Gated communities in India, an emerging living format, and preference are favored by most people for the kind of exclusivity and a sense of safety they happen to provide. What are the other benefits of gated community living in India and what are the downsides to it? Let us discuss this and the following additional topics in this blog!
- In detail: What is a gated community?
- What are the amenities offered in gated communities?
- What is the price range of homes in gated communities in India?
- Pros and cons of buying a house in a gated community.
- Tips to buying a home in a gated community in India
- FAQs
What is a gated community?
Gated communities, as an emerging trend and lifestyle preference, especially in the modern, metropolitan Indian cities are booming now more than ever. While you can find the large and expansive Hiranandani Estate in Mumbai, you have Adarsh Palm Retreat in Bengaluru. You may be enchanted by Boulder Hills in Hyderabad but then you have DLF Westend in Gurgaon. Gated community apartments are everywhere! Let’s leave the metropolitan alone for a moment. Even in your own city, wherever you may be in India, if there is a builder-oriented residential construction happening in your city, we can bet on this, most likely than not, it will be gated community apartments. From big builder names like Brigade Construction in Bangalore and DLF in NCR, gated communities are everywhere.
Not to be mistaken with regular, unstructured community living areas, residential gated communities are huge plots of land that are sophisticatedly constructed with amenities and security measures in place to offer a quality living experience to the residents. Gated communities are walled residential complexes with manned entrances. Such communities are made to provide their residents a close-knit living environment which further offers a sense of exclusivity. Typically, gated communities also offer luxury amenities like swimming pools, games courts, aesthetic garden areas, and even retail spaces so the residents do not have to travel too far from home to access recreation and to fulfill daily needs.
Sounds exciting? Let us dig deeper into the amenities next.
What amenities could you expect in a gated community?
The range, kind, and quality of amenities you can expect from gated communities vary. While you may only get a swimming pool, a gym, and a play area in small gated communities with just a few hundred residents, you may, on the other hand, get high-end facilities like a spa room, mini theatre, huge landscaped gardens, private pools, indoor and outdoor play courts as well as fountains in high-end large community dwellings with thousands of people.
Basic amenities common to all sorts of community habitats, small and humble all the way to high-end and luxurious, including round-the-clock security & surveillance, elevators, swimming pool, community hall, play areas, and some greenery.
What is the price range of homes in gated communities in India?
Homes in gated communities, as you may have guessed, are priced at a higher rate than in regular independent homes owing to the convenience and security benefits that they come with. Prices of homes on gated communities also vary largely basis the city, area, size, and developer in question. While a luxury 3 BHK in a small city like Lucknow can be bought at Rs. 1 Crore, the price can go all the way up to Rs. 15 Crores in a city like Mumbai.
Pros and cons of buying a house in a gated community
Now that we have established the basics, let’s quickly get to the crux. What are the main advantages of living in a gated community?
Advantages of Gated Community:
Social security:
Gated communities, usually being close-knit communities, offer a sense of belongingness and an outlet to socialize with people of similar social status.
High ROI:
Good return on investment in the event of selling owing to the rising demand in all cities and areas
Standard maintenance and upkeep:
The regular maintenance as taken care of by the association keeps the house and the environment as good as new
The convenience of amenities:
For example, People in gated communities do not have to find or book a place in order to host a party or a dinner. They can just use the common party hall!
The aesthetic appeal:
In non-standard neighborhoods, owing to the freedom of choice, when all the residents begin to customize their houses and the appearance as per their own taste, the entire area may not seem very sophisticated and aesthetic. In gated communities, however, since all houses look similar and the overall community has a predefined style and vibe, the environment is always more appealing and sophisticated.
Highly secure:
Since all gated communities are manned by guards and are under surveillance, the residents always feel a heightened sense of safety and security.
On the flip side, what are the disadvantages of living in a gated community?
Disadvantages of Gated Communities:
Affordability: Houses in gated communities for all the features, amenities, and convenience they offer, also charge high prices. Houses in gated communities, in other words, are rather high priced and expensive.
Additional maintenance cost: Apart from the initial cost paid to buy the house, there is an annual/quarterly/monthly maintenance charge that needs to be paid for upkeeping of the common areas. This year-on-year cost can become a big number over the years. One does not have to bear such high regular costs in independent housing areas.
Daily inconveniences: Though living in a gated society offers a range of amenities and conveniences, it also gives an added daily stress of approving entries, having to follow a process for the smallest of changes you desire in your house, and some societies may even ask residents to have their guest cars parked outside the building. These measures are put in place considering the safety factor of the residents but it can get annoying on a daily basis.
Final Thoughts: Tips to buying a home in a gated community in India
If you are planning to get yourself a house in a gated community in India, here are some tips that may come in handy-
- Make sure that your house is not located too close to the entry/exit points to avoid the disturbance of noisy movements all-day
- Invest property built by an established and trusted builder with a good past record to avoid cons and scams
- Understand the lump sum maintenance charges you’ll have to pay each year in advance
- Make sure that the property has a sophisticated security structure in place
- Try and seek a location that is not too far from the city or on the highways
Have any questions still? Drop your queries in the comment section below and we will have a property expert answer them for you! Do not also forget to check out the latest gated communities in Bangalore and Hyderabad on our website!
