Beijing to block ineligible home ownership via marriage scams

Beijing has introduced a new policy aimed to close a loophole that has been used by marriage scammers to buy a home, reported Beijing Daily.

The new rule requires that when couples buy a home, the property should be registered in the name of the spouse who is eligible to purchase a residence in the capital.

Beijing currently has a string of measures designed to cool the property market, requiring that buyers should have Beijing household registration or pay social insurance or income tax for at least five years.

Usually, if purchasers marry Beijing natives, they are regarded as natives and are exempt from such restrictions. 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.

Real estate agent Li Qiang said people usually receive 100,000 yuan ($15,000) for facilitating marriage fraud. Li also said he knew some people who got married and divorced five times.

An official told the newspaper that the new policy aims to crack down on marriage scams.

An insider said the loophole has not been fully closed because a couple can still change the homeowner name to only one spouse once the mortgage is paid off, but few purchasers are able to pay for a house in full.