Home loans
A bank's "approved project": what an APF tag does and doesn't tell a home buyer
"Approved by all major banks" is a lender's internal label, not an RBI or RERA status. Here is what the bank actually checks, what the RERA page already shows you, and what risk stays with you if the project stalls, with a worked example on a ₹90 lakh flat.
When a co-borrower on a home loan dies: who pays, what insurance covers, and who owns the flat
The death of one co-borrower does not cancel or halve a home loan. This explains what the Contract Act says about joint liability, how loan-linked insurance changes the arithmetic on a ₹60 lakh loan, why co-borrower and co-owner are different, and RBI's rules on returning documents to heirs.
Missed a home loan EMI? What the RBI's penal charges rules let your lender levy
Since January 2024 a late EMI can attract only a disclosed penal charge, not penal interest, and no interest on that charge. What the RBI circular allows, what it bars, why there is no GST on it, and the arithmetic on a 20-day delay on a ₹50 lakh loan.
Plot plus construction loans: how a composite home loan works, and what RBI rules require
Building your own house means borrowing for land first and the building after. The RBI rules that make a plot loan a housing loan, how the money is released, how much a bank can lend, and a worked example of the interest you pay while the house goes up.
Buying a resale flat with the seller's home loan still running: how the loan gets closed
Who must clear the seller's loan, why the RBI's 30-day document-return rule speaks to the seller and not to you, how the mortgage and the CERSAI entry are released, and how to split the price on closing day, with a worked example of the payoff rising each day registration slips.
Home loan rejected? What RBI's Fair Practices Code says the lender must tell you
Banks and housing finance companies must give you the main reasons for rejecting a loan in writing, whatever the amount. Here is where the rule comes from, what it does not cover, what a rejection can cost in fees, and how to escalate if no reason comes.
Prepayment and foreclosure charges on floating-rate home loans: what RBI bars, and what it doesn't
RBI rules bar prepayment charges on floating-rate home loans to individuals, and for loans sanctioned from 2026 the bar covers every regulated lender, housing finance companies included. What counts, where fixed and dual-rate loans differ, and what a 2% charge would cost on a ₹40 lakh loan.
Reverse mortgage for senior homeowners: how it works, what it pays and how it is taxed
Who qualifies, the payout and lump-sum caps in the NHB guidelines, what a ₹1 crore house could pay each month on illustrative terms, what happens to the house later, and where the tax exemption now sits in the Income-tax Act, 2025.
LTV caps explained: why your bank lends 75%, 80% or 90% of the flat's value
The RBI's loan-to-value slabs decide the most a bank can lend on a flat, whatever your salary. What counts as value, why stamp duty is left out, the price bands where the slabs leave you short, and the new risk weights that start in April 2027.
Home insurance: structure vs contents cover, and what a bank-arranged Bharat Griha Raksha policy covers
How the standard Bharat Griha Raksha policy sets the building sum insured at construction cost, why its built-in 20% contents cover applies only when you take both covers, what the Agreed Bank Clause means, and a worked example for a 60 sq m flat.
Top-up home loans: how they're priced, what they can fund, and what they save in tax
Why the RBI flagged top-up housing loans, how banks set their rate over the 5.50% repo, how the LTV cap limits the amount, and why a top-up spent on renovation often saves little or no tax under the Income-tax Act, 2025.
Insurance sold with your home loan: what is optional and what lenders can insist on
New RBI rules from 1 January 2027 ban compulsory bundling, require a 'No' default and separate consent, and let you buy any required cover from any provider. What applies now, which cover is which, and what a ₹75,000 premium financed into a ₹50 lakh loan really costs.