Dear Erex,

I previously lived and worked in Ningbo for 2 years and left China end of 2007. Before the introduction of residency rules to buy property, I bought a residential property and an office lot in Shanghai, jointly with a local Shanghainese resident. This person now wants to cash out. So am I allowed to buy her out?

The responses I have gotten from this forum are:

1. I would think, so long as your name is on the house register as joint owner, you should be fine.
2. You may get away with the residential property if your name is originally listed as a co-purchaser on the deed. You will not get away with the commercial property. Expats now are not allowed to purchase commercial properties.

So now I have a new question:

If I buy her out of the office lot but do not register the transaction but we both sign a legal document before a lawyer that she holds
the office lot on my behalf, would that document be enforcable when I finally decide to sell it?


Thanks in advance for your response.