Beijing eases homebuying rules to boost property market

BEIJING, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese capital of Beijing on Monday announced to ease restrictions on homebuying rules to boost the city's property market, including lowering the threshold on non-locals to buy real estate in the downtown area.

According to a circular jointly issued by six municipal departments on Monday night, non-Beijing residents will be allowed to purchase homes inside the city's fifth ring road if they have a record of paying social insurance or individual income tax in the city for at least three years -- down from five years as was previously required.

The new policies to take effect on Tuesday will also lift the housing purchase restrictions in Tongzhou District, where the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center is located, to allow the district's homebuying rules to comply with the city's unified property market policy.

Under the new rules, homebuyers will face less financial pressure, as the minimum down payment ratio for individual commercial mortgages are reduced from 20 percent to 15 percent for first-home purchases, and from 30 percent to 20 percent for second homes.

For families with more than two children in Beijing, the amount of housing provident fund loan limit will be raised by 400,000 yuan (about 57,083 U.S. dollars), the circular said.