Gurugram: In an action that will significantly impact the value of property transactions in Haryana, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has approved revised collector rates, effectively increasing stamp duties on registering sale deeds of immovable properties.
Following CM’s approval, the Financial Commissioner of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department has written a letter addressed to all Deputy Commissioners (DCs) on 29 July, asking them to implement the new collector rates—also known as circle rates— from 1 August 2025.
“The collector/circle rates for the financial year 2024-25 could not be fixed in time and resultantly could be implemented from 1 December, 2024. The same are in continuation till now, since the new collector rates could again not be finalised by March 2025. Be that as it may, the revised collector rates may be enforced at the earliest preferably from 1 August, 2025 as it captures only a fraction of the increased transaction value,” the letter directs the deputy commissioners.
“Therefore, you are requested that complaints/objections, etc., on the draft of collector/circle rates received from public, may be decided by 31 July 2025 and the revised collector/circle rates may be enforced from 1 August, 2025,” the letter adds.
However, the proposed hike, ranging from 5 percent to a whopping 145 percent in some locations, has widely caused alarm among property consultants, and homebuyers, with NCR districts and Panchkula witnessing significant increase.
The highest increase in Gurugram is being suggested in the rate for agricultural land in Bajghera village off the Dwarka Expressway, where collector rates will jump by as much as 145 percent. In Sarhaul village, Gurugram, agricultural land will increase by 108 percent. Even in the residential sectors of old Gurugram, there is a 77 percent rise, with collector rates spiking from Rs 25,300 per yard to Rs 45,000 per yard.
For a 500-yard plot of old Gurugram, the stamp duty, worked out at an average rate of 6 percent (7 percent for males and 5 percent for females), used to be Rs 7.59 lakh on the basis of a valuation of Rs 1.26 crore. With the new charges, the stamp duty on the same piece of land will be Rs 13.5 lakh, computed on a valuation of Rs 2.25 crore.
In the same manner, in the old colony of DLF, collector rates have increased from Rs 79,300 per yard to Rs 95,000 per yard, increasing the stamp duty on a 500-yard piece of land from Rs 23.79 lakh to Rs 28.5 lakh.
In residential areas 2, 4, 15, 16, 17, and 18 of Panchkula, a significant increase has been proposed with rates rising from Rs 46,800 to Rs 70,200 per square metre. Though these new rates, are already available on the website of various districts for public comments, the announcement of their implementation at short notice has caught people unawares.
Earlier, the state government had written a similar letter to the DCs on 23 July asking them to implement the revised rates from 1 August. However, the letter was withdrawn the next day. Now, the sudden approval of the new circle rates has rattled property consultants and homebuyers across the state.
Suresh Agarwal, Haryana Property Consultants Association president in Panchkula, criticised the government’s move as “unfair”.
“The hasty decision of introducing new rates is unjust. Those who have already made arrangements for registrations and bought stamps are now stuck. With the previous revision in December 2024, again bringing about revisions within a span of seven months is premature,” Agarwal told ThePrint.
Agarwal’s grievance finds resonance with Ritu Bhariok, legal adviser for Justice for Homebuyers in Gurugram, who questioned the accountability of the government.
“Collector rates are hiked annually, this time within months, but what do the citizens receive as a return? Registrar offices in Gurugram have no basic facilities such as chairs or fans for people, while officers work in air-conditioned rooms. There is no parking area, compelling individuals to park on highways and risk being fined or stolen,” she told ThePrint.
Bhariok proposed that the government implement solutions, like multi-level parking lots to resolve these problems.
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What are collector rates and how do they matter
Collector rates, or circle rates or guidance values, are the minimum price at which property can be legally registered in Haryana.
Determined by the District Administration after publishing proposed rates and seeking objections from the public, these are updated from time to time. The collector rates bring transparency, dissuade undervaluation, and accrue substantial revenue through stamp duties and registration charges.
But they also directly affect the cost of procuring a property, since stamp duties are determined based on the higher of the specified sale price or the collector rate.
The collector rates are different from market rates. The market rate (the actual price at which a property is sold) is often higher than the collector rate. While the collector rate is the minimum for registration, the real estate market determines the actual sale price based on demand, supply, and other factors.
The collector rates are higher in NCR districts such as Gurugram, Faridabad, and Sonipat because of their proximity to Delhi, or Panchkula, which is close to Chandigarh, and rates are lower in rural regions.
Likewise, commercial properties have higher rates than residential ones, and farm land has its own pricing mechanism.
Usually revised on 1 April, the 2024 revision was delayed following the Lok Sabha elections and then the state assembly elections before finally being implemented only on 1 December 2024.
A planned revision in April 2025 was also put on hold after a meeting that was chaired by CM Saini, since the last revision was just three months old.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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