A seller should check the title deeds supplied for buyer-side inspection and the particulars recorded by the Land Registry for documents affecting the property. However, the cited sources do not establish a complete completion-and-handover checklist or confirm that both items must be handed to the buyer at completion.
Check the Title Deeds
The Community Legal Information Centre states that the vendor gives the title deeds to a solicitor for buyer-side inspection. A seller can therefore ask the solicitor handling the transaction to identify:
- which title deeds were handed over;
- whether they concern the property being sold; and
- whether their handover was solely for inspection or also formed part of the completion process.
The cited material does not say whether title deeds inspected earlier must subsequently be delivered at completion.
Check the Land Register Record
The Hong Kong Land Registry explains that particulars of deeds or other documents affecting a property are entered onto the land register when the documents are lodged for registration. A seller can review the property’s land-register entry and ask the legal professional handling the transaction to explain the registered documents reflected there.
This is a record check, not necessarily a physical handover check. The cited source confirms that particulars are entered onto the register; it does not state that the underlying documents must be delivered to the buyer.
What the Seller Must Still Confirm
Neither source provides an exhaustive list of completion documents or confirms that the title deeds and land-register record alone satisfy all handover requirements. Before considering the document review complete, the seller should obtain confirmation from the legal professional handling the transaction regarding:
- the full transaction-specific completion and handover document list;
- whether any documents beyond the title deeds require attention;
- what each land-register entry relates to; and
- whether the title deeds inspected earlier have any further role at completion.
The safe conclusion is therefore to check both supported items while avoiding the unsupported assumption that they constitute the entire handover pack.