Definition: A housing finance company is a non-bank financial institution whose main business is to finance the purchase or construction of housing, including land for the construction of new housing.

The housing finance corporation is majority-owned by the National Housing Bank. Any NBFC can operate as a housing finance company as long as it complies with the basic requirements set out in the Companies Act, 1956.

- The principal business of the company shall be housing financing, directly or indirectly.

- Companies must obtain a Certificate of Registration (CoR) from the National Housing Bank (NHB). Under the National Housing Bank Act 1987, companies carrying on such business without a COR are penalized and the NHB can seek to liquidate such companies.

- The company must have net own funds of not less than Rs 10 crore.

After fulfilling these basic requirements, the company must also fulfill the following conditions to register as a home finance company:

- The company must be able to meet the full requirements of its current and future depositors as and when requirements arise.

- The company's business activities should not harm public interest and interest of depositors.

- The affairs of housing finance companies should not prejudice the interests of current and future fund savers.

- The registration certificate shall not harm the operation and development of the national housing finance industry.

- The company must have sufficient capital structure and good earning potential.

And therefore, the NBFC must fulfill all the above conditions to finance housing business (construction and purchase).

List of housing finance companies that have obtained a certificate of registration (COR) but are not eligible to accept deposits from the public.

Aavas Financiers Limited              

Adani Housing Finance Private Limited

Aditya Birla Housing Finance Limited       

AGRIM Housing Finance Private Limited

Aham Housing Finance Private Limited   

Altum Credo Home Finance Private Limited

Anand Housing Finance Private Limited  

APAC Housing Finance Private Limited

Aptus Value Housing Finance India Limited          

ART Housing Finance (India) Limited

Aryarth Housing Finance Limited              

Aviom India Housing Finance Private Limited

Baid Housing Finance Private Limited      

Bajaj Housing Finance Limited

Capital India Home Loans Limited            

Capri Global Housing Finance Limited

Centrum Housing Finance Limited            

Clix Housing Finance Limited

DMI Housing Finance Private Limited      

Easy Home Finance Limited

Edelweiss Housing Finance Limited          

Essel Finance Home Loans Limited

Family Home Finance Private Limited      

Fasttrack Housing Finance Limited

Fullerton India Home Finance Company Limited  Godrej Housing Finance Limited

GRD India financial services Private Limited

Habitat Micro Build India Housing Finance Company Private Limited         

Hero Housing Finance Limited

Hinduja Housing Finance Limited             

Home First Finance Company India Limited

Homeshree Housing Finance Limited

IFL Housing Finance Limited

IIFL Home Finance Limited           

IKF Home Finance Limited

India Home Loan Limited             

India Shelter Finance Corporation Limited

Indiabulls Housing Finance Limited          

IndoStar Home Finance Private Limited

JM Financial Home Loans Limited             

Jothi Housing and Mortgage Finance Private Limited

Khush Housing Finance Private Limited  

KIFS Housing Finance Private Limited

Mahindra Rural Housing Finance Ltd       

Mamta Housing Finance Company Private Limited

Manappuram Home Finance Limited

Milestone Home Finance Company Private Limited

Manibhavnam Home Finance India Private Limited

MAS Rural Housing and Mortgage Finance Limited           

Mentor Home Loans India Limited

Motilal Oswal Home Finance Limited      

Muthoot Homefin (India) Limited

Muthoot Housing Finance Company Limited        

Nanayasurabhi Affordable Housing Finance Limited

Navarathna Housing Finance Limited      

New Habitat Housing Finance and Development Limited

Nivara Home Finance Limited     

North East Region Housing Finance Company Limited

Orange City Housing Finance Limited      

Panthoibi Housing Finance Company Limited

Piramal Housing Finance Limited              

“Poonawalla Housing Finance Limited

Prosper Housing Finance Limited

Reliance Home Finance Limited

Religare Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited        

Roha Housing Finance Private Limited

Swarna Pragati Housing Microfinance Private Limited

Tata Capital Housing Finance Limited(TCHFL)       

Ummeed Housing Finance Private Limited