A SHENZHEN investment company bought a building from a real estate company, but the building had already been occupied by a property management company for eight years, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

    The investment company bought the building in Luohu District in an auction from Shenzhen Fountain, a real estate company, in 2008, but the property management company, which had signed a contract with Shenzhen Fountain to lease and manage the building from 1999 to 2019, refused to move out of the building.

    In July, the investment company sued Shenzhen Fountain and the property management company asking for removal of interference in ownership.

    In September, the property management company sued the investment company asking for removal of interference in ownership, but the claim was overruled as the court confirmed the investment company’s ownership of the building.

    The Luohu District People’s Court made its ruling Dec. 12.

    The court confirmed the investment company’s ownership of the building and it doubted the authenticity of the property management company’s lease contract with Shenzhen Fountain, as both sides failed to provide the contract’s original copy and the 20-year lease contract without specified rent standards didn’t seem to be a normal commercial deal.

    The court ordered Shenzhen Fountain and the property management company to return the building to the investment company within 10 days after the ruling took effect and to pay 4.1 million yuan (US$594,203) to the investment company as compensation.

    (Zhang Yang)