(ECNS) -- Beijing has further expanded policies to stop people from purchasing homes through marriage scams, a move aimed at curbing the hot property market, reported Securities Daily.
The new rule requires that when couples buy a home, including a second-hand home, the property should be registered in the name of the spouse eligible to purchase a residence in the capital.
Beijing allows a house to be registered in three ways—under the husband, the wife or the couple—at the time of purchase. Even if couples buy a home with a full payment, authorities still require strict reviews of name changes, dealing a further blow to scammers.
A number of marriage scams have been found, in which a person marries a Beijing resident to buy a home, then divorces in order to own the house.
Zhang Dawei, chief market analyst at Zhongyuan Real Estate Co, said the new policy will effectively curb marriage scams and drive away property speculators.
Data show that Beijing's commercial housing turnover totaled 258.5 billion yuan ($38.7 billion) in the first eight months, higher than the yearly amount in 2015.
Both prices and sales of new houses also increased in September. A real estate project located in the southeastern part of the 4th Ring Road saw prices increase more than 50 percent from three months ago.
The second-hand house market in September also grew by 11 percent month-to-month, according to a real estate agency.
