China mulls new curbs on realtors

中国出台新举措限制地产经纪人

BEIJING -- A new banking regulation may force land developers to finish projects and sell vacant holdings by keeping track of the funds they raise from pre-sales, say sources with the Ministry of Construction.

北京 电— 据建设部透露：一项新的银行规定将通过追踪预售资金来迫使房地产开发商完成工程并出售闲置空房。

The developers could be required to open special bank accounts where funds from all pre-sales must be deposited and then only be used to finish the project.

规定要求开发商将预收资金存入开设的特殊账号，该款项只能用于项目完工。

Many Chinese realtors sell units in their unfinished buildings but instead of using the funds to complete construction they plough them into new projects. This has caused some developers to suffer serious cash flow problems forcing them to abandon unfinished buildings and leaving purchasers with nothing to show for their investment.

国内许多房地产经纪人在楼盘未完工时出售单元房，但资金不是用来楼盘施工而是投入新建项目。这使得部分开发商面临严重的资金流动问题，被迫扔下未完工的建筑，留给投资业主的是空无一物。

The new measure will also allow authorities to track the sale of apartments, ensuring that all of them have been put on the market. Some developers have been accused of hoarding empty units in order to tighten supply and force prices up.

新规定同时允许相关部门追踪楼盘销售情况，确保它们全部投放市场。一些开发商因囤积空置房源来紧缩供应，抬高价格被起诉。

Developers are currently not allowed to pre-sell units in new buildings until the roof is on. The authorities know that a large number of realtors ignore the rule and presell under the table.

依照现行法规，开发商在新建筑封顶之前不得预售单元房，有关部门获悉大多数房地产经纪人无视此项规定，私下进行销售。