Despite all these upheavals and market realignments in the past three years, India's housing market remained remarkably resilient and even thrived. However, there seems to have been one major 'fatality' - affordable housing. Once the source of considerable political hype, this segment is not merely just languishing today - it seems to be in the ICU. What happened?
As of Q1 2022-end, the total available stock of affordable housing (<INR 40 lakh) in the top 7 cities is approx. 1,86,150 units; 2,34,600 units at Q1 2020-end
Chennai, Pune & MMR saw the highest supply decline of 52%, 33% & 27%, respectively
Supply of ultra-luxury homes (>INR 2.5 Cr) declined 5% in the same period – from approx. 41,750 units in Q1 2020-end to approx. 39,810 units by Q1 2022-end; MMR & Kolkata shed maximum ultra-luxury stock of 16% & 15%, respectively
Mid segment housing saw a 4% decline – from 1,97,880 units in Q1 2020-end to 1,89,310 units by Q1 2022-end
Premium & luxury homes (INR 80 lakh to INR 2.5 Cr) unsold stock increased in the same period
Mumbai, 19 April 2022: While the new supply of affordable housing has been shrinking over the last two pandemic years, demand remains healthy. ANAROCK data reveals that out of the total unsold stock across the top 7 cities, affordable housing inventory saw the most significant decline of 21% – from 2,34,600 units by Q1 2020-end to 1,86,150 units by Q1 2022-end.
2020 kick-started a trend reversal wherein larger homes - spacious enough to accommodate home offices and online study spaces for children - began to be in higher demand
Union Budget 2021-22 was broad-based with special emphasis on building robust healthcare infrastructure, physical infrastructure and affordable housing. It will result in job creation in the informal sector, which was severely impacted by the pandemic
The housing industry needs focused measures to further bolster demand in 2021. This year, the demands go beyond the usual suspects of single-window clearance and industry status.
Hyderabad, Kolkata and NCR saw their new supply increase by 45%, 24% and 10% respectively during the period. The affordable and mid segments (priced up to INR 80 Lakh) comprised over 72% share (approx. 23,290 units) of the total new supply between July-Sept.
As we usher in our 74th year of independence, there is still a long way to go. And yet, despite the various upheavals to date, the foundation upon which to build a stronger and more inclusive industry has never been stronger.
In a big move, the government has announced the one-year extension of the CLSS scheme up to March 2021. This will help push demand for affordable housing.
