(Yicai) Sept. 7 -- Shenzhen will start allowing residents of China’s special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao to buy commercial property and business apartments to bolster sales, China Real Estate News reported.

The policy easing was completed in recent days and the relevant government departments will be notified, the report said today, citing a source in the Housing Provident Fund Management Center of Shenzhen. The center is in charge of reviewing buyers' qualifications.

Under the eased rules, Hong Kong and Macao residents “can already sign online to buy, and there is no limit to the number of units,” the person said, adding that the southeastern city's regulations on buying residential property are unchanged.

According to the current rules, residents of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan as well as Chinese living overseas, can buy one residence in Shenzhen. But if they plan to buy commercial property in the city, they must first set up a company there and get a business license.

An industry insider in Shenzhen pointed out that commercial real estate projects near the Shenzhen-Hong Kong border checkpoints are expected to benefit from the new policy, since Shenzhen residents are not that interested in owning assets in these areas. And Hong Kong residents could not buy them previously, which weighed on sales in these areas, the person said.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Emmi Laine