# Payotte India > Independent guide to buying, renting and owning a home in India, for residents and NRIs, from official sources (state registration departments, Reserve Bank of India, National Housing Bank, Income-tax Department, MoHUA, RERA authorities), dated and cited. On a ₹50 lakh home, stamp duty and registration come to ₹5,00,000 in Kerala, ₹3,50,000 in Odisha and ₹2,60,020 in Chandigarh, and stamp duty alone to ₹3,00,000 in Mumbai (with the 1% metro surcharge). Free, ad-free, commission-free. Data CC BY 4.0: cite Payotte with a link. Payotte lists no Indian firm yet: one firm per trade and area will be selected on public data, and each profile will publish the register where the READER checks it (state RERA authority, IBBI, Council of Architecture, RBI). Payotte lists no lawyer in India (Bar Council of India rules) and never says a professional is "verified". ## Calculators - [Stamp duty and registration calculator](https://payotte.com/india/stamp-duty-calculator): total on ₹50 lakh: Chandigarh ₹2,60,020; Kerala ₹5,00,000; Maharashtra (Mumbai) at least ₹3,00,000; Odisha ₹3,50,000; Puducherry ₹5,75,000; Rajasthan at least ₹3,50,300; Uttarakhand ₹2,75,000. Rates read 2026-10-14. Not computed (official pages not readable from outside India): Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal. - [Home loan EMI calculator](https://payotte.com/india/home-loan-calculator): At 7.61%, the average rate on new housing loans (RBI, provisional), a ₹40 lakh loan over 20 years costs ₹32,493 a month. ## Rules compared across the states (tables, JSON CC BY 4.0) - [Stamp duty and registration on a home, by state](https://payotte.com/india/by-state/purchase-duty) (data: https://payotte.com/india/by-state/purchase-duty.json) - [Stamp duty for women buyers, by state](https://payotte.com/india/by-state/women-buyer-rates) (data: https://payotte.com/india/by-state/women-buyer-rates.json) ## Prices House prices rose +3.6% over a year in the RBI's 18-city index for Q1:2026-27 (April-June 2026) and +7% in the NHB RESIDEX 50-city index for April-June 2026, from -1.7% in Kalyan-Dombivli to +24.4% in Faridabad. - [Ahmedabad](https://payotte.com/india/cities/ahmedabad), Gujarat: NHB RESIDEX +7.9% over a year (April-June 2026) - [Bengaluru](https://payotte.com/india/cities/bengaluru), Karnataka: NHB RESIDEX +21.5% over a year (April-June 2026) - [Bhopal](https://payotte.com/india/cities/bhopal), Madhya Pradesh - [Bhubaneswar](https://payotte.com/india/cities/bhubaneswar), Odisha - [Chandigarh](https://payotte.com/india/cities/chandigarh), Chandigarh - [Chennai](https://payotte.com/india/cities/chennai), Tamil Nadu: NHB RESIDEX +10.8% over a year (April-June 2026) - [Coimbatore](https://payotte.com/india/cities/coimbatore), Tamil Nadu - [Delhi](https://payotte.com/india/cities/delhi), Delhi - [Faridabad](https://payotte.com/india/cities/faridabad), Haryana: NHB RESIDEX +24.4% over a year (April-June 2026) - [Ghaziabad](https://payotte.com/india/cities/ghaziabad), Uttar Pradesh - [Gurugram](https://payotte.com/india/cities/gurugram), Haryana - [Guwahati](https://payotte.com/india/cities/guwahati), Assam - [Hyderabad](https://payotte.com/india/cities/hyderabad), Telangana: NHB RESIDEX +5.2% over a year (April-June 2026) - [Indore](https://payotte.com/india/cities/indore), Madhya Pradesh - [Jaipur](https://payotte.com/india/cities/jaipur), Rajasthan - [Kalyan-Dombivli](https://payotte.com/india/cities/kalyan-dombivli), Maharashtra: NHB RESIDEX -1.7% over a year (April-June 2026) - [Kanpur](https://payotte.com/india/cities/kanpur), Uttar Pradesh - [Kochi](https://payotte.com/india/cities/kochi), Kerala - [Kolkata](https://payotte.com/india/cities/kolkata), West Bengal: NHB RESIDEX +6.9% over a year (April-June 2026) - [Lucknow](https://payotte.com/india/cities/lucknow), Uttar Pradesh - [Mumbai](https://payotte.com/india/cities/mumbai), Maharashtra: NHB RESIDEX +6.2% over a year (April-June 2026) - [Nagpur](https://payotte.com/india/cities/nagpur), Maharashtra - [Navi Mumbai](https://payotte.com/india/cities/navi-mumbai), Maharashtra - [Noida](https://payotte.com/india/cities/noida), Uttar Pradesh - [Patna](https://payotte.com/india/cities/patna), Bihar - [Pune](https://payotte.com/india/cities/pune), Maharashtra: NHB RESIDEX +3.7% over a year (April-June 2026) - [Surat](https://payotte.com/india/cities/surat), Gujarat - [Thane](https://payotte.com/india/cities/thane), Maharashtra - [Thiruvananthapuram](https://payotte.com/india/cities/thiruvananthapuram), Kerala - [Visakhapatnam](https://payotte.com/india/cities/visakhapatnam), Andhra Pradesh - [Andhra Pradesh](https://payotte.com/india/states/andhra-pradesh) - [Assam](https://payotte.com/india/states/assam) - [Bihar](https://payotte.com/india/states/bihar) - [Chandigarh](https://payotte.com/india/states/chandigarh) - [Delhi](https://payotte.com/india/states/delhi) - [Gujarat](https://payotte.com/india/states/gujarat) - [Haryana](https://payotte.com/india/states/haryana) - [Karnataka](https://payotte.com/india/states/karnataka) - [Kerala](https://payotte.com/india/states/kerala) - [Madhya Pradesh](https://payotte.com/india/states/madhya-pradesh) - [Maharashtra](https://payotte.com/india/states/maharashtra) - [Odisha](https://payotte.com/india/states/odisha) - [Puducherry](https://payotte.com/india/states/puducherry) - [Rajasthan](https://payotte.com/india/states/rajasthan) - [Tamil Nadu](https://payotte.com/india/states/tamil-nadu) - [Telangana](https://payotte.com/india/states/telangana) - [Uttar Pradesh](https://payotte.com/india/states/uttar-pradesh) - [Uttarakhand](https://payotte.com/india/states/uttarakhand) - [West Bengal](https://payotte.com/india/states/west-bengal) ## Guides ### Stamp duty and registration - [Stamp duty and registration charges in India, by state](https://payotte.com/india/guides/stamp-duty-and-registration-charges-in-india): Buying a home in India triggers two separate charges, stamp duty and a registration fee, and both are set by the state or union territory, not by the Centre. - [Circle rate and guidance value: what the official texts say](https://payotte.com/india/guides/circle-rate-and-guidance-value): A circle rate (the term varies by state: guidance value, fair value, collector rate, ready reckoner, guideline land rate) is the minimum value per area or plot that the state uses to charge stamp duty and registration fee. - [Stamp duty concession for women buyers: states compared](https://payotte.com/india/guides/stamp-duty-concession-for-women): There is no national stamp duty concession for women: it is a state or union territory matter. - [Stamp duty in Maharashtra: Article 25 rates and Mumbai cess](https://payotte.com/india/guides/stamp-duty-maharashtra): In Maharashtra, stamp duty on the sale of a home is 5% of the market value inside a municipal corporation, a municipal council, a Nagar Panchayat or the Mumbai Metropolitan Region's rural areas, and 4% inside a gram panchayat area (Article 25(b), Maharashtra Stamp Act 1958, rates in force since 7 September 2017). - [Stamp duty and registration fee in Kerala: 8% and 2%](https://payotte.com/india/guides/stamp-duty-kerala): In Kerala a sale deed pays 8% stamp duty and a 2% registration fee, both on the fair value or the price in the deed, whichever is higher. - [Stamp duty in Rajasthan: 6%, women's rate and the surcharge](https://payotte.com/india/guides/stamp-duty-rajasthan): On Rajasthan's official fee sheet "as applicable on 01-05-2024", a general sale deed pays 6% stamp duty on market value and a 1% registration fee, plus a ₹300 copying, scanning and indexing fee. - [Stamp duty in Uttarakhand: 5%, 3.75% for women, fee cap](https://payotte.com/india/guides/stamp-duty-uttarakhand): In Uttarakhand, the Stamp and Registration Department's sheet published in March 2025 puts stamp duty on a sale deed of immovable property at 5%, and 3.75% for a female buyer, "upto 25 lakh there after 5 %". - [Stamp duty and registration fee in Odisha: 5% and 2%](https://payotte.com/india/guides/stamp-duty-odisha): Odisha's Inspector General of Registration publishes a fee table on which "SALE IMMOVABLE" carries 5% stamp duty and a 2% registration fee. - [Stamp duty in Chandigarh: 5% duty, fee capped at ₹10,000](https://payotte.com/india/guides/stamp-duty-chandigarh): In the union territory of Chandigarh, the administration's rate sheet gives 5% stamp duty on a sale, gift or conveyance, "on value or amount of consideration (whichever is higher)", and a registration fee of 1% of the value, subject to a maximum of ₹10,000, plus