Editor's Note: The State Council, China's Cabinet, issued a new measure on April 17 which allows commercial banks to refuse loans to people buying their third houses in areas suffering from soaring property prices, in a fresh bid to cool down the country's red-hot property market. [Full Story]
What is a second home-buyer? For investors: Where to put money amid real estate curbs In focus: China mulls levying property tax 
Roundtable: Will housing prices drop as cooling measures bite? Debate: Impact of property policies on China's economy

Bank regulator to curb speculative property investment

China's banking regulator will strictly implement the central government's macroeconomic policies that aim to curb soaring housing prices, an official said Tuesday.

 
Policies

China to keep reining in housing market

Chinese Vice-Premier Li Keqiang said Friday that the government would continue to regulate the housing market and resolutely crack down on speculative property investment and other unreasonable market demands.

Developers

Banks clampdown may trigger bond sales by property firms

China's order for banks to transfer off-balance-sheet loans may lead to a large amount of bond issuance from real-estate companies, CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets said.

Market

China housing prices post slower growth in July

Housing prices in major Chinese cities rose 10.3 percent year on year in July, slowing from the 11.4 percent growth in June, the National Bureau of Statistics said Tuesday.

Banks

Third-home loans stopped in Shanghai

Shanghai's housing fund has stopped loans for third-home buyers, following cities like Beijing and Tianjin, which already adopted such measures in May, the Oriental Morning Post reported Friday, citing sources.
People

Paltry income, housing price top concern

Slow income increases has become the most pressing concern for Guangdong residents, a recent report by the local government's think tank revealed.

Analysis/Opinion

More realty curbs unlikely: experts

The government is unlikely to come out with more tightening policies for the real estate sector in the second half, and is more inclined to allow the market to play a lead role in adjusting prices, a top industry think-tank official said on Thursday.

Related Coverage

As the property market cools and the stock market flounders, investors are hunting for safe havens or exploring new ways to make easy money.
Recent Real Estate Policies in China
Date

Regulators

Policy

Related Reading

2010.06.12

Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD)and six other departments

Further increase the construction and supply of low-rent housing to meet the demand of middle- and low-income residents. 

More housing construction urged 

2010.06.04

MOHURD, The People's Bank of China (PBOC), China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC)

Higher down payments and mortgage rates if one of the home-buyer's family members already owns property. 

New housing policy 'difficult to implement' 

2010.05.02

PBOC

The central bank announced it will raise the deposit reserve requirement ratio (RRR) for financial institutions by half a percentage point from May 10. 

China's central bank to raise 0.5% reserve ratio 

2010.04.30 

Beijing Government

Beijing banned all families from buying more than one home, it also bans mortgages for purchases of a third or third-plus home 

Beijing unveils tough measures to curb housing price rises 

2010.04.19 

MOHURD 

Developers were asked not to take deposits for sales of uncompleted apartments without proper approval and barred from charging "abnormally high" prices. 

Government to punish property price manipulation 

2010.04.17 

State Council

Provincial and municipal governments in areas with soaring prices can turn down third-home loans as well as temporarily restrict the number of properties people can buy, in accordance with the situation in their jurisdictions. 

Banks can refuse third-home loans 

2010.04.15 

State Council 

Down payment for people buying their second homes were raised to a minimum of 50 percent of the property value from 40 percent. 

Second home payment raised to curb soaring prices 

2010.04.13 

MOHURD 

Local governments were urged to put more efforts into the building of low-income housing. 

China to boost low-income housing building 

2010.04.11

CBRC 

Banks should not extend loans to home buyers who intend to use the money for speculative purposes. 

Regulator to ban lending to speculative home buyers 

2010.03.18 

State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) 

78 State-owned enterprises with no core businesses in the real estate industry are asked to withdraw from the industry after completing unfinished land development programs. 

78 SOEs to withdraw from real estate industry 

2010.03.11

Ministry of Land and Resources 

Developers must make a 50 percent down payment on all land put up for auction within one month of signing a contract or face the prospect of losing the land along with their deposit. 

China tightens land purchase rules 

2010.01.12 

PBOC

The central bank raised the reserve requirement ratio in a clear sign that it was determined to drain excessive liquidity in the market and curb lending. 

Bank reserve ratio raised to curb lending 
 
 
Historical Property Policies by State Council
 
Date  Policy Targets Measures  Related Reading 

 2005.04.28

To stabilize housing prices by smoothing out problems that have pushed the prices upward.

The State Council required all regions of China to make clear plans on the scale, distribution and schedule of construction of common commercial housing and affordable housing and make it public.

Measures address Chinese housing price running wild 

 2006.05.17

To use a mix of tax, credit and land policies to cool down the country's over-heated property sector.

A policy required that developers of land slated for development be charged a high "idle land fee" if it remains unused for one year, while rights will be revoked if it remains unused for 2 years. Local governments were asked to make 70 percent of its annual land supply available for the development of low-cost housing. 

China reins in property sector  

 2009.12.14

To ensure healthy development of the country's real estate sector because house prices in some cities are rising so fast.

To deflate potential bubbles and send early warning signals to investors and property developers and curb speculative purchases. 

Realty curbs take sheen off mainland property stocks 

 2010.01.10

To strengthen management, stabilize market expectations and facilitate stable and sound development of the real estate market. 

To increase supply of low-cost houses for low-income families and common residential houses, encourage reasonable house buying while restraining purchases for speculation and investment, strengthen real estate project loan risk management and market supervision, speed up construction of housing projects for low-income households, and specify responsibilities of local governments. 

China rolls out fresh measures for property market 
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