Property Types
What is a Row House?
More land than a flat. Less money than a villa. Shared walls, and the neighbour you can hear through them.
The short answer
A row house shares side walls with its neighbours — but has its own entrance, its own plot, and its own roof.
More land than a flat. Less money than a villa. Usually the sensible middle, and often the best value in a project.
The trade: you will hear your neighbours, and you cannot change the outside.
What a row house is
A continuous row of identical houses, joined at the side walls. Each has:
- Its own front door, from the street or a private path
- Its own plot — usually narrow and deep, often with a small garden front and back
- Its own roof — and often a terrace
- Its own parking
- Shared side walls with the houses either side
Often called a terraced house elsewhere. The end unit in a row — with only one shared wall — usually commands a premium, and deserves one.
Row house vs villa vs flat
| Flat | Row House | Villa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land (UDS) | Low | Good | Highest |
| Price | Lowest | Middle | Highest |
| Shared walls | All of them | Two (one, if it's an end unit) | None |
| Own entrance | No | Yes | Yes |
| Maintenance | The society's | Mostly yours | All yours |
| Resale liquidity | Best | Reasonable | Poorest |
| Yield | Best | Middling | Poorest |
The row house genuinely is the middle: a real plot of land and a real front door, without the villa's price, its running costs, or its resale problem. In many projects it is the best value on offer — and it is frequently overlooked, because buyers are drawn to the villa and settle for the flat.
What's genuinely good about it
- You own real land. Far more than a flat — and land is what appreciates.
- Your own front door. No lobby, no lift, no waiting.
- A garden, however small. And a terrace.
- Vertical space — usually two or three floors, which gives real separation between living and sleeping.
- Cheaper than a villa, and a much larger buyer pool at resale.
- Extension potential, sometimes — if there is unused FSI and the community permits it.
What to check — and row houses have specific ones
Sound. Go and stand in the house at a normal hour. Can you hear the neighbours? Party wall insulation in Indian construction is frequently poor, and it is not fixable afterwards.
Water and damp. A leak in their bathroom is a stain on your wall. And a shared wall means a shared damp problem.
Structure. The wall is shared, which means neither of you can do as you like with it. If they want to knock through, you are involved. Check the rules.
The external appearance. Most row house communities restrict changes to the façade — you cannot paint your house purple, extend the front, or enclose the balcony. Read the bye-laws before you buy, not after you have planned the extension.
- Is the LAYOUT approved? Same question as a villa. Same consequences.
- Land conversion — get the order.
- Is it an A khata? (Bengaluru.)
- What is the plot area, and is it in the sale deed?
- Do you own the plot, or an undivided share of a larger parcel? Ask.
- Can you extend? Is there unused FSI, and do the community rules allow it?
- End unit or middle? The end unit has one shared wall instead of two, more light, and a bigger plot. It is worth paying for, and it resells better.
- Conveyance of the common areas to the association.
- The occupancy certificate.
Frequently asked questions
What is a row house?
A house forming part of a continuous row, sharing side walls with its neighbours, but with its own entrance, its own plot, its own roof and usually its own parking. Called a terraced house elsewhere. The end unit — with only one shared wall — commands a premium, and deserves one.
Is a row house better than an apartment?
It gives you far more land, which is what appreciates, plus your own front door, a garden and vertical space — for considerably less than a villa, and with a much larger resale pool. The trade is that you share walls (so you may hear your neighbours), and the maintenance is mostly yours. In many projects it is the best value on offer, and it is frequently overlooked.
What should I check in a row house?
Stand in it at a normal hour and listen — party wall insulation in Indian construction is often poor and is not fixable afterwards. Check the layout approval, the land conversion and the khata, exactly as for a villa. Ask whether you own the plot or an undivided share. Read the bye-laws on external alterations before you plan an extension. And prefer the end unit.
Why is an end unit row house more expensive?
One shared wall instead of two — so less noise, more light, usually a larger plot, and often windows on three sides. It is worth paying for, and it resells better.