Newsletter
Latest Amendments to the Land Registration Regulations
The Department of Land Administration, the Ministry of Interior (DLA) made certain amendments ("Amendments") to the Land Registration Regulations ("Regulations") on 27 February 2014. The Amendments will take effect on 15 September 2014.
The major points of the Amendments are as follows:
1. According to the Regulations, anyone can apply with the land office for land/building registration transcripts ("Transcripts") which show the registered owner's full address. However, the disclosure of a registered owner's full address as stated on the Transcripts may constitute a violation of the Personal Data Protection Act since such disclosure is not one of the purposes for which the land office collected such personal data from the registered owner. Hence, the Amendments require the omission, in whole or in part, of personal information from the Transcripts such as date of birth, address, and ID number of a registered owner, in order to protect a registered owner's personal data (Article 24-1 of the Regulations).
2. In addition, considering that a person who co-owns a real property with others needs to know the full addresses of the other co-owners so that he/she can notify the other co-owners in writing if and when he/she transfers his/her share of ownership of, or creates any encumbrance over, the co-owned real property, such person, being an interested party, will be entitled to apply for the Transcripts without the other co-owners' full addresses being omitted (Article 24-1 of the Regulations).
3. In addition to the Transcripts, Article 24-1 of the Regulations will also apply to the registration transcripts of (i) trusts, (ii) management agreements of co-owned real properties, and/or (iii) restrictions on the use of real property issued by the land office (Articles 132 and 155-3 of the Regulations).