Tang Sum Chai and Others v. Wong Sau Wah

Read the full judgment text of HCMP 578/2010 on BabelCite. This High Court CFI judgment was delivered on 20 July 2010.

1. Section 2 of the Land Registration Ordinance provides for the types of documents that can be registered at the Land Registry. A statutory declaration of right by a third party against an owner is not registerable against an owner’s land.

Cited by 6 cases

Case No.HCMP 578/2010[1982] HKC 333[2016] 1 HKC 528
Court
High Court CFI
Date20 Jul 2010
Judge
Case Document
100%Judiciary

HCMP 578/2010

IN THE HIGH COURT OF THE

HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION

COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE

MISCELLANEOUS PROCEEDINGS NO. 578 OF 2010

____________

 

IN THE MATTER of Section 19 of the Land Registration Ordinance, Cap.128, Laws of Hong Kong

 

and

 

IN THE MATTER of a Statutory Declaration of Wong Sau Wah made on 21st January 2009 and registered in the Land Registry by Memorial No.09061202660272

 

and

 

IN THE MATTER of ALL THOSE pieces or parcels of ground registered in the Land Registry as LOT NOS. 162RP, 163RP, 163A, 164A, 164B, 164C, 164D, 164RP and 194CRP all in Demarcation District No.121, Yuen Long, New Territories together with the messuages, erections and buildings thereon (if any)

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BETWEEN

  TANG SUM CHAI 1st Plaintiff
  CHAN WAI FONG 2nd Plaintiff
  TANG CHIU FAT 3rd Plaintiff
  TANG CHEE FAI 4th Plaintiff
  TANG PING KWAN 5th Plaintiff
  TANG CHI CHUNG 6th Plaintiff
  TANG CHI TAK 7th Plaintiff
  SKYFLAGS INTERNATIONAL LIMITED 8th Plaintiff
  LAM HAU FA 9th Plaintiff

and

  WONG SAU WAH Defendant
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Before: Deputy High Court Judge L. Chan in Chambers

Date of Hearing: 20 July 2010

Date of Decision: 20 July 2010

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D E C I S I O N

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1.Section 2 of the Land Registration Ordinance provides for the types of documents that can be registered at the Land Registry. A statutory declaration of right by a third party against an owner is not registerable against an owner’s land.

2.The defendant’s attempt to register her statutory declaration is an abuse of the system of registration.  If the defendant wants to merely give notice of her claim to the owner, she can do so by letter.  If she wants to claim interest, she should issue a writ against the owner and then register the writ against the owner’s land.

3.The writ is a lis pendens or a pending litigation and is registerable.  The owner can contest a writ in court but the not a statutory declaration.

4.It is wrong for the defendant to have attempted to register her statutory declaration for the purpose of giving notice of her claim to the plaintiffs.

5.The plaintiffs have asked her to withdraw the declaration but she refused[1].  She should therefore pay the costs of these proceedings to the plaintiffs.  But this case is not serious enough for the indemnity scale to be applied.

6.I also ask the solicitors for the parties to arrange a 9.30 a.m. hearing before me for the purpose of gross assessment of the amount of costs payable by the defendant to the plaintiffs.

(L. Chan)
Deputy High Court Judge

Mr Kenneth Y F Wong, instructed by Messrs Rene Hout & Co., for the 1st to 9th Plaintiffs

Mr James Sherry, instructed by Messrs Raymond Chan, Kenneth Yuen & Co., for the Defendant


[1]She later withdrew the statutory declaration from the Land Registry by herself after she had declined the plaintiffs’ request to withdraw and her filing her notice of intention to defend.