Let’s talk about the conclusion first: According to Hangzhou’s policy that will be implemented from May 9, 2024, the purchase of ordinary commercial housing within Hangzhou city will no longer be reviewed for house purchase qualifications. If you have a non-local household registration and do not have Hangzhou social security, you will not be blocked from purchasing commercial housing. Hangzhou The qualifications for purchasing ordinary commercial housing have been liberalized. Next, what deserves more attention is the family fund arrangement, loan plan, deed tax caliber and specific batch process. This article breaks down these four things and explains them. After reading them, you will know your next step.
1. First, clarify: which “qualification” are you asking about?
1. Qualifications for purchasing commercial housing: Hangzhou has completely canceled the purchase restriction review
On May 9, 2024, the Hangzhou City Leading Group Office for the Stable and Healthy Development of the Real Estate Market issued a notice clarifying that "house purchase qualifications will no longer be reviewed for purchases of housing within this city." This adjustment covers newly built commercial housing and second-hand housing.
Therefore, if you are asking "Can foreigners without Hangzhou social security, can they buy an ordinary commercial house in Hangzhou?", the answer at the policy level is: house purchase qualifications will no longer be reviewed based on household registration or social security years.
What I’m talking about here is ordinary commercial housing. Policy housing such as allotment-type affordable housing and public rental housing have their own application targets, identification of housing difficulties, and closed management rules, and the same conclusions cannot be applied to commercial housing.
2. New house lottery: arranged according to the registration status of this batch
Hangzhou also adjusted the notarization lottery rules for new commercial housing: when the number of registered households with intention to purchase a house is less than or equal to the number of houses approved for sale, the project can cancel the notarization lottery and allow the development company to sell independently.
On the other hand, if there are more registered households than available houses for sale, whether the number will be drawn and how to register will depend on the current sales announcement. Don’t use the rules of the last opening to extrapolate the next batch of listings.
Before you prepare to register, please read at least three things:
- Pre-sale licenses and approved properties for this batch;
- Sales announcements, registration times and materials issued by the development enterprise;
- Whether the number of registered persons exceeds the number of houses approved for sale in this batch.
3. Loan qualifications: The minimum down payment is not required by banks to lend
Hangzhou The commercial personal housing loan policy that will be implemented from October 2024 will no longer distinguish between first and second homes, and the minimum down payment ratio will be unified at 15%. "Minimum 15%" is the lower limit of the policy. It does not mean that everyone can only pay 15%, nor does it mean that the bank must approve the remaining 85% of the loan.
Banks also typically evaluate income stability, credit history, existing liabilities, age, loan term and collateral. For a house with a high total price or a monthly payment close to the household income limit, the safest course of action is not to pay a deposit first, but to let the lending bank do pre-approval first.
If you use housing provident fund, the rules are different. Starting from April 1, 2026, the maximum amount of Hangzhou housing provident fund loans will be increased to 1.8 million yuan, and the loan limit for individual employees shall not exceed 900,000 yuan; the actual loan amount is still determined by the account balance, payment status, family situation, and housing situation. For provident fund loans and commercial loans, you can't just look at the "maximum amount" and work backwards to calculate your total home purchase price.
4. Number of deeded properties: There is no restriction on purchase, but it is still necessary to distinguish between the family’s only home and the second home.
After the house purchase qualification review is cancelled, the deed tax discount does not cancel the judgment on the number of family housing units. Under the current policy, individuals who purchase a family's only home or a family's second home with an area of 140 sq m or less can be levied a reduced deed tax of 1%; if the area is more than 140 sq m, the family's only home is taxed at 1.5%, and the family's second home is taxed at 2%.
“Family” here includes the home buyer, spouse and minor children. Whether it is eligible for the preferential treatment shall be subject to the verification results of the tax and real estate departments at the time of declaration.
Families that already own a house can also view the house first; when calculating the deed tax, the tax caliber can be determined based on the number of houses and the area of the house.
5. Buying a house and settling in: You can apply after you own a house. You will not automatically obtain a household registration after signing a contract.
The Hangzhou 2024 policy proposes that people with non-Hangzhou city household registration can apply for settlement after obtaining legal property rights in this city. The key conditions are to "obtain legal property rights" and "apply" as required. Specific application materials can be confirmed with the public security agency before signing the contract.
If one of your important purposes for buying a house is for your children to go to school or settle down, first check with the public security window and education department of the place where you plan to settle, and do not write the salesperson's verbal explanation into your decision-making basis.
What should be checked for the second and fourth types of common home buyers?
| your situation | Can I buy ordinary commercial housing according to the policy? | What should you check before paying? |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign registered permanent residence, no Hangzhou social security | No more review of home purchase qualifications | Loan pre-approval, settlement application conditions, commuting costs |
| Hangzhou already has a house | No purchase limit | Number of deed tax sets, monthly payment pressure, replacement time |
| Prepare to use provident fund | Not subject to purchase restriction qualifications | Personal loan limit, number of loans, down payment and combination loan connection |
| Apply for affordable housing | Commercial housing policies cannot be directly applied | Compare specific project placement announcements and family access conditions |
3. Before paying, check in this order.
Step 1: Confirm what type of housing you are buying
First distinguish between commercial housing, allotment-type affordable housing, foreclosure housing or other special housing. The conclusion obtained by searching for "Hangzhou no purchase limit" is mainly for commercial housing and will not automatically cover all products.
Step 2: Check the batch certificate and sales announcement
For new houses, check whether the project name, building and house number on the pre-sale permit include the house you want to buy. Don’t just look at the sand table or floor plans.
Step 3: Let the bank first calculate "how much you can loan", don't just calculate "the minimum down payment"
Submit your family's after-tax income, existing loans, credit card installments and large expenditures in the next three years to the bank for evaluation. When the loan is not approved, how the deposit and down payment will be handled depends on the terms of the contract and cannot be returned unconditionally by default.
Step 4: Let the tax caliber enter the general budget
Deed tax will be assessed after confirming the number of family housing units and building area. If the Hangzhou provident fund is used, starting from April 2026, eligible paying employees and their spouses can withdraw the balance of the provident fund account in one go to pay the deed tax for self-occupied housing in this city, and the total will not exceed the actual deed tax paid.
Step 5: Return all verbal commitments to written documents
For matters such as delivery time, decoration standards, parking spaces, property fees, school districts, transportation planning, etc., please check the contract, government approval or announcement from the competent department respectively. Anything that is not written into a contract or official document should not be regarded as an acquired interest.
5. After completing the policy judgment, how to effectively read LinpingChongxian
After the purchase restriction review is cancelled, what really affects whether it is worth looking at a house is the total price, unit type, current commute and delivery documents. Readers who are ready to compare LinpingChongxian projects can continue reading "Who is buying a house in Chongxian suitable for?" "Budget, Commuting and House Viewing Key Points", first eliminate unsuitable houses based on family size and daily routes, and then make an appointment on site.