Application Process Procedures
The Property Management Services Authority generally follows the procedures below to process licence applications for property management companies and property management practitioners:
- The Property Management Services Authority examines the application forms and documents submitted by the applicant;
- If necessary, the Property Management Services Authority will contact the applicant or relevant third parties (e.g. employers, academic institutions, professional bodies, Hong Kong Police Force) to verify or clarify the information and/or documents submitted by the applicant;
- If the applicant is a suitable person to hold the relevant licence, meets all the prescribed criteria, has paid the prescribed fee and submitted the necessary information and/or documents, the Property Management Services Authority will approve the application and notify the applicant;
- If the applicant fails to provide all the necessary information and/or documents, the Property Management Services Authority will notify the applicant of the relevant situation by e-mail/telephone. If the Property Management Services Authority has issued the notification for the third time and if the applicant still fails to provide all the necessary information and/or documents before the specified time, the Property Management Services Authority will consider terminating the processing of the application. If so, the Property Management Services Authority will refund the licence fee paid (except the application fee);
- For the approved applications, the Property Management Services Authority will issue licences and property management practitioner cards (for licence applications of property management practitioners) to the applicants according to their preferred way of collecting the licences (by ordinary mail or in person at the office of the Property Management Services Authority);
- The Registers of Licensees will be updated by the Property Management Services Authority for public inspection; and
- The Property Management Services Authority will arrange for a list of the licensees to be published in the gazette.
Under normal circumstances, the approval of a property management practitioner licence application will be completed within 15 working days and the property management company licence application will be completed within 25 working days from the next working day after the receipt of the licence application form, the required fees and all the necessary information and required documents.
The licence takes effect on the day of approval of the application without prior notice. Once a licence has been issued, the Property Management Services Authority will not accept any request for withdrawal of the application and refund of any fees paid.
A person commits an offence if the person, in connection with an application for a licence or the renewal of a licence, provides any information or document to the Property Management Services Authority that is false or misleading in a material particular, and the person knows that, or is reckless as to whether, the information or document is false or misleading in a material particular. The person who commits the offence is liable, on conviction on indictment to a fine of $200,000 and to imprisonment for 1 year, or on summary conviction to a fine at level 6 and to imprisonment for 6 months.