a ₹20 pasting fee. - [Stamp duty in Puducherry: 10%, or 5% for women residents](https://payotte.com/india/guides/stamp-duty-puducherry): The Registration Department of the union territory of Puducherry lists a sale ("Conveyance (Sale)") at 10% stamp duty and 1.5% registration fee, both "on the sale value of the property or the G.L.R. value whichever is higher". ### Buying - [Buying a home in India: the steps, state by state](https://payotte.com/india/guides/buying-a-home-in-india): Buying a home in India follows one path: budget and loan, search, checks on the project and the title, a written agreement for sale, payment, a registered sale deed, then mutation in the land or municipal records. - [How to check a RERA project registration in India](https://payotte.com/india/guides/rera-project-registration-check): The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 is a central law, but it is enforced by a state or union territory authority, each with its own portal, rules and forms. - [Carpet area vs built-up area: what RERA defines](https://payotte.com/india/guides/carpet-area-vs-built-up-area): The RERA Act, 2016 (a central law) defines carpet area as "the net usable floor area of an apartment, excluding the area covered by the external walls, areas under services shafts, exclusive balcony or verandah area and exclusive open terrace area, but includes the area covered by the internal partition walls". - [Agreement for sale vs sale deed in India](https://payotte.com/india/guides/agreement-for-sale-vs-sale-deed): An agreement for sale (also called agreement to sell) says that a sale will take place on agreed terms. The sale deed (conveyance deed) is the instrument that transfers ownership, and for a home it must be registered. - [Title search and encumbrance certificate in India](https://payotte.com/india/guides/title-search-and-encumbrance-certificate): A title search is the check of the chain of documents that gives the seller the right to sell; an encumbrance certificate (EC) is the registration department's record of the registered transactions on a property for a period you ask for. - [Occupancy and completion certificate in India](https://payotte.com/india/guides/occupancy-and-completion-certificate): The occupancy certificate (OC) is issued by the local competent authority and permits a building to be occupied; the completion certificate (CC) certifies that the project was developed according to the sanctioned plan. - [GST on an under-construction flat in India](https://payotte.com/india/guides/buying-under-construction-property-gst): GST on a flat bought from a promoter before it is complete is fixed by the GST Council and the same in every state. - [TDS on buying property in India: 1% and Form 141](https://payotte.com/india/guides/tds-on-property-purchase): When you buy an immovable property from a resident seller and the price reaches ₹50 lakh, you, the buyer, must deduct 1% tax at source (TDS) and pay it to the government. - [Property registration in India: sub-registrar steps](https://payotte.com/india/guides/property-registration-process): A sale of a home is completed by a registered sale deed. The Registration Act, 1908 is a central law: a sale deed of ₹100 or more must be registered (s. 17(1)(b)), presented within four months of execution (s. - [Mutation of property records: khata, jamabandi, 7/12](https://payotte.com/india/guides/mutation-of-property-records): Mutation is the entry of the new owner's name in the revenue or municipal record after a sale, gift or inheritance. - [Buying a resale flat in a housing society: transfer](https://payotte.com/india/guides/resale-flat-housing-society-transfer): A flat in a co-operative housing society is not only a deed: the buyer also becomes a member of the society and receives the seller's shares and share certificate. ### Financing - [Home loan eligibility and EMI in India: the formula](https://payotte.com/india/guides/home-loan-eligibility-and-emi): A home loan in India is repaid through an EMI (equated monthly instalment) worked out from three numbers: the loan amount, the annual interest rate and the number of months. - [Home loan down payment and LTV in India](https://payotte.com/india/guides/home-loan-down-payment-and-ltv): In India you pay