LADM-based modeling of the unified registration of immovable property in China

•“Interim Regulations on Real Estate Registration” coming into effect in 2015 in China for unified registration of immovables is interpreted in detail.•Change of register types of immovable property rights, as an important component of “unification of registering basis”, is described.•Comparison of registration procedures (covering “unification of registering authorities”, “unification of registering information management platform”, “unification of registering books”) both before and after unified registration is modeled using LADM.•Spatial modeling of immovable property objects from the geometrical, topological and temporal perspectives are shown and discussed.

In China, the types of immovable property objects cover not only land (a typical immovable property object) but also buildings, sea areas, forests, etc., and the general idea of unified registration of immovables (as the newest development and hottest topic in field of land administration in China) proposed by Property Law of the People's Republic of China (2007) is not detailed until 2014 when “Interim Regulations on Real Estate Registration” was enacted and would come into force in 2015. This paper focuses on modeling of unified registration of immovables in China whose cores rely on “4 unifications” (i.e., unification of registering basis, unification of registering authorities, unification of information management platform, unification of registering books) using the world-wide advanced standard LADM (Land Administration Domain Model). In detail, the typical 8 immovable property rights (right to use construction land/forest land/sea area, ownership of houses/forests/marine structures, right to contractual management of arable land/grass land) are firstly introduced; then change of register types before and after unified registration (as one important component of “unification of registering basis”) is described; later, comparison of register procedures reflecting “unification of authorities”, “unification of information management platform” and “unification of registering books” is modeled using LADM where parties, 3R, spatial units package are greatly referenced which is followed by elaboration of a newly proposed URDMIPO (Unified Registration Data Model for Immovable Property Object). However, the complete implementation of unified registration in China will still take a long time.