Rs 1000 cr bet: India's rental housing market may be headed for a makeover

HDFC Capital, Curated Living Launch ₹1,000-Crore Rental Housing Platform

If you’ve struggled to find a well-managed rental home in a big Indian city—clear contracts, predictable rents, decent maintenance—you’re not alone. India’s rental housing market has long been fragmented, informal and heavily dependent on individual landlords.

 

That may be starting to change.

 

HDFC Capital Advisors Limited has partnered with Curated Living Solutions to create a ₹1,000-crore rental housing platform, aimed at building and operating institutional-grade rental homes across major urban centres.

 

For renters, this implies a push toward housing that looks—and works—more like a service than a stop-gap arrangement.

 

"The platform will focus on the development, ownership, and operation of institutional-grade rental housing assets to meet the growing demand for professionally managed rental accommodation across major urban centres. The partnership seeks to leverage long-term demographic and urbanization trends, including workforce and student mobility and evolving lifestyle preferences, while supporting the transition of India’s rental housing market towards organised, institutionally owned formats," HDFC Capital advisors said in a statement. 

 

 

What’s Different About This Rental Model

 

Unlike traditional rental housing, where ownership is scattered across thousands of individual landlords, the new platform will develop, own and operate rental housing at scale. That means:

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• Professionally managed properties
• Standardised leases and policies
• Dedicated maintenance and safety systems
• Purpose-built homes rather than retrofitted apartments

 

The focus will be on people who move cities frequently—students, young professionals, and migrant workers—groups that form the backbone of India’s urban workforce but often face the most friction in renting.

 

Why Big Money Is Moving Into Rentals

 

The partnership reflects a broader shift in how long-term capital views housing.

 

According to Vipul Roongta, CEO of HDFC Capital, India’s rental housing market is at an “inflection point,” driven by a young, mobile population and rising urbanisation. For investors, rental housing offers something India’s residential market has historically lacked: stable, recurring income rather than one-time sales.

 

This is a structural bet that renting is no longer temporary—it’s becoming a lifestyle choice.

 

What Curated Living Brings to the Table

 

Curated Living Solutions, promoted by Bhaskar Raju, already manages over 13,000 beds across India in co-living, student housing and worker accommodation. That operational experience matters.

 

As Jai Challa put it, the focus has been on design, safety and efficient management—areas where most rental homes fall short.

 

By combining institutional capital with on-ground operating expertise, the platform aims to scale without sacrificing quality.