Plain-English guides on NRI property law, FEMA compliance, tax obligations, and Gurgaon market insights — written by our in-house CA and legal team.
Everything you need to know before your first tenant moves in — from the legal framework and TDS obligations to what a good management agreement should include. A practical guide written for NRIs, not accountants.
Read the Full Guide BelowYour tenant is required to deduct 30% TDS on rent paid to an NRI. Here's how it works, how to reduce it, and what happens if they don't.
Form 15CA, Form 15CB, NRE vs NRO accounts, and the repatriation limits you need to know. A practical step-by-step walkthrough.
Can you buy, sell, rent, inherit, and repatriate property proceeds freely? A clear summary of the legal framework governing NRI property ownership.
Rental yields, demand trends, and which micro-markets in Gurgaon are outperforming — based on our portfolio of 340+ properties.
Short-term vs long-term gains, the 20% + surcharge rate, indexation benefits, and how to legally reduce your tax bill before selling.
Step-by-step guide to filing a complaint against your builder with HRERA — including timelines, what to expect, and how we've handled 60+ cases.
Yes — completely legally. Non-Resident Indians are permitted to own and rent out residential and commercial property in India under FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act). There are no restrictions on the number of properties you can own or let, and rental income is a fully legitimate source of income under Indian law.
However, the income is subject to Indian income tax, and the mechanisms for collecting, declaring, and repatriating that income are more complex than for resident Indians. This guide walks you through the key obligations.
The most important thing to understand about NRI rental income: your tenant is legally obligated to deduct Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) from rent paid to you before transferring the balance.
The standard TDS rate for NRI landlords is 30% of gross rent (plus applicable surcharge and cess). This means if your monthly rent is ₹50,000, your tenant should be transferring ₹35,000 to you and depositing ₹15,000 with the Income Tax Department.
⚠️ Many tenants — particularly individuals rather than corporates — are unaware of this obligation. If your tenant does not deduct TDS, you are still liable for the tax, and the tenant faces penalties. This is one of the most common compliance failures we see in self-managed NRI properties.
You can apply for a Lower TDS Certificate from the Income Tax Department. If your actual tax liability is below 30% (which it often is for rental income after deductions), the department can issue a certificate authorising the tenant to deduct at a lower rate — sometimes as low as 10–15%.
Every time rental income is remitted from an Indian bank account to an overseas account, the bank requires these two forms before processing the transfer.
Form 15CB is a certificate issued by a Chartered Accountant confirming that the applicable taxes have been deducted and that the remittance complies with FEMA regulations.
Form 15CA is your own declaration to the Income Tax Department that you are making a foreign remittance and that the taxes applicable have been properly dealt with.
💡 Without these two forms, your Indian bank will not process the transfer. This is why self-managing NRIs often find their rent stuck in India — they don't have a CA managing the paperwork each month.
Rental income from Indian property can be repatriated to your overseas account through two routes depending on your account type:
Most NRIs receive rent into an NRO (Non-Resident Ordinary) account. From an NRO account, you can repatriate up to USD 1 million per financial year after taxes. Each repatriation requires Form 15CA/15CB documentation.
An NRE (Non-Resident External) account is fully repatriable and tax-free in India. However, you cannot receive rent directly into an NRE account — it must come through NRO first. The NRO-to-NRE transfer itself also requires CA certification.
The penalties for failing to comply with NRI rental income obligations are serious and can accumulate quickly: