Home Buying

A Guide of Different Types of Houses in India


30, January 2026

Types of Houses and Properties in India

What are the types of houses usually found in India?

When you go house hunting, looking for a place to rent or even booking a stay through Airbnb, terms about housing such as Studio apartments, duplexes or penthouses get casually thrown around.

Of course, these are casual terms but, sometimes they are used interchangeably when they should not be. Each word means different and is specific to the types of houses or certain types of real estate property. Let's understand what exactly we mean when we use these terms.

1. RK or Studio Room

RK is simply a short form for Room and Kitchen. They do not have a separate bedroom or a living room, rather everything is compartmentalised in the same space. These kinds are usually compact and efficient, preferred by students or working individuals who like to have more features and fewer things to take care of.

Also, RK is known by different names such as studio room, studio apartment or bachelor's room in India as well as around the world.

2. 1, 2, 3, and 4... BHKs

BHK stands for Bedroom, Hall and Kitchen, as the name denotes 1 BHK means a house has one bedroom, a living room and a kitchen. 2 BHK and 3 BHK has two bedrooms and three bedrooms respectively alongside a living room and a kitchen. It's the same for four or any number of BHK's.

When people use these terms, say 2 BHK they can be referring to any of the numerous kinds of houses such as an apartment or a villa with 2 bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen.

3. Duplex

Duplex simply means a two-floor house. It can be an apartment or an independent house. Any type of house with two floors can be called a duplex, if there are more than two floors it's called a multiplex.

A Duplex House typically has a living room, a kitchen with a dining area, and a sitting room/ area on the lower floor, while the bedrooms are found on the higher floor. However, it could vary according to the availability of space, architecture and design.

4. Flats or Apartments

Apartments are housing units in a large building, usually occupying only one storey, although it can occupy more than one storey. The apartment can be 1, 2 3 or many BHKs or just a studio room. There are furthermore kinds such as penthouses, filaments, and basement suites.

In India, the terms apartment and flats can be used interchangeably. Among the types of properties usually purchased in India apartments are the most preferred ones these days.

5. Villas

Villas are large standalone houses that derive their name from the ancient Roman upper-class country house. Villas have a large backyard and/ or a verandah. Villas have usually been associated with upper-class dwellers.

These are usually located in areas where there are other villas. Also, villas give a sense of privacy more than other types of houses. Although, in recent times numerous builders have been trying and often succeeding in making it reachable to upper-middle-class dwellers as well.

There are many things to consider when buying a home, and the more time you devote to finding the right place the better it will be. Take just a few minutes away from your daily routine, sit down at your computer and search for real estate blogs

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6. Independent Houses

Among all the types of houses in India, Independent houses are the most commonly found ones. Independent houses can have any number of rooms and usually have only the ground floor However, one and two-storey houses are also common. They are located on an independent plot with a surrounding boundary wall of its own. The plot and the house always belong to the same person(s).

Independent houses are usually owned by middle-class urban dwellers and most of the village dwellers. Independent houses are commonly chosen among other types of properties as an investment. In recent times, with the increasing influx of population into cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, and Chennai independent houses are being chosen second to apartments.

7. Penthouses

Pent Houses are units that are located on the highest floor of an apartment building, they are distinguished by the luxury features that are not present in the other apartment units. Exceptional Panoramic views are intrinsic to the architecture of penthouses. Penthouses are seen as the epitome of luxury among the available types of homes in India.

Although penthouses are located in a multi-residential complex, they give a sense of independence that is found in Villas or Independent Houses. Traditionally a penthouse meant a house on the top floor.

However, recent developments have built penthouses on floors other than the last floor. Modern architecture has paved the way for builders to provide all the quality of a penthouse including a terrace on the many levels. Also, Penthouses are valued more among most of the other types of properties.

8. Villaments

Villaments are a modern phenomenon that is garnering more and more appreciation every passing day. Villaments are among some of the new types of houses, as the name suggests, they are an amalgamation of Villas and Apartments.

Due to the rise of popularity of Villaments in the contemporary housing style, the value of villaments is rising among the types of properties.

It combines the luxury and spatial availability of a Villa with the community structure of an apartment building. Among most types of homes, this is seen as the most efficient type, since it provides the safety, view, comfort, cost, and maintenance facilities of an apartment building and the luxury of a Villa.

9. Bungalows

Bungalows are among the most expensive types of properties usually found in India. Bungalows are usually single-storey independent houses. It can also be double or partially double-storey independent houses. They are usually characterised by the discernible sloped roofs.

10. Farm Houses

Farm Houses are residential homes in an agricultural landscape. It is usually used as a second or additional dwelling for people to spend their vacation in. Earlier, farmhouses were only found in regions far away from the city. However, builders, these days can plan and construct in the outskirts of the city.

Farm Houses can be seen as both an investment and vacation setting. Farm Houses are intrinsically closer to nature than any of the above-mentioned kinds of houses, surrounded by greenery or rather placed inside a lush green setting farm houses always enjoy high monetary value.

We hope this article on types of houses commonly found in India helped you understand better all the different kinds of dwellings we call home!

There are five common property types:

  • Residential property
  • Commercial property
  • Industrial property
  • Land as a property type
  • Special purpose property

The three most common real estate property types are Residential, Commercial, and Land.

There are five major types of houses: Single-family houses, Manufactured houses, Condominiums, Cooperative housing, and Apartments.

A single-family house is a house where just one family lives and most likely with a fence around the property. A manufactured home is made at a factory and then transported to its final destination. A condominium is a housing unit inside a larger building.

Reference Links:

1. Vastu Tips for Positivity at Your Home

2. Feng Shui Colours for Harmony and Balance

3. Best Mandir Placement Vastu Tips

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PS Group21, January 2021
Very Informative post, most of the people can't differentiate in between them. This will help people to understand the property they wanted to buy.
y@PS Group Very Informative post, most of the people can't differentiate in between them. This will help people to understand the property they wanted to buy.

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