In Hong Kong’s property market, purchasing real estate is often described as buying a physical structure. From a strict legal perspective, however, what a purchaser actually acquires is a package of undivided shares in the land, accompanied by the exclusive right to occupy a specific domestic unit. Under Hong Kong’s deeds registration system, established under the Land Registration Ordinance (Cap. 128), registration does not confer state-guaranteed title; it merely establishes priority among competing instruments.
