【明報專訊】A BILL stipulating the use of saleable area as the basis for quoting property size for all first-hand sales of flats is soon to be submitted to the Legislative Council for approval. The secondary property market cannot but be affected by this change. Last week, the Estate Agents Authority announced that, starting from next year, property agencies must disclose to prospective home buyers the saleable area of second-hand flats, which is certainly reasonable. However, the record of saleable area held by the Rating and Valuable Department is not always consistent with what is specified in the title deeds of a flat, and this is likely to cause confusion in the market. The government, property agencies, and the relevant professional circles should come up as soon as possible with a uniform standard for measuring the saleable area of properties. At the same time, a central databank should be established for the easy reference of the public and the industry. These two technical points must be solved if the new arrangements are to be effectively implemented.