Having completed the country's largest initial public offering of $2 billion (about Rs 8,200 crore), DLF Chairman K P Singh is getting ready to raise a similar amount in Singapore.
The government's Budget announcements providing tax holiday for data centres, setting up of city economic regions (CERs) and funding to improve infrastructure in Tier-II and -III cities may give an indirect boost to India's realty sector, said industry executives.
India's leading real estate developers are accelerating their push into plotted development, a segment once dominated by unorganised players but now reshaped by branded offerings, faster cash flows and evolving buyer preferences. This strategic shift is visible across markets such as Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Gurugram, peripheries of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and even Tier-II cities.
After three post-pandemic years of an upcycle, it was a mixed bag for the realty sector in 2025, with sales volumes in the residential real estate moderating across top cities, and commercial real estate and institutional investments emerging as standout performers. Residential: Volumes soften, value holds firm.
Top real estate developers reported healthy presales growth in the second quarter of FY26, aided by a steady pipeline of new project launches. While overall housing momentum across major Indian cities moderated during the quarter, listed players remained relatively insulated.
Currently, India has five publicly listed Reits: Brookfield India Real Estate Trust, Embassy Office Parks Reit, Mindspace Business Parks Reit Nexus Select Trust, and Knowledge Realty Trust.
Affordable homes, priced under Rs 40 lakh per unit, may not be attractive anymore, not just for developers but also for investors, with the segment seeing a 26 per cent price rise over three years since 2022 versus 40 per cent returns from luxury homes priced Rs 1.5 crore and above.
High-street rentals continue to outpace those of malls, as retailers focus on prime locations and are willing to pay a premium for visibility. Between 2021 and 2025, rental values on prime high street have grown 7-15 per cent annually, driven by strong consumption density and limited new supply, even outpacing grade A malls, which grew by 5-8 per cent, according to Anarock.
India's real estate investment trust (Reit) sector is set for robust expansion, with at least one new Reit expected to enter the market each year over the next three-five years. This growth trajectory builds on rising occupancies, surging leasing activity, and increasing investor interest.
With average returns of 18 per cent over the past year, listed real estate investment trusts (Reits) have clearly outperformed both the Nifty Realty index and the Sensex. Over the same period, Nifty Realty fell 15.5 per cent, while the benchmark index was largely unchanged. Steady office leasing, the Securities and Exchange Board of India's (Sebi's) decision to reclassify Reits as equity instruments, and ongoing portfolio expansion have strengthened the sector's appeal.
In addition, it is banking on Rs 20 billion of additional inflows from group company DLF Assets. The move follows 33 per cent growth in DLF's gross debt to Rs 163.58 billion at the end of March 2009 from Rs 122.77 billion a year ago. In addition, DLF's revenues fell 28 per cent to Rs 105.41 billion as home buyers deferred purchases and it offered discounts to lure buyers. As a result, its revenues were hit to the tune of Rs 6.88 billion.
Top real estate developers are expected to report improved earnings and resilient presales growth, even as overall housing sales across major Indian cities declined during the July-September quarter (Q2) of 2025-26. The anticipated earnings growth in what is typically a subdued quarter is credited to steady sustenance sales, improved collections, the strong positioning of listed developers, and sustained demand for premium homes.
India's top 9 cities are likely to witness a 4 per cent decline in housing sales in the quarter ending September to over 1 lakh units on lower demand in Mumbai region and Pune, according to PropEquity. Real estate data analytics firm PropEquity on Sunday released data of primary residential market for July-September, which is generally considered as a weak quarter because of monsoon season and inauspicious Shraadh period.
The DLF group has deferred the Singapore listing of DLF Office Trust, the real estate investment trust of DLF Asset, till the market condition improved, said sources close to the Gurgaon-based real restate group. DLF Asset has received investments worth $600 million from hedge fund DE Shaw and Lehman Bothers. DLF may now raise Rs 2,000 crore through private trusts or a private placement by March end.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged that Robert Vadra, husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, provided evasive responses during questioning regarding a 2008 land deal in Haryana. The ED claims Vadra placed blame on deceased associates and exerted undue influence on government officials.
The group also plans to nearly halve DLF's debt from Rs 13,958 crore to Rs 7,000 crore by the end of the current financial year by selling around Rs 5,500 crore worth of assets and raising Rs 2,000 crore from the DAL listing, said Singh. Wednesday's divestment will also help reduce DLF's debt by around Rs 1,500 crore since this amount will be given to DAL to repay part of the Rs 4,900 crore it owes the realtor, he added.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a charge sheet against Robert Vadra, husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in a money laundering case related to a land deal in Haryana's Shikohpur. The ED has also attached properties worth Rs. 37.64 crore linked to Vadra.