part of the price yourself (the down payment) and the lender finances the rest. - [Home loan tax benefits under the Income-tax Act 2025](https://payotte.com/india/guides/home-loan-tax-benefits): Income tax is a central law, so these rules are the same in every state. - [Home loan prepayment charges in India: the RBI rule](https://payotte.com/india/guides/home-loan-prepayment-charges): Under the Reserve Bank of India (Pre-payment Charges on Loans) Directions, 2025, issued on 2 July 2025, a regulated lender may not charge a pre-payment charge on a floating-rate loan granted to an individual for a purpose other than business. - [RBI repo rate and home loan rates in India (Oct. 2026)](https://payotte.com/india/guides/rbi-repo-rate-and-home-loan-rates): On 7 October 2026 the RBI's Monetary Policy Committee raised the policy repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.50%, and changed its stance to "calibrated tightening". - [PMAY-Urban 2.0 interest subsidy: who qualifies](https://payotte.com/india/guides/pmay-urban-2): PMAY-Urban 2.0 is a central housing mission run by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) for five years from 1 September 2024. - [Joint home loan and co-ownership in India: tax and rules](https://payotte.com/india/guides/joint-home-loan-and-co-ownership): Buying with a spouse, parent or sibling raises two separate questions: who owns the property and who owes the loan. ### Selling - [Capital gains tax on selling property in India (2025 Act)](https://payotte.com/india/guides/capital-gains-tax-on-property): The tax on the profit from selling a house, flat, plot or building in India is a central tax, the same in every state. - [Capital gains: sections 82, 85, 86 (ex 54, 54EC, 54F)](https://payotte.com/india/guides/capital-gains-exemptions-section-54-54ec): The Income-tax Act, 2025, which applies from 1 April 2026, keeps the three well-known reinvestment reliefs under new numbers: section 82 (formerly section 54) for a long-term gain on a residential house reinvested in a house; section 85 (formerly 54EC) for a gain on land or a building reinvested in specified bonds within six months, up to ₹50 lakh; and section 86 (formerly 54F) for a gain on an asset other than a residential house reinvested in a house. - [Selling a property in India: costs, TDS and tax](https://payotte.com/india/guides/selling-a-property-costs): Selling a home in India costs you mainly tax on the gain, which is central and the same in every state, plus items that depend on your deal and your state. ### NRIs and OCIs - [NRIs buying property in India: what is allowed](https://payotte.com/india/guides/nri-buying-property-in-india): A non-resident Indian (NRI) or an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholder may buy any residential or commercial property in India, but not agricultural land, a farmhouse or plantation property. - [OCI cardholders and foreigners: property rules](https://payotte.com/india/guides/oci-and-foreign-nationals-property-rules): An OCI cardholder has the same property rights as an NRI: he or she may buy, sell, receive as a gift or inherit property in India, except that agricultural land, a farmhouse or plantation property cannot be bought. - [Paying for property from NRE, NRO or FCNR(B) accounts](https://payotte.com/india/guides/nri-paying-for-property-nre-nro): An NRI or OCI may pay for property in India by inward remittance through banking channels or by debiting an NRE, FCNR(B) or NRO account. Travellers' cheques and foreign currency notes are not allowed. - [Home loans for NRIs and OCIs: the RBI rules](https://payotte.com/india/guides/nri-home-loan): An authorised dealer bank, or a housing finance institution approved by the National Housing Bank (NHB), may give a rupee home loan to an NRI or a person of Indian origin (PIO) to buy a residential home in India. - [NRI selling property in India: capital gains and TDS](https://payotte.com/india/guides/nri-selling-property-tds): When an NRI sells a property in India, the buyer must deduct tax at source under section 393(2), Table Sl. No. - [Sending sale proceeds abroad: NRI repatriation rules](https://payotte.com/india/guides/nri-repatriation-of-sale-proceeds): An NRI or PIO can send sale proceeds abroad through an authorised