For a studio presented as a home or a flat rearranged into several rooms, compare documents and condition before paying. Resolve open questions through appropriate professionals rather than inferring compliance from decoration or existing residents.
What to have ready
Identify the building and plans in official records
BD's Building Information Centre and BRAVO provide access to specified building records. Match address, lot, block and floor before selecting documents. Available categories can include approved plans and occupation permits, subject to the service's coverage and access arrangements. Village houses, older buildings or special categories may not be covered in the same way. A failed search is not by itself proof of either compliance or illegality.
Keep the record date, drawing number and covered area and ask about subsequent approved alterations. An occupation permit concerns the building approval at issuance, not an endorsement of every partition or use existing today. Land title, DMC and Government-lease conditions are separate documents with their own effect. The building record is an important part of the check, but it should not be made to answer every property question.
Compare use, exits and arrangement on site
Compare the unit extent, rooms, kitchen, bathroom and access shown on relevant approved plans with safely observable condition. Note additional rooms, blocked openings, relocated facilities or floor changes and request the associated approval or work records. An agent's sketch is not a replacement for official plans. Where interpretation, structure or fire safety is involved, have an appropriate professional inspect rather than treating a photograph as a complete assessment.
An industrial unit's bed, postal address or utility account does not establish permission for residential use, and a studio label does not change its actual use. Changes of use and alterations need their applicable process; verbal landlord consent is not an approval. For subdivided premises, check the separate regulated-tenancy and BHU scope. A record under one regime should not be treated as certification that every other requirement is satisfied.
Turn uncertainties into pre-payment document requests
- List the areas where documents and condition differ, with photograph and drawing references, and ask which record supports the present arrangement. Describe observable facts rather than declaring a whole building unlawful or publishing residents' details.
- Request subsequent approvals, work records or professional findings and match the property, scope and dates. An application acknowledgement is not proof of approval, and a document covering one part of the work does not resolve all other alterations or use questions.
- Arrange the necessary professional check and list missing records and restrictions before deciding whether to sign and pay. If already living there and an immediate danger is found, use the proper safety assistance route without waiting for the document exercise to finish.
Example: a Kwun Tong studio advertised for living
Fung views an industrial-building studio with a bed, shower and separate electricity meter advertised for long-term living. He checks the building records and use and requests documents supporting residential occupation and alterations rather than only asking whether anyone complained. When the sketch and obtained plan differ, he refers the discrepancy to an appropriate professional for examination.
The lessor supplies only a work quotation and utility bills, so Fung keeps the approvals unresolved instead of treating invoices as permission. Existing occupation does not settle the question. The example makes no legal finding about the entire building; it identifies which document and use questions remain unanswered before money or a commitment is given.
Match permits, plans and condition to the same premises and obtain appropriate professional checks for unresolved use or alteration questions.
Official information and enquiries
These are the reference and service entry points for this guide. Check current fees, eligibility, and schedules with the authority. The preparation date is not each source's official update date.