Renting, in six steps
A Hong Kong tenancy is governed by the agreement you sign, so most of our work is in getting that agreement right before you do.
Tell us what you are afterReach out when you are ready to start looking. Tell us the districts, the budget, the rooms, the light, the dog, the things that matter to you. We narrow the search and put together the homes worth seeing, from the collection and beyond it.
nothing
Viewings and the offerWe go with you. When a home fits, we put your offer to the landlord: the rent, the term, the start date and what is included. Once it is accepted, a deposit of one month's rent secures the home for you; it becomes the first half of your security deposit.
1 month, to secure the offer
The agreementWe settle the tenancy agreement with the landlord's side before the tenancy starts: the term, usually two years with a break after the first, whether the rent covers the management fee and rates, who repairs what, and anything particular to you. On signing you pay the second month of the deposit, the first month's rent in advance, and your half of the stamp duty.
1 month deposit + 1 month rent + stamp duty
Stamping and filingWe take the signed agreement to the Stamp Office within thirty days, and the landlord's side files its notice with the Rating and Valuation Department. Our fee, half a month's rent, is paid at signing or on the handover day.
½ month, our fee
HandoverWe walk the home with you and the landlord on the day: meters read, keys counted, the inventory signed with photographs, so the deposit has a document to come back on. We open the electricity, water and gas accounts in your name.
small utility deposits
Living there, and leavingAnything with the landlord goes through us for the whole term. When the time comes, notice under the break clause goes in writing, the home goes back as the inventory shows it, and the deposit follows.
rent monthly, in advance
What you pay, for example at $30,000 a month
| When | What | Sum |
|---|---|---|
| Offer accepted | Deposit to secure the home, one month | $30,000 |
| Formal agreement signed, before the tenancy starts | Second month of the deposit | $30,000 |
| First month's rent, in advance | $30,000 | |
| Stamp duty, your half of a two-year lease | $900 | |
| At signing, or on handover day | Our fee, half a month | $15,000 |
| By the day you move in | $105,900 |
The two months' deposit is held for the term and returned when the home is handed back as the inventory describes it, fair wear excepted.
Stamp duty on the lease
A small fixed percentage of the rent, set by the length of the term.
| Term | Duty |
|---|---|
| A year or less | 0.25% of the total rent over the term |
| More than a year, up to three | 0.5% of a year's rent |
| More than three years | 1% of a year's rent |
Stamp duty is split equally between landlord and tenant. On $30,000 a month over two years that is 0.5% of $360,000, $1,800 in all, $900 each.
What the agreement should say
- The term, the break clause, and exactly how notice is served and counted.
- Whether the rent includes the management fee, rates and government rent.
- The deposit, and the condition the home is to be returned in.
- Who repairs what, with air conditioners and appliances named.
- Pets, subletting, redecoration, and any fixtures you may change.
- The inventory, attached and signed, with photographs.
Moving in
- Electricity, water and gas: we open the accounts in your name at handover and pass you the account numbers.
- Broadband: yours to order, and it takes the longest, a week or two. We will tell you which providers the building is wired for; order it before you move.
- Handover day: meters read with the landlord present, every key counted, every room photographed for the inventory.
How it ends
- A fixed term ends on its last day; no notice is needed unless the agreement asks for one.
- A break clause needs its notice in writing, served the way the agreement says and counted from the day it is served.
- Hand the home back as the inventory describes it, with every key and the closing meter readings, and the deposit follows within days.
- There is no rent control at renewal and no right to stay past the term; what protects you is the agreement, the inventory and the stamp, and we make sure you have all three.
Sources, read 10 September 2026: the Inland Revenue Department on stamping tenancy agreements, the Rating and Valuation Department on the Landlord and Tenant (Consolidation) Ordinance, and the Estate Agents Authority's consumer guidance. A guide, not legal advice.