dealer bank in two ways. - [Power of attorney from Canada for property in India](https://payotte.com/india/guides/nri-power-of-attorney-from-abroad): An NRI in Canada who cannot travel can authorise someone in India to buy, sell or register a property through a power of attorney (PoA). - [Rental income from India: tax for NRIs and OCIs](https://payotte.com/india/guides/nri-rental-income-tax): Rent from a property in India is taxable in India whether the owner is a resident, an NRI or an OCI cardholder. - [India-Canada tax treaty and Indian property](https://payotte.com/india/guides/india-canada-tax-treaty-property): The India-Canada tax treaty, signed in New Delhi on 11 January 1996, lets India tax rent from a property in India (Article 6) and lets both countries tax the gain on selling it (Article 13). ### Renting - [Rent agreement registration and stamp duty in India](https://payotte.com/india/guides/rent-agreement-registration): Registration of a rent agreement in India depends on the term under the central Registration Act, 1908, and on your state's own rent and stamp laws. - [Model Tenancy Act India: what it says, who applies it](https://payotte.com/india/guides/model-tenancy-act): The Model Tenancy Act (MTA) is a central template, not a law that applies to your tenancy. - [Security deposit and rent rules for tenants in India](https://payotte.com/india/guides/security-deposit-and-rent-rules): There is no single national cap on a rental security deposit in India, because rent law is a matter for each state. - [TDS on rent in India: 2% above ₹50,000 a month](https://payotte.com/india/guides/tds-on-rent): A tenant who is an individual or Hindu undivided family (HUF) must deduct 2% tax at source (TDS) on rent when the rent is above ₹50,000 for a month or part of a month. ### Owning - [Property tax in Indian cities: how it is set and paid](https://payotte.com/india/guides/property-tax-in-indian-cities): Property tax in India is levied by the municipal corporation of your city, under a state municipal law, so the method, rates, rebates and due dates differ from city to city. There is no central property tax. - [Inheriting property in India: succession, will, mutation](https://payotte.com/india/guides/inheriting-property-in-india): Who inherits a property in India depends on whether there is a will and on the personal law of the owner. - [Gift deed for property in India: stamp duty and tax](https://payotte.com/india/guides/gift-deed-for-property): A gift of a house, flat or plot in India is valid only if made by a registered instrument signed by the donor and attested by at least two witnesses (Transfer of Property Act, section 123). ## The trades - [Architects in India: Council of Architecture register](https://payotte.com/india/professions/architect): In India, the Architects Act, 1972 is a central Act that "extends to the whole of India". - [Home loan lenders in India: banks, HFCs and the RBI](https://payotte.com/india/professions/home-loan-lender): In India, a home loan comes from a bank or from a housing finance company (HFC), and both are regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), a central regulator, so the check is the same in every State. - [Property lawyers in India: Bar Council enrolment](https://payotte.com/india/professions/property-lawyer): In India, a lawyer who may appear in court is an advocate enrolled with a State Bar Council, and the enrolment is made State by State. - [Real estate agents in India: RERA registration](https://payotte.com/india/professions/real-estate-agent): In India, the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA) is a central Act, but each State and Union Territory has its own RERA authority and its own register. - [Registered valuers in India: the IBBI register](https://payotte.com/india/professions/registered-valuer): In India, a "registered valuer" is a person registered under section 247 of the Companies Act, 2013 and the Companies (Registered Valuers and Valuation) Rules, 2017. ## Payotte - [Get your firm listed](https://payotte.com/india/get-listed) · [How we select](https://payotte.com/india/selection-method) · [Legal notice](https://payotte.com/india/legal-notice) · [Privacy](https://payotte.com/india/privacy) - Contact: gpayotte@gmail.com