Buying before completion involves both a property transaction and a promise of future delivery. A finished show apartment cannot establish the condition, timing, or legal status of the unit being sold. The task is to connect the approved project, the specific unit, the contract, and the destination of each payment.

Verify the development and the permitted sale

National housing guidance addresses presale permission and disclosure of approved projects and units. Confirm the relevant permit and the actual unit through current local housing-authority information. Match the developer’s legal identity and project phase to the contract. Permission for one building should not be assumed to cover every phase marketed under the same development name.

Treat the reservation papers seriously

Read the reservation document before transferring money. Ask what the payment is called in the Chinese text, what obligations arise immediately, and what happens if the main contract is not signed. Do not rely on an English label such as “deposit” to explain every legal consequence. Record any condition concerning eligibility, financing, legal review, or a deadline for completing the next step.

Follow the approved payment arrangements

Presale-fund supervision is addressed by national guidance and local implementation. Confirm the designated account and required payment process for the specific project with appropriate official information and counsel. Keep bank records identifying the recipient and purpose. An instruction to send funds to a salesperson or unrelated company requires independent verification; a familiar logo on a message is not sufficient confirmation.

Define the promised finished property

Review the unit plan, area provisions, specifications, completion and delivery conditions, and treatment of agreed changes. Ask how the contract deals with delay, altered layouts, missing facilities, or differences in measured area. Keep dated copies of material advertisements and specifications without assuming that every promotional statement has the same legal effect. Compare all schedules with the main agreement.

Separate construction progress from your legal options

Maintain a timeline of notices, payments, progress information, and promised dates. If work slows or a delivery notice arrives, have counsel assess the contract and current circumstances before taking steps such as termination or stopping payments. Progress photographs alone cannot establish every contractual breach or remedy. Ask what evidence, notices, and deadlines matter to the option being considered.

Your working file

What to prepare

  • Match the permit, project phase, developer, and unit.
  • Review reservation obligations before paying.
  • Verify the authorized payment destination and retain receipts.
  • Keep the specifications, delivery terms, and a dated progress file.

Reference point: Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, notice on property-market supervision and the commercial-housing presale system, Jian Fang [2010] No. 53; current local housing-authority procedures. Reviewed September 30, 2026.