Do Container Houses Have Property Certificates?

Container houses do not have property certificates. Here are the specific explanations:

I. Relationship between Legal Nature and Property Certificates

According to the 'Urban Real Estate Administration Law' and related regulations, a property certificate is a legal document proving the property rights of a house, and its issuance is based on legally compliant buildings. Although container houses have functions for living or office use, they are essentially temporary buildings reconstructed from containers as basic structural modules and do not fall within the traditional concept of 'houses'. Legally, containers are defined as containers for loading goods. Even if they are modified for living purposes, their movable property attributes remain unchanged, so they cannot obtain property certificates.

II. Approval and Legality Requirements

The construction of container houses must meet the following conditions:

1. Approval Procedures: It is necessary to apply for approval from relevant departments to ensure compliance with urban planning, land use, and building safety standards. Container houses built without approval may be identified as illegal buildings.
2. Land and Planning Permits: It is required to obtain land use right certificates and planning permit certificates. Otherwise, even if completed, they will be considered illegal land occupation or planning violations.
3. Temporary Nature: Container houses are usually used for temporary accommodation or commercial activities, and their legality depends on the validity period and usage nature of the approval documents. If they occupy public spaces for a long time or affect the surrounding environment, they may face relocation or demolition.

III. Explanation of Special Cases

Take the container building in Sanlin Town, Pudong New Area, Shanghai as an example. Although this building has a temporary house number, the house number is only used for personnel information management and has nothing to do with real estate transactions. The police clearly stated that temporary house numbers do not involve the legality of the building or property rights and interests. Once the building is demolished, the house number will be automatically cancelled. Such cases further confirm the non-property nature of container houses.

IV. Supplementary Explanations on Taxes and Leasing

1. Property Tax: Container houses are not subject to property tax because they do not fall within the taxable objects of property tax (i.e., houses owned by property owners).
2. Leasing Legality: If a container house has been approved and meets safety standards, it can be legally rented out, but a certificate of approval for renting from the housing management department is required. Houses without approval cannot be rented out.