Living-In? Can They Have a Joint Home Loan?
A conversation in 7:12 Ladies Special aroused my curiosity (though eavesdrop is not the done thing but couldn’t help the jam packed compartment) as it revolved around buying a flat. Nothing unusual in two friends discussing it. I figured out that one them was a banker with whom the other lady was trying to know the nitty gritty’s of home loan. Interesting…to know from the banker’s perspective.
Some time later conversation took interesting turn, the young lady in question was looking to buy a flat with a loan to move in with her living in partner. She wanted to check on whether she can borrow jointly with him. Just when her banker friend was about to answer after the initial shock (which she skillfully contained) her station came.
But this set my thought process on the said conversation. As the society is opening up towards such relationships, it is imperative that such couples too get access to credit. But is it really happening? Read on to know more…
The reason for practicing restrictions in giving joint loans is that if some dispute arises between the two borrowers, the income stops getting pooled and there may be the problem in getting the payment of EMIs. Which is why , banks do not allow live-in couples or even friends to be joint borrowers as incomes may stop getting pooled in future.”
Not only this lenders are very selective in granting loan with whom you are co borrowing, you cannot jointly take a home loan with just any person. Joint home loans can be obtained by an applicant along with his/her spouse, parents or own siblings. Some banks allow brothers to take a joint home loan provided they both are co-owners of the property. A co-owner is a person who has a share in the property and a co-borrower is one who is liable to pay the loan amount. In some instances, banks insist that co-owners of the home are also co-borrower in a joint loan.
No doubt, co-borrowing enhances your eligibility for the loans besides you also get to share down payment amount as banks calculate eligibility by clubbing your income with that of relatives’. In such cases, they insist on making the relative co-borrower. The basic premise behind using pooled incomes for calculating eligibility is that both parties will actually combine their income and pay off all expenses
(including the home loan installment) . However banks are selective in extending this concept of pooling of income to other relatives other than spouse, siblings, parents and children.
Besides eligibility there is another benefit in the form of tax benefit which can be claimed by both co-applicants individually under Section 80 C and Section 24. The condition in claiming the rebate is that co-borrowers should also be co-owner of the house. The joint account holders (owners of the property) can claim income tax benefits individually. The housing loan benefits that fall under Section 80C and Section 24 of Income Tax Act make each borrower eligible for a maximum deduction of Rs 1 lakh and Rs 1.5 lakhs associated to principal repayment and interest payable on the home loan respectively.
But if you are just a co-borrower of a loan and not a co-owner in the property, you cannot claim the tax rebates. On the other hand, if the co-owners are equal owners of a property but if the share of the loan is 2:1, the tax benefits can also be availed in the same ratio. But generally banks do not accept split EMI payments.
This way I had my fill on co borrowing and now I am looking forward to meeting my co passenger of 7:12 ladies special some day.
