China home-buying curbs set to stay despite nascent rally

Beijing

CHINA'S residential property market may be on the road to recovery, but local authorities appear intent on toeing the party line, sticking to President Xi Jinping's mantra that homes are for living in, and not for speculation.

Several local governments have backflipped on policy-easing measures in recent weeks, announcing a loosening of curbs only to reverse the decision within days - or sometimes even hours.

Earlier this week, Qingdao, a city in eastern Shandong province, proposed to shorten to two years an existing rule that prohibits homebuyers from selling their apartments within five years. Three days later, the motion was withdrawn.

Last month, Jinan city in the same province said some properties meeting green-building standards were no longer subject to buyer restrictions. The next day, the exemption was reinstated.

Although real estate is picking up pace as the spread of Covid-19 in China abates, "top policy makers still retain their stance against housing speculation", said Yan Yuejin, an analyst at E-House China Enterprise Holdings' research institute. "Stronger forms of property easing are still not allowed."

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Home prices in 70 cities monitored by the government rose an average 0.13 per cent in March from February, National Bureau of Statistics data released on Thursday showed.

New apartment sales also improved in March, recording a narrower decline of 12.1 per cent from a year earlier, separate data out on Friday showed.

Real-estate investment, an important driver of economic growth, expanded from a year earlier after a sharp drop in the first two months of the year.

Local authorities' reticence to walk back housing-market restrictions is a signal that Beijing plans to keep a tight rein on the bubble-prone sector, despite China's economy facing its slowest growth in four decades.

In the past, bouts of loosening have led to home-buying frenzies, pushing up prices.

There are some pockets where restrictions have been eased and not reversed. Shanghai and Xi'an, for example, have allowed developers to delay fees for land purchases. But market watchers say broader policy change is unlikely.

"Local authorities have been reacting fast to cushion the outbreak's impact on the property market by rolling out some support," said Danielle Wang, head of China property analysis at DBS Bank (Hong Kong). "It's clear the top government does not want anything like adrenaline. They are being very cautious about not overdoing it." BLOOMBERG