Key answer: After completion, check the solicitor's documents, rates and government rent account, building management, utilities, insurance and correspondence addresses. The “7 days” is a suggested organising sequence, not a universal legal deadline. Lending, insurance and some completion arrangements may need to be settled before handover.
Last checked: 2026-10-15 (Hong Kong time). First published: 2026-03-23.
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Correction: The previous version contained inaccurate tax, deadline and cost statements and an unverified customer story. Those claims and blanket estimates have been removed. Use the official sources below together with the documents for your transaction.
On handover: collect documents and records
- Ask your solicitor to confirm completion, payments, mortgage drawdown and deed handling. Obtain the completion statement and document copies; receiving keys alone does not confirm every legal step is finished.
- Keep the key and access-card record, condition photographs, inspection notes and water, electricity and gas meter readings dated to handover.
- Reconcile rates, government rent, management fees and other apportionments against the sale agreement and completion statement. Separate payments, arrears, refundable deposits and unconfirmed costs.
Rates, government rent and management fees
Where ownership changes require a new registered payer, notify the Rating and Valuation Department promptly. Follow its online or specified procedures, including RVD1006 where applicable, and provide the existing account number and new payer's details. Do not assume a universal one-month grace period. Reconcile the account balance and transfer arrangements at handover. 1823 / RVD: changing payer details
Check management charges, deposits and special maintenance levies against the deed of mutual covenant, sale agreement, management notices and solicitor's statement. A two-to-three-month deposit or automatic half-month charge for mid-month completion is not a rule for every building. Obtain written charges and confirm who pays.
Utilities: check each provider separately
Prepare the address, identity documents, applicable tenancy or purchase documents, account or meter numbers and dated readings. Existing supply, disconnected premises and family-member transfers can require different procedures.
- Water: Check the supply status, effective date and opening reading when taking up the account. WSD processes a change of consumership without invariably requiring the previous user to close the account first. WSD: taking up an account
- Electricity and gas: Confirm documents, deposits, payment and activation with the relevant local supplier. This guide gives no universal deposit figure or same-day completion guarantee. CLP: supply and name transfer; Towngas: opening an account
Insurance: check the loan terms and actual cover
If the lender requires building insurance, confirm the sum-insured basis, cover and effective date in its written requirements. Do not assume that cover must always equal the loan balance or start exactly three days before handover.
Distinguish building structure, home contents and third-party liability cover. Check limits, excesses and exclusions for vacancy, renovation and other risks. Having fire insurance does not mean every household loss is covered. This guide quotes no standard premium or bank-package discount. Insurance Authority: building and home insurance
Property tax and stamp duty: use the applicable rules
Property tax depends on letting income and the applicable rules. Occupying a home yourself, or allowing family to use it free without rental income, does not automatically create property tax because the owner lives elsewhere. If IRD issues a return, complete it accurately as required. When letting begins, check reporting and notification obligations; whether a notice was sent within a month of completion does not determine whether the property was let. IRD: property tax return FAQ
For residential transaction instruments executed on or after 28 February 2024, buyer's stamp duty (BSD), special stamp duty (SSD) and new residential stamp duty (NRSD) were abolished. The old assertion that a first-time buyer must repay a 10–15% price difference for letting or reselling within three years is not a current general rule. Ad valorem stamp duty still needs checking against the instrument date, value and applicable provisions. Ask the solicitor or IRD about special transfers. IRD: BSD, SSD and ad valorem stamp duty
Keep receipts for reconciliation and reporting, but do not treat every actual cost as a separate property-tax deduction. IRD normally grants a statutory 20% repairs and outgoings allowance automatically. Management fees, government rent, renovation and insurance do not therefore become additional itemised deductions. Mortgage interest is not directly deductible under property tax; personal assessment has separate conditions. IRD: property tax deductions
Addresses and a transaction-specific budget
Update the bank, insurer, IRD, management office and other relevant correspondents. If using mail redirection, check Hongkong Post's coverage, application timing and current charges rather than assuming the first three months are free. 1823 / Hongkong Post: mail redirection
Record confirmed amounts, payment dates and responsible parties:
| Category | Documents | Keep separate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Transaction and apportionments | Completion statement and sale agreement | Paid, outstanding and the other party's share |
| Management and maintenance | Deed and written management notices | Recurring fees, deposits and special levies |
| Utilities | Supplier applications and payment notices | Deposits, final bills, connection and service charges |
| Insurance | Loan terms, quotation and policy | Premium, insured amount, excess and effective date |
Separate refundable deposits from expenditure. Mark unknown amounts as unconfirmed; an article's example is not a quotation for your property.
Before letting, check restrictions separately
Review loan conditions, government lease or subsidised-housing restrictions, the deed, insurance use and tenancy arrangements. Obtain written consent where required. There is no single “letting permit” or universal two-to-four-week waiting period for every property.
Update this checklist as the transaction progresses and retain documents, correspondence and receipts. Refer transaction-specific title, tax, lending or insurance questions to the relevant organisation and your professional representatives.