What’s Driving India’s House Price Index Up by 3.1% in Q4 FY25?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- All-India HPI increased by 3.1% in Q4 FY25.
- Kolkata led with an 8.8% growth in house prices.
- Kochi was the only city to experience a decline at 2.3%.
- Residential investment is positively correlated with rising house prices.
- Understanding HPI trends is crucial for monetary policy.
New Delhi, June 21 (NationPress) The house price index (HPI) across India has shown an increase of 3.1 per cent during the January-March period (Q4 FY25), sustaining the same momentum as observed in the previous quarter (Q3).
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) published its quarterly HPI data for Q4, which is derived from transaction-level information collected from registration authorities across 10 prominent cities.
According to an RBI statement, "The all-India HPI saw a 3.1 per cent year-on-year increase in Q4 2024-25, matching the 3.1 per cent growth from the previous quarter and down from 4.1 per cent growth a year earlier; annual HPI growth exhibited significant variability among cities, ranging from an impressive increase of 8.8 per cent in Kolkata to a decrease of 2.3 per cent in Kochi."
On a quarter-to-quarter basis, the all-India HPI rose by 0.9 per cent in Q4.
Major cities such as Bengaluru, Jaipur, Kolkata, and Chennai reported a sequential increase in house prices during this latest quarter, as indicated by the data.
Kolkata led the rankings with an 8.8 per cent surge, while Kochi was the sole city to experience a downturn, recording a 2.3 per cent decline. The index includes the following 10 cities: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Jaipur, Kanpur, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, and Mumbai.
The Central Bank remarked, "A house is not merely an asset; it serves as a vital consumption good for families, providing shelter and various services. Changes in house prices can influence households' perceived lifetime wealth, thus impacting their spending and borrowing decisions."
As house prices rise, the value of housing relative to construction costs increases, making new construction more profitable when prices exceed these costs.
Consequently, residential investment showcases a positive correlation with rising house prices. Furthermore, fluctuations in house prices can influence bank lending and vice versa. Gains in house prices also enhance housing collateral.
The potential bidirectional relationship between bank lending and house prices can lead to reinforcing cycles within credit and real estate markets. This suggests that house prices may impact economic activity through household private consumption, residential investment, and financial system credit allocation. Therefore, understanding trends in this asset class is crucial for the formulation of monetary policy.