Ask your agent or the vendor whether there is anything that may lower the value of the flat, or better still, try to obtain a copy of the land search record about the flat.

What is a land search?

A land search is a search of the Government Land Registry to obtain the history of the flat and other relevant information. For example, it will show you things like:

Once the jury has reached its verdict, the foreman of the jury will inform the usher, who will inform the Court. The parties will be called back to Court, and the Court clerk will ask the foreman of the jury to state the verdict in open court.

Due to the complexity of criminal procedures and the risk of conviction, you are strongly recommended to appoint a lawyer to represent you.

The following chart briefly sets out normal court procedure in a criminal case:

With reference to section 9 of the Employment Ordinance, employers may summarily dismiss their employees without advance notice or wages in lieu of notice if their employees:

a. wilfully disobey any lawful and reasonable orders;
b. are guilty of misconduct;
c. are guilty of fraud or dishonesty; or
d. are habitually neglectful in their duties.

If a tenant fails to pay rent, then the following measures are usually available to the landlord.

a) Action for the recovery of outstanding rent

If landlords intend only to recover the outstanding rent but not to regain possession of the properties, then they may make their claim for rent arrears at one of the followings.

The law tries to stop traders from avoiding their responsibilities to you if you are injured or your property is lost or damaged because those traders failed to take proper care. They cannot hide behind cleverly worded clauses or a few lines of small print in a contract. They can still be liable to pay compensation.

A) Unreasonable Exemption Clauses

You may consider making use of the following alternatives:-

(i) Deed of Separation – It refers to a separation agreement that can be made between the two parties by themselves. The agreement can specify a period of separation, and what the parties will do with their children (if any) and how their children’s and each other’s maintenance will be provided. It is recommended that a lawyer be consulted before such an agreement is made.

You are advised to consult a lawyer before submitting the relevant documents and attending hearings in the Family Court.

You need to go through the following stages:-

(Stage 1) Presenting a petition for divorce

(Stage 2) Serving (delivering) my petition to my spouse

(Stage 3) Fixing a court hearing date

In law, there is in fact only one ground for presenting a petition for divorce, namely, that the marriage has broken down irretrievably.