International Women's Day: How Affordable Is Housing For India's Single Women?

When you came to the big city to study in your teens, you somehow convinced yourself that things are going to get easier by and by. There would come a time, you thought, when you would not have to share a living space with three other women. You were determined to have a house of your own where there would be no need to "adjust". So, you studied hard, secured good scores, found a well-paying job and started saving money for the future purchase. You can now afford some privacy so you rented a room. Sure, your landlord does not allow you to have visitors at odd hours and likes to snoop every time someone rings your doorbell. But, it will be over as soon as you are able to save the down payment for your home.  Meanwhile, you are working hard to make yourself aware of the process. You know all about the incentives a woman home buyer enjoys in India. They pay less as stamp duty and they get home loans at cheaper interest rates. In short, women have to pay less when they buy a home. But, when you think you are ready with your down payment and come to the market to book a home you have been dreaming about, a crude shock might be awaiting you.

At a single glance

The advertisements on television and other broadcasting mediums promoting housing for women might have been quite moving but when you indeed start looking for a house, the same warmth may not be extended.

"Quite similar to my experience with landlords in Delhi, sellers, too, do not seem keen to do business with a single woman. My visits to many property agents and developers made me feel they find it hard to take a single woman seriously," says Alokaparna Das, a journalist working with a leading English daily in the national capital. "You will invariably encounter situations where sellers will start probing you about your personal life. A woman will be pushed to call all her patience to her assistance at a time like this. Worse is, many would outright dismiss you," adds Das.

In short, a woman home buyer might find it hard to decode the various provisions of the informal code of law that silently rules the property markets of India's major cities.

Can you really afford it?

The world is not full of discriminators alone and it might have taken you some time but you did find a house of your choice. But guess what? It's way beyond your budget. Being a woman you must invest in a property that is safe enough. This, in other words, means a locality which will be comparatively costlier. The government might have done its bit to reduce the total cost of the house for you by offering you lower stamp duty and cheaper loans. But you are quite far from reaching that stage.

"I had saved Rs 15 lakh that I would pay as the down-payment and my loan eligibility stood at Rs 35 lakh. With that kind of money, buying a house in a locality suitable for women in the national capital was impossible," says Anchal Rai, who later decided to settle for a 2BHK apartment in Noida Extension.

Sample this. To buy a standard 1BHK DDA (Delhi Development Authority) flat in Delhi's Mayur Vihar locality, one has to shell out as much as Rs 75 lakh. The construction would be at least 20 years old. Your handsome salary package and the fact that you can somehow manage the down-payment may not be of help. When the banks come for site inspection, it is likely to evaluation the property much less and your dreams of having a housing in the national capital, even if dilapidated, would shatter. You might have been willing to pay more for a weaker construction to enjoy quick access to your workplace, but you may not get a chance to make that sacrifice. This is also a major reason why the resale property market in Delhi has hardly seen any movement in the past couple of years.

"Having a house in the suburbs comes with another set of problems if you are a single woman. Most of these areas have yet to have a mass-transport system close to them and you are depended upon cars for travel purposes. The long drive up and down to work is not only tiresome but also poses security threats," says Rai, who is a government teacher.