The recent crackdown on real estate agencies helping non-native Beijing residents create bogus marriages with local Beijingers in order to buy property has law experts divided on the legality of the ploy.

The capital's housing and urban-rural development commission is accusing Golden Time Real Estate and Jinziyan Real Estate of aiding in the arrangement of 17 sham marriages. Officials said they are investigating eight home purchases.

Bogus marriages between non-native residents of the capital and Beijingers began cropping up after the city government issued a provision in 2011 permitting non-native residents only one home purchase, and that only if they had previously paid social security or income taxes for five consecutive years.