In real estate transactions, there may be a variety of means to mislead buyers or tenants to make wrong judgments about the true condition of the property, as follows: ### Concealing house defects - **Structural problems** - The load-bearing wall was privately demolished, destroying the overall structural stability of the house, but the seller or lessor concealed it. For example, in order to expand the indoor space of some old houses, the owners demolished the load-bearing wall and simply replaced it with other materials. It looks normal on the surface, but there are actually major safety hazards. - The foundation of the house has uneven settlement, causing cracks in the wall, but the landlord does not inform the tenant. This situation may occur due to long-term use or the influence of surrounding construction. The cracks are not obvious in the early stage and are easy to be ignored, which may cause the house to be damaged later. - **Quality problems** - There are leakage problems on the roof and walls. Every rainy day, water stains appear on the ceiling and the wall skin falls off, affecting the living experience. The seller may only make simple repairs to the obvious parts to cover up the fact of long-term leakage. - There are sound insulation problems in the house. The noise between neighbors can easily be transmitted into the room, affecting the privacy and comfort of living. In order to rent smoothly, the landlord may not take the initiative to mention it. - **Problems with facilities and equipment** - The water and electricity lines in the house are aging, the outer skin of the wires is damaged, and the water pipes are rusted, which poses the risk of leakage and water leakage. These hidden engineering problems are not easy to detect and may only be exposed during use. - The home appliances and furniture seem to be intact, but they are actually nearing the end of their service life or have faults. For example, the air conditioner has poor cooling effect and the refrigerator frequently breaks down, but the seller does not explain it, and the buyer only finds out about the problems after moving in. ### False publicity of surrounding facilities - **Transportation facilities** - The developer claims that there is a subway line planned near the community, but the actual opening time is far away, or the station is much farther from the community than advertised. For example, some real estate projects advertise that the subway entrance is right at the entrance of the community, but after the delivery of the house, the owner finds that the subway station is actually more than 1 kilometer away from the community and the walking road is inconvenient. - False publicity of bus stops, claiming that there are many bus lines passing through the community, but there are actually few bus lines and short operating hours, which brings great inconvenience to residents' travel. - **Commercial facilities** - It is promised that large shopping malls, supermarkets and other commercial facilities will be built around the community, but many years have passed and they have not been built. For example, when some real estate projects were launched, they advertised that large commercial complexes would be built around them, attracting many buyers, but the projects were later stalled and the surrounding areas were still empty. - Exaggerating the distance to existing commercial facilities. In fact, it takes a long time to walk from the community to the nearest supermarket or shopping mall, but it is advertised as being within a few minutes. - **Educational facilities** - False promises of school districts, claiming that the school district to which the community belongs is a key school, but the owners' children cannot enroll in the school after the delivery of the house. In order to increase the selling price of the real estate, developers may take advantage of parents' desire for high-quality educational resources and make false promises. - False propaganda about the progress of school supporting construction, claiming that the school is under construction and will be put into use soon, but the actual construction progress is slow and cannot be opened on time. ### Improper use of environmental factors - **Noise pollution** - Not informing that the house is close to noise sources such as factories, railways, and airports. For example, for houses near factories, the noise of machine operation and loading and unloading of goods will seriously affect the quality of life of residents, but the seller deliberately conceals this during the transaction. - Concealing the location of facilities that may generate noise within the community, such as garbage disposal stations and water pump rooms. The noise generated by these facilities during operation may cause interference to nearby houses. - **Environmental pollution** - Concealing the existence of pollution sources around the house, such as landfills, sewage treatment plants, etc. These pollution sources may emit odors, pollute the air and soil, and affect the living environment and residents' health. - Not informing about the ongoing large-scale construction projects around the community, such as road construction and bridge construction, etc. The dust and noise generated by the construction will cause inconvenience to residents. - **Landscape obstruction** - Deliberately concealing the fact that the house will be blocked by the surrounding new buildings after it is built. For example, when buying a pre-sale house, the house surrounding planning map displayed by the sales office did not show that there would be high-rise buildings blocking it in the future, but after the house was delivered, it was found that the sunlight was severely blocked. - Not informing about the changes in the landscape planning around the house. The green landscape and parks around the community that were originally promoted may disappear or shrink due to later planning adjustments. ### Blurring property rights - **Property rights period** - For commercial properties, the remaining years of land use are not clearly informed. For example, for some commercial apartments with 40-year property rights, the developer does not clearly explain the remaining years of land use. Buyers only find out that the remaining years are short after moving in for a while, which affects the value of the property and the right to use it. - For residential properties, the starting time of land transfer is confused, causing buyers to misunderstand the actual remaining years of property rights. - **Property rights disputes** - Concealing the existence of property rights disputes, such as mortgages, seizures, etc. In order to sell the house smoothly, the seller may not disclose this information. Once the transaction is completed, the buyer may face risks such as the inability to transfer property rights normally and the forced disposal of the house. - Contradictions and disputes between co-owners may occur.