Housing prices up 10.5% in Jan-Mar 2017: RBI

New Delhi: Housing prices increased by an average 10.5 percent during January-March quarter of last fiscal across ten major cities of the country compared to the year-ago period, according to Reserve Bank of India.

However, the prices increased marginally by 0.8 percent over the October-December quarter of 2016-17.

The RBI on Monday released its quarterly House Price Index (HPI) for the fourth quarter of 2016-17 fiscal. The index is based on transaction data received from housing registration authorities in 10 major cities - Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kochi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Kanpur.

"On an annual basis, the all-India HPI increased by 10.5 percent with Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Kanpur and Kochi recording double-digit annual growth whereas Chennai witnessed a marginal moderation in housing prices," RBI said in a statement.

According to RBI data, housing prices in Mumbai appreciated by 17.25 percent in January-March period as compared to the corresponding period of 2015-16.

Prices shot up by 27 percent in Kochi, 16 percent in Lucknow, 17 percent in Kanpur and 15 percent each in Bangalore and Ahmedabad.

Kolkata witnessed a price increase of 9 percent, while rates in Delhi rose by 3.5 percent. Jaipur saw marginal rise. Chennai was the lone city to witness fall, though slightly.

"The all-India HPI recorded a sequential increase of 0.8 per cent during January-March quarter with six of the ten cities recording a rise in sequential terms. Kochi recorded the highest rise at 18.3 percent whereas Chennai witnessed significant contraction of (-6.7 percent)," the RBI said.