Stamp duty, registration and rent law are set by each state and union territory; income tax, FEMA rules for NRIs, GST and the RERA Act are central. 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). Each of the 67 guides below answers one question, with its official sources and their date.
Stamp duty and registration
Stamp duty and registration charges in India, by state
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
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
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
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%
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
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
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%
Odisha's Inspector General of Registration publishes a fee table on which "SALE IMMOVABLE" carries 5% stamp duty and a 2% registration fee. Both are percentages of the value; the table shows no minimum stamp amount for a sale and no ceiling on the fee.
Stamp duty in Chandigarh: 5% duty, fee capped at ₹10,000
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
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
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
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. A promoter must register the project before advertising, marketing, booking or selling (s.
Carpet area vs built-up area: what RERA defines
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
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
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
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. Both are defined in the central RERA Act (s. 2(zf) and s.
GST on an under-construction flat in India
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
When you buy an immovable property from a resident seller and the price or the stamp duty value 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
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
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
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.
Land and records
Buying a residential plot in India: approvals and checks
A residential plot is safe to buy only if three things line up: the land may lawfully be used for housing, the layout (the division into plots, roads and open spaces) was approved by the planning authority, and the seller has a clean, registered title.
Who can buy agricultural land in India: FEMA and state laws
Two layers of law decide who may buy agricultural land in India.
NA conversion: changing agricultural land to non-agricultural use
Land "assessed or held for the purpose of agriculture" cannot simply be built on: the state revenue law decides when it may be used for a house, a shop or a factory.
Freehold vs leasehold property in India, and conversion
Freehold means you own the land and building outright.
GPA sales and the law: why a power of attorney is not a sale
A "GPA sale" is a property deal done with a sale agreement (SA), a general power of attorney (GPA) and a will in favour of the buyer, instead of a registered sale deed. In Suraj Lamp & Industries Pvt. Ltd. v.
Khata in Karnataka: A-khata, B-khata and e-Khata
In Bengaluru, a khata is "a record of an immovable property maintained in the property tax register by the City Corporation" (Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024, s. 2(34)).
Patta, chitta and A-register in Tamil Nadu
In Tamil Nadu, the patta is the revenue record of who holds a piece of land, and the chitta is the land register extract that goes with it; a Department of Land Resources (DoLR) study calls them "Patta (RoR) and Chitta (Land use classification)".
7/12 extract (Satbara) in Maharashtra: 8A and property card
The 7/12 extract (Satbara utara) is the extract of the village record of rights for a piece of land in Maharashtra, identified by its survey or gat number.
Jamabandi and fard in Punjab and Haryana
In Punjab and Haryana the record of rights for agricultural and village land is the jamabandi, a register kept by the patwari for each revenue estate (village).
Buyer rights and housing societies
Builder-buyer agreement under RERA: the model form
For a project registered under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, the builder-buyer agreement is not a free-form contract.
RERA complaint for a delayed flat: refund or delay interest
If a builder does not hand over a flat by the date in the agreement for sale, section 18 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 gives the buyer (the "allottee") two choices: withdraw and get the whole amount back with interest, or stay in the project and be paid interest for every month of delay until possession.
Consumer commission complaints by homebuyers in India
A homebuyer who paid a builder can complain to a consumer commission, because the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 lists "housing construction" among the services it covers (s. 2(42)).
Apartment owners' association vs co-operative society
Flat owners in an Indian building usually run it through one of two bodies. In a co-operative housing society, registered under the state's co-operative societies law, the society holds the building and each owner is a member with shares.
Housing society redevelopment in Mumbai: the 2026 rules
In Maharashtra, the redevelopment of a co-operative housing society building follows an order of the state Co-operation Department made under section 79A of the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act, 1960.
Financing
Home loan eligibility and EMI in India: the formula
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
In India you pay part of the price yourself (the down payment) and the lender finances the rest. The share the lender may finance is capped by the RBI through the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio, which is loan ÷ value of the property.
Home loan tax benefits under the Income-tax Act 2025
Income tax is a central law, so these rules are the same in every state.
Home loan prepayment charges in India: the RBI rule
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)
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
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
Buying with a spouse, parent or sibling raises two separate questions: who owns the property and who owes the loan.
Property valuation for a home loan in India
Before a bank lends against a home in India, it has the property valued by a valuer it trusts, and the loan is capped by the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio set by the Reserve Bank of India: 90% up to ₹30 lakh, 80% above ₹30 lakh and up to ₹75 lakh, 75% above ₹75 lakh (Credit Facilities Directions, para.
Reverse mortgage for senior citizens in India
A reverse mortgage lets an owner above 60 mortgage a self-occupied home to a bank or housing finance company and receive money from it, without repaying anything during their lifetime.
Selling
Capital gains tax on selling property in India (2025 Act)
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)
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
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
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
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
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
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
When an NRI sells a property in India, the buyer must deduct tax at source under section 393(2), Table Sl. No. 17 of the Income-tax Act, 2025 (formerly section 195), at "rates in force", not the 1% that applies when the seller is a resident.
Sending sale proceeds abroad: NRI repatriation rules
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
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
Rent from a property in India is taxable in India whether the owner is a resident, an NRI or an OCI cardholder. It is taxed under "Income from house property" under the Income-tax Act, 2025, which applies from 1 April 2026.
India-Canada tax treaty and Indian 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
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
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
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
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
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.
Home insurance in India: the Bharat Griha Raksha policy
Home insurance in India is regulated by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), a central body.
Inheriting property in India: succession, will, mutation
Who inherits a property in India depends on whether there is a will and on the personal law of the owner.
Will and probate for property in India: making, registering, proving
A will is "the legal declaration of the intention of a testator with respect to his property which he desires to be carried into effect after his death" (Indian Succession Act, 1925, s. 2(h)).
Partition of ancestral property in India: deed, suit, daughters
Ancestral property held by a Hindu joint family (a Mitakshara coparcenary) is divided by partition.
Gift deed for property in India: stamp duty and tax
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).
Benami property law in India: what counts and the exceptions
A benami property is one held in one person's name while someone else paid for it and keeps the benefit. The Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act, 1988, rewritten by the amendment in force from 1 November 2016, forbids such transactions (s.