Guides and answers

You pay these once, on the new loan: stamp duty (your state decides how much), a registration fee, a small CERSAI fee (CERSAI is the government's record of property loans), legal and valuation charges, and the new bank's processing fee with 18% GST.

The new bank must show you all its fees in the Key Facts Statement before you sign. The home loan check on this site shows each cost for your loan and your state, and your saving after paying them.

No, if your home loan is on a floating rate and taken by you as a person (alone or with family), not by a firm or an HUF.

RBI has not allowed banks to charge for this since 2012. The National Housing Bank set the same rule for housing finance companies in 2014. For loans approved or renewed on or after 1 Jan 2026, RBI's new rules cover all banks and NBFCs. There is no lock-in period, and it does not matter where the money to close the loan comes from.

If your loan is on a fixed rate, there may be a charge. It must be written in your sanction letter or loan agreement.

After you close the loan, the old bank must release your property papers within 30 days. If the delay is the lender's fault, it must pay you ₹5,000 for each day of delay. If the lender has lost the papers, it gets 30 more days to help you get copies, and it pays for them.

RBI has no limit. You can move as many times as you like. But keep three things in mind. Each move costs stamp duty and fees again, so move only when the saving after costs is big. A new bank usually wants to see a few months of EMIs paid on time. And each application shows up as an enquiry on your credit report.

Often you need not move at all. On a repo-linked loan, when RBI changes the repo rate, your bank must pass the change on to you within three months. And asking your own bank for a lower rate usually costs less than moving; the home loan check shows both for your loan.

RBI's rules talk about "how many times" only for moving between a floating and a fixed rate with your own bank. If your bank offers this, its policy may set how many times you can switch, so ask for it in writing. Any fee for switching must be in your sanction letter.

Yes. It is a normal request. Most banks have a set process for it, usually with a one-time fee. Ask for the fee in writing before you agree.

A floating rate has two parts: a benchmark (for most banks the RBI repo rate, now 5.50%) and the lender's margin. The benchmark part moves on its own. The margin is set when the loan is sanctioned.

Under RBI's rules for banks' repo-linked loans, the part of the margin for your credit risk may change only when your credit assessment changes a lot, as your loan agreement says. So a better score does not lower it by itself. Ask your lender to review it; lowering it is the lender's decision.

If you can afford the current EMI, keeping it the same and shortening the loan usually saves far more interest. The home loan check shows both numbers for your loan.

Ask for the fee in writing and for a service request number.

Complain to the lender first and keep its reference number. If there is no reply within 30 days, or the reply does not satisfy you, complain to the RBI Ombudsman within 90 days of the end of those 30 days or of the lender's last reply, whichever is later: online at cms.rbi.org.in, by email to [email protected], or by post to the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre, Reserve Bank of India, Central Vista, Sector 17, Chandigarh - 160017. It is free. The Ombudsman can award up to ₹30 lakh for a loss and up to ₹3 lakh for time, expenses, harassment or mental anguish. It does not decide a lender's commercial judgement, such as the margin it charges. The toll-free number 14448 gives guidance and complaint status only; you cannot complain through it. Housing finance companies are not covered: complain to the National Housing Bank instead.

Housing finance companies are not covered by the RBI Ombudsman. Complain to the housing finance company first. If it does not reply within about 30 days, or you are not satisfied with its reply, complain to the National Housing Bank online at grids.nhbonline.org.in (GRIDS), or by post using NHB's complaint form.

Yes. The checks need no sign-up and cost nothing. The request letter comes with a free profile: just your email.

No. Files you upload are read inside your own browser and are never uploaded. Nothing about you is stored unless you create a free profile, and loan numbers or letters are kept only if you choose.

From each bank's own website where it publishes one, with the date we read it shown next to every number. When we use another source, we say so next to the number. When a bank publishes only a "from" rate, we say so instead of guessing a figure for your score.

We cover banks (public, private and small finance banks) and four big housing finance companies: Bajaj Housing Finance, LIC Housing Finance, PNB Housing Finance and Tata Capital Housing Finance. Housing finance companies are NBFCs.

We don't cover other NBFCs yet. This includes the smaller housing finance companies many people go to when their credit score is low. Their rate depends more on your income type and your property than on your score, and most publish only a wide range. So we cannot yet show you a number you can trust.

No. BachatLab gives you numbers and options from published information. Please confirm the final details with your bank.

No. To advise you on where to invest, a person or company must be registered with SEBI as an investment adviser. BachatLab is not registered, so we stick to your loan: rates, fees, your rights and letters.

One thing we can show you is prepayment. Every rupee you pay early saves interest at your loan rate. On a floating-rate home loan taken by you as a person, RBI does not allow any charge for it. For investment advice, go to a SEBI-registered investment adviser.