Hong Kong landlords and industry figures blame banks for commercial property slump

Hong Kong landlords and property industry figures are accusing banks of deepening the city’s shop slump by pulling back from commercial mortgages, leaving more potential buyers unable to secure financing even though property values have fallen sharply.

Shop buyers were increasingly being turned away, even though Hong Kong’s residential market had gained momentum this year and banks were competing for mortgage borrowers, they said.

“It takes a long time,” Shih said at a press conference organised by advocacy group Momentum 107 on Monday. “A considerable number of clients end up unable to get financing at the last minute … If it weren’t for this, there would be many more shop transactions.”

Raymond Ho, convenor of Momentum 107, said the sharp decline in shop values over the last few years had rapidly eroded the pool of available capital, weighing on investment and consumption.

Banks were pressing owners to repay loans amid falling property values while also refusing to provide mortgages to new buyers, which discouraged both users and investors from entering the market, further reducing transactions.