For housing loans, now pay a larger pie of property value

Prospective home loan seekers will now have to shell out 25% to 30% of the value of a property as against 20% until now with the Reserve Bank of India asking banks to exclude stamp duty, registration fee and other levies from total cost.

Effectively, this means that the 'loan to value' ratio has come down by 5-10% for home loans from what it was earlier.

Stamp duty and other levies vary from state to state. In Maharashtra, for example, stamp duty is 5%, while in Bangalore it is 8%, Kolkata 7% and New Delhi 4%.

In Mumbai, value added tax (1%), service tax (2.6%), registration fee and stamp duty add up to 9-10% of the cost of the property.

Experts believe the RBI's latest move is aimed at curbing speculation in the property market. They point out that in December 2010, in order to check excessive lending by banks, RBI had directed commercial banks against lending more than 80 per cent of the value of a loan against property above Rs 20 lakh and not more than 90 per cent for loans below Rs 20 lakh.

While imposing the new set of curbs, the RBI has said, "This overstates the realisable value of the property, as stamp duty, registration and other documentation charges are not realisable. Consequently, the margin stipulated gets diluted."

Property experts say the RBI's move does not bode well for developers as it may lead to a further drop in home sales. "In the short run, the decision will put additional strain on the home buyer, at least till economic conditions improve," said Pranab Datta, vice chairman of Knight Frank, a property consultants firm.

"It is unfortunate that inspite of clarity on importance of the need to provide shelter, RBI has issued such anti-housing guidelines," said Lalit Kumar Jain, national president of Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India.

However, Om Ahuja, CEO (Residential) with JLL, another property consultants firm, believes the new notification will not impact home sales.

"So far, individuals used to put in 20% of own money. Now they will have to pay for stamp duty and registration from their own pockets. I think borrowers can do that without much issue as their loan amount also decreases," said Ahuja.

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