Short answer: The key questions for couples before buying a home are whose names go on the deed and in what shares, who pays the down payment and EMI, whether you can manage on one income, which tax regime each of you uses, and what happens if one of you dies, stops working or you separate. Agree these in writing before booking.
- Shares should match money: write each person's share in the sale deed, and keep a record of who paid what.
- Plan for one income: a joint loan sized on two salaries can take over half of one salary.
- Tax benefits are per person: each co-owner who also repays the loan claims separately, in the old regime only for a self-occupied home.
- No stamp duty discount for women in Karnataka, so adding a name doesn't cut the 7.6%.
- Our SPLIT test: shares, payments, loan, insurance, tomorrow.
Couples usually agree on the flat long before they've agreed on the money. These questions are for the two of you, at a table, before the first site visit. For the general pre-search questions, see our 25 questions before house hunting.
Whose home is it, on paper?
- Will the home be in one name or both?
- In what shares: 50:50, or in proportion to what each of you pays?
- Will the shares be written in the sale deed?
- Are there any existing claims on either of you, such as family property or guarantees?
- Does either of you plan to gift a share to the other later? Between spouses inside the GBA, that carries ₹5,000 stamp duty plus cess and surcharge, not the sale rate (our women buyers page).
Who pays for what?
- How will you split the down payment?
- Who pays the roughly 7.6% stamp duty and registration?
- How will you split the EMI, and from whose account?
- Will you keep a shared record of every payment?
- Who pays maintenance, property tax and repairs?
Can you afford it on one income?
- If one of you stops working for a year, can the other pay the EMI?
- Is the loan sized on both incomes, or on the higher one?
- Do either of you have other loans a lender will count?
- How big an emergency fund will you keep after the down payment?
- Will children, a career break or a move change this in five years?
How will tax and the loan work?
- Will you both be co-borrowers and co-owners?
- Which tax regime does each of you use? Interest on a self-occupied home only helps in the old regime.
- Have you asked a CA how to split shares for tax?
- Whose credit record is stronger, and does that change the rate offered?
See our joint home loan rules page and home loan tax page.
What if things change?
- Do you each have term insurance at least equal to your share of the loan?
- Have you each made a will, and named nominees?
- If you separate, who keeps the home, and how is the other paid out?
- If one of you dies, can the other keep paying the EMI?
- Would you sell or rent it out if you had to move cities?
- What would make either of you walk away from a flat you both like?
Worked examples
These use the approved 8.5% illustrative rate over 20 years.
Worked example 1: do 50:50 shares match what you paid?
A ₹1 crore flat. The loan is ₹75 lakh (75% loan-to-value), so cash needed is ₹25 lakh down plus ₹7.6 lakh in charges, ₹32.6 lakh in all. Partner A puts in ₹22.6 lakh, Partner B ₹10 lakh. The EMI of ₹65,087 is split 40:60.
| After 5 years | Partner A | Partner B |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cash | ₹22,60,000 | ₹10,00,000 |
| EMI share for 60 months | ₹26,035 × 60 = ₹15,62,082 | ₹39,052 × 60 = ₹23,43,123 |
| Total paid | ₹38,22,082 | ₹33,43,123 |
| Share of total paid | 53% | 47% |
Close to 50:50 after five years, but not on day one, when A had paid 69% of the cash. Agree the shares knowing how the balance moves, and write them in the deed.
Worked example 2: the one-income test
Partner A takes home ₹1,20,000 a month and Partner B ₹80,000.
| Both incomes | A's income alone | |
|---|---|---|
| EMI at 35% of take-home | ₹70,000 | ₹42,000 |
| Loan that EMI supports | about ₹80.66 lakh | about ₹48.40 lakh |
| The ₹65,087 EMI as a share of income | 33% | 54% |
If B takes a year off, the EMI takes 54% of A's pay. That's past the 50% line banks rarely lend beyond (our affordability study). Plan a buffer, or a smaller loan.
The SPLIT test (our framework)
| Letter | What you agree | Written where |
|---|---|---|
| S: Shares | Names and percentages | Sale deed |
| P: Payments | Who pays down payment, charges, EMI, upkeep | Shared payment record |
| L: Loan | Co-borrowers, sized to survive on one income | Loan sanction |
| I: Insurance | Term cover for each person's share of the loan | Policies, nominees |
| T: Tomorrow | Wills, separation, death, moving cities | Wills, a written agreement |
Couple's checklist
- [ ] Agree names and shares, and put them in the sale deed.
- [ ] Record every payment from each account.
- [ ] Test the EMI against the higher single income.
- [ ] Ask a CA how to set shares for tax, for each regime.
- [ ] Buy term cover for each person's loan share.
- [ ] Make wills and update nominees.
- [ ] Discuss what happens if you separate.
- [ ] Run the numbers on charges with our stamp duty calculator.
CA note
How shares, EMIs and regimes affect each partner's tax is specific to your incomes. Ask a CA before you fix the shares.
Lawyer note
Ownership shares, gifts between spouses, wills and what happens on separation are legal questions. Ask a property lawyer, and see our gift deed page and legal checks guide.
Frequently asked questions
Often, yes, if both contribute. Joint names can support a larger loan and separate tax claims. Write the shares in the sale deed and ask a lawyer.
No. Shares can be in any proportion. Matching them to what each of you pays, and recording payments, keeps things clear later.
No. We found no gender-based concession as of 19 Oct 2026. Charges are about 7.6% whoever is on the deed.
Each co-owner who repays the loan can claim separately, within their own limits, in the old regime for a self-occupied home. Ask a CA.
Check the EMI against one income first. A loan sized on two salaries can take more than half of one, which is hard to sustain.
It's wise. Cover at least each person's share of the loan, so the other isn't left with an EMI they can't pay alone.
It depends on the shares, the loan and any agreement. Discuss it before you buy, and ask a lawyer about your situation.
Yes, usually by gift deed. Between spouses inside the GBA, stamp duty is ₹5,000 plus cess and surcharge, plus the registration fee.
Sources
Checked 19 Oct 2026.
- Karnataka Stamp Act 1957 (Art. 20 conveyance; Art. 28 gift): https://dpal.karnataka.gov.in/storage/pdf-files/34%20of%201957%28E%29.pdf
- Income-tax Act, 2025 (Act 30 of 2025), ss.21, 22, 24, 123, 202: https://egazette.gov.in/WriteReadData/2025/265620.pdf
- RBI, Master Circular on Housing Finance (loan-to-value caps): https://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/BS_ViewMasCirculardetails.aspx?id=12824
- Fortune India, Knight Frank Affordability Index H1 2026, 3 Jul 2026 (news): https://www.fortuneindia.com/real-estate/ahmedabad-tops-home-affordability-chart-at-23-as-6-of-8-cities-stay-within-affordability-threshold-in-h1-2026-knight-frank-india/146369