Developers based outside Mumbai are making a beeline for India's largest real estate market through redevelopment projects. These include Delhi-based DLF, Bengaluru-based Prestige Estates and Puravankara, Pune-based Kolte-Patil Developers and Vascon Engineers, and Hyderabad-based Ramky Estates.
Data centres are increasingly becoming a key part of the real estate landscape, as reality firms - with rich expertise in land acquisition, construction and dealing with government approvals - are seeing them as opportunities to build long-term assets with continuous revenue flow.
For the June quarter, sales for DLF were down 25 per cent at Rs 1,725 crore (Rs 17.25 billion) over the same quarter a year earlier.
The company had invested around Rs 1,500 crore in the business; may exit at Rs 1,100 crore.
The FY13 fourth quarter (Q4) earnings, however, fell short of analysts' expectation, as debt was still high at Rs 21,730 crore (Rs 217.3 billion), with much of the targeted non-core sales done.
The company has already booked Rs 5,450 crore (Rs 54.5 billion) revenue from sale of 5 million sq ft it has sold to DAL. DLF on Tuesday clarified to the exchanges that it had been looking at various options from time to time but no definite option had been presented to the board so far for its consideration.
Robert Vadra, brother-in-law of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for the third consecutive day on Thursday for questioning in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in a 2008 Haryana land deal. The ED has been investigating Vadra in connection with a land deal in Haryana's Manesar-Shikohpur, where a company he was a director of purchased land from Onkareshwar Properties and later sold it to DLF for a significantly higher price. The case has been embroiled in controversy since 2012, with allegations of corruption and nepotism surrounding the deal. The ED is expected to file chargesheets in all three cases being investigated against Vadra.
Encouraging results for the fourth quarter of the 2022-23 financial year (Q4FY23) have led to a big surge in the share price of DLF. The realty major closed FY23 with Rs 15,000 crore (up 107 per cent year-on-year or YoY) of pre-sales, leading to cash generation of Rs 2,500 crore (up 14 per cent YoY) and reduced net debt by Rs 1,960 crore YoY. The launch of The Arbour project in Q4FY23 alone drove sales of Rs 8,000 crore in the quarter.
Real estate developers are hoping that the slew of tax concessions announced in Union Budget 2025, set to take effect this financial year, will spur demand for affordable and mid-segment housing, even as the broader housing market shows signs of fatigue.
No violation of rules or regulations were found in the transfer of land by businessman Robert Vadra's Skylight Hospitality to realty major DLF, the Haryana government has told the Punjab and Haryana high court in Chandigarh.
DLF wrote to Sebi, asking if the firm's ban on securities transactions extends to mutual fund investments.
US hedge fund makes 40% profit; KP Singh family to go for DLF Assets IPO in the first quarter of 2010.
The launch of the 19-floor luxury apartment project in Gurgaon's Sector 86 is the first big project from DLF this financial year.
The Adani family, led by Chairman Gautam Adani, is the most valued first-generation family business at Rs 15.44 trillion.
It does not involve Amanresorts' flagship New Delhi hotel.
Persuaded not to sell that day in January 1975, DLF today has assets of over Rs 52,237 crore and a net worth of around Rs 40,000 crore.
After life insurance, DLF Ltd is foraying into asset management by offering local and global mutual funds through a joint venture with Prudential Financial Inc of the United States.
This will help DLF cut its debt of Rs 22,519 crore.
Over the last weekend, the central bank has tried to address the biggest near-term concern for property companies --bankruptcy -- says a CLSA report. The one-time move, which will allow banks not to classify commercial real estate loans as non-performing loans, will reduce the near-term risks for some property firms.
Mumbai-based developers Macrotech Developers (Lodha) and Oberoi Realty have emerged as top gainers among largecap realty stocks over the past month, with gains ranging from 29 per cent to 33 per cent. Strong ongoing sales trends in Mumbai's core market, record bookings in the January-March quarter, and healthy guidance for 2024-25 (FY25) have propelled these companies, which derive the majority of their revenues from India's financial capital.
With a huge debt burden of Rs 22,758 crore, DLF is scrambling to sell non-core assets to give itself some breathing room.
Loans and advances account for nearly a quarter of the assets of India's top realty firms.
To reduce its mounting debt, DLF, the country's biggest real estate company, is set to sign a deal with Mumbai-based Lodha Developers for selling one of its showcase non-core assets the 17-acre National Textile Corporation (NTC) land in Mumbai.
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