A regulation making it harder to uncover property details in some Chinese cities has raised questions over whether the new rule is to protect personal information, as claimed, or to prevent "house family" scandals being exposed.

A woman, known as "house sister," has been detained by police over suspicion of owning multiple properties with forged identities. [Photo/CNTV]

The stricter rules come in the wake of several "house family" scandals in which government officials, bankers and businessmen were nicknamed "house sisters," "house brothers" and "house uncles" because of reports that they owned multiple properties.

The scandals were exposed because household information was then made available by merely providing the names of alleged multiple property owners.

The government of the coastal city of Zhangzhou has introduced a new rule banning residents checking information by providing only the householder's name, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported.