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What Is REIT?
Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) is a company that acquires and manages real estate to gain income.
Such companies are corporations that process high-value real estate property and mortgage portfolios.
Here, real estate properties are provided to lease and collect rent on a timely basis.
And collected rent is further distributed to shareholders as dividends and income.
Properties that REITs manage are infrastructure, data centres, apartments, healthcare units, complexes, etc.
Types Of REITs In India
Below provided are the types of REITs in India.
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Equity
Equity REITs are the most popular among all other types of REITs.
Here, commercial properties are operated and managed to generate income.
In equity REITs, rent is the main source of income.
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Mortgage
Mortgage REITs are also known as mREITs.
This type of REITs focuses on lending money to the business or property owners and providing a mortgage facility.
Mortgage REITs earn income from the interest gained on money lent to businesses or property owners.
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Hybrid
Hybrid REITs are a possibility for the investor to invest money in both equity and mortgage REITs.
Here, interest and rent both are income-generating aspects in hybrid REITs.
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Publicly Traded REITs
In this type of REIT, it holds the shares that were enlisted on the National Securities Exchange. And those shares are regulated by the SEBI.
Every individual can purchase and sell those shares through NSE.
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Publicly Non-Traded REITs
In this type of REIT, non-listed shares are registered with SEBI.
But they are not got traded on NSE.
These REITs are considerably more stable as they don’t get affected by market fluctuations.
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Private REITs
In this type of REIT, the process and functions are held privately. Because they serve only selective and limited investors.
Private REITs are not registered under SEBI. And also not traded on NSE.
Criteria Of The Company To Qualify As REITs In India
The companies with the below-mentioned criteria make it to qualify as REITs.
- It is structured as a corporation or business trust.
- A board of directors or trustees manages the company.
- It provides transferable shares.
- It has at least 100 shareholders.
- It has to provide a minimum of 90 percent of taxable income to the shareholders as dividends.
- It should gain at least 75 percent of its gross income from rents or mortgage interests.
- It should have up to 20 percent of its assets included as stock in taxable REITs subsidiaries.
- It should have at least 75 percent of its investment assets under real estate.
- Al least 95 percent of the REITs total income should get invested.
Listed REITs In India 2025
The below-mentioned are the listed REITs in India currently.
- Embassy Office Parks REIT is the first REIT in India. It was launched in April 2019. It is owned by Blackstone Group.
- Mindspace Business Parks REIT got oversubscribed by 12.96 times during its IPO in 2020. Here, an oversubscribed IPO specifies that it received more applications compared to the total shares offered.
- Brookfield India REIT was launched in 2022. And it initiated the REIT issue of Rs. 3800 crores.
Who Should Invest In REITs In India 2025?
REITs operate major real estate properties. And for this reason, it stands as one of the most risky and expensive types of investments.
Here investor should be the one who has the huge capital in his/her hand.
Endowments, insurance companies, pension funds, bank trust departments, etc are the investors who have the capability to invest in REITs.
How To Invest In REITs In India 2025?
Every investor can decide to buy shares in REIT which is listed on the stock exchange.
REIT investment can be done in the following ways.
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Stock
Investors seeking to directly invest in REITs should prefer to do so through stocks.
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Mutual Funds
Investors seeking to diversify their investment portfolio should invest through mutual funds.
This is an indirect method of investing. So the investor has to fund in REIT through a mutual fund company.
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Exchange Traded Funds
By this method, investors can gain indirect ownership of properties.
And they will also have the benefit of diversifying the funds.
REIT is a kind of mutual fund investment. Because REITs prefer investing in properties. Whereas, mutual funds prefer investing in stock options or bonds.
The added advantage of investing in REIT is investors can have guidance from financial advisors to help them with investment decisions.
You can check out Invest In Real Estate In India to know the main difference between investing in REIT & Mutual funds, and other ways of investing in real estate.
Tips On How To Buy Best REITs In India 2025
Investors can have a successful investment in REIT if they follow the tips mentioned below.
- While selecting REIT, an investor should check on which corporation has a positive record in providing high dividend yields. And the possibility of capital appreciation in the long run.
- Diversifying the investment portfolio by buying the shares through the stock exchange will be helpful.
- Investors should find a REIT that has diverse opportunities for tenants and properties.
- Investors should try mutual fund and ETF options that invest in REITs. Since they will receive assistance from financial advisors.
- Investors should invest in companies that have years of experience in their field.
By following these ways you can easily seek investment opportunities and income as well.
Advantages Of REITs In India
Investing in REIT comes with various advantages. The most significant ones are mentioned below
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Dividend Income And Capital Appreciation
By investing in REITs in India, investors can earn stable dividend income. And they can also gain stable capital appreciation over long periods.
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Diversification
As REITs in India are being traded on the stock exchange, it allows investors to diversify their investments in the real estate sector.
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Liquidity
As major REITs in India are being traded on the public stock exchange, this makes them easily buy and sell.
So this helps in the liquidity of the invested capital.
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Transparency Over Deal
As it is regulated by SEBI, REITs need to file a financial report that is audited by professionals.
And this will help investors to gain information regarding taxation, zoning, and ownership. This makes the process transparent.
Disadvantages Of REITs In India
Investing in REITs holds the following disadvantages for investors.
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No Tax-benefits
The possibility of gaining tax benefits under REITs is too low.
This is because dividends gained from investment in REITs companies are taxed as per the law.
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Low Growth Prospect
The ability of capital appreciation is a little low in REITs.
This is because the companies have to return 90 percent of their earnings as dividends to investors.
And they can only reinvest 10 percent of that earnings into their business.
FAQs
Which are the types of REITs in India?
Equity, Mortgage, Hybrid, Private, Publicly traded and non-traded REITs are the types of REITs in India. |
What are the advantages of REITs in India?
Diversification, liquidity, and transparency over deals are the main advantages of REITs in India. |
Which are the best REITs in India to invest in?
Embassy Office Parks, Brookfield India, and Mindspace Business Parks REIT are the best REITs in India to invest in. |