一般市民畢生最大投資，若被示範單位誤導，損失可是一輩子的事。對於「黑店」海味舖或是街市商販「呃秤」，政府有度量衡法例對付；對於發展商賣樓，政府卻無法例可管，其間涉及利益和法律責任存在巨大落差，根本不成比例，充分說明政府只敢對付小商號和商販，對於財雄勢大的發展商，卻是袖手旁觀。

發展商從建築到銷售樓宇，都「創意」不絕，例如單是「建築面積」與「實用面積」，當局與發展商糾纏數年，現在表面上較為清晰了，但是近期一些樓盤所謂售價，指的是什麼面積，仍然甚為混淆。

近年多個事例說明，單靠業界自律，是無法有效保障小業主的利益；因此，政府應該立法規管發展商的售樓手法，對欺騙銷售手法以刑事處理。雖然立法需要較長時間完成，但是總比現在好，因為立法之後，市民的利益才可以得到較堅實的保障。

Glossary

criminalise //''krIImIn laIz/

make illegal by passing a new law.

take in

deceive.

crack down on

To crack down on an illegal activity is to tryharder to prevent it.