The guideline value for any street or survey number in Chennai can be looked up free on the Registration Department’s TNREGINET portal, under the Guideline Value search. It matters because stamp duty and registration fees are charged on the guideline value or the price in your deed, whichever is higher. If the seller agrees to a figure below the guideline value, you still pay duty on the guideline value.
The portal always shows the value currently in force. We found no official notification of a new statewide revision as of 18 October 2026, so the figures displayed now are the ones that apply. Here is how to find the number for your property, how the values got here and how to protect yourself if they change.
How to look up the value on TNREGINET
The portal works in Tamil and English. Menu labels shift a little from time to time, but the search broadly follows these steps.
- Open tnreginet.gov.in/portal and choose Guideline Value from the top menu.
- Pick the search type. You can search by street name, by survey number, or by composite value. Composite value applies to flats, where land share and building are valued together.
- Select the zone (Chennai has separate zones), the sub-registrar office, and the registration village. If you are not sure which sub-registrar office covers your street, use the “Know Your Jurisdiction” option first.
- Enter the street name or the survey and sub-division numbers and click search. The result shows the value per square foot or per hectare, along with the land classification.
Two related tools sit on the same portal. One calculates the value of a building based on its type, age and zone, which matters for independent houses. The other lets you check the stamp duty worked out for a particular document. Use both before you fix a budget with the seller.
Why Chennai’s values have moved up and down
The history explains why buyers and sub-registrars sometimes argue about which figure applies.
- June 2017: The state cut guideline values by about one-third across the board, with effect from 9 June 2017, according to a King Stubb & Kasiva legal note.
- April 2023: The Inspector General of Registration started charging duty on pre-2017 values, while the registration fee on sale deeds was halved from 4% to 2% through a gazette notification dated 30 March 2023.
- Since then: The 2023 move was challenged in the Madras High Court, and values have been revised again since. Rather than rely on a figure quoted in a broker’s listing or an old news report, take the current number for your street from TNREGINET.
Is a revision coming?
Property websites reported through mid-2026 that the Registration Department was reviewing guideline values, including correcting anomalies at survey-number level and reclassifying some streets. We could not confirm the details from a government notice or a major newspaper, so we are not repeating them here.
What matters for a buyer is simpler. Until a revision is notified, the values on TNREGINET apply, and duty is charged on the value in force on the day the document is presented for registration. If a revision is notified, it will appear in the department’s notices on the portal and in the state gazette. Do not accept a seller’s or agent’s claim that values will go up next month, and that you must close the deal quickly, until you see it notified.
A revision does not change the duty on documents already registered. If you have signed an agreement and are waiting for a loan, though, a change before the sale deed is registered would change your bill, so keep a margin in your budget.
What this means if you are buying or selling now
- Check the value on the day you finalise the deal and again just before registration. Duty is assessed on the value in force when the document is presented.
- If the agreed price is well below the guideline value, budget for duty on the higher figure. If you believe the guideline value is wrong for your plot, the sub-registrar can refer the document for valuation under Section 47A of the Indian Stamp Act, but that slows registration.
- For flats, look at the composite value, not the land rate alone.
- Watch the Registration Department’s notices for any draft revision. That is the window to file objections if a street is misclassified.
For a disputed valuation or a large transaction, a property lawyer can tell you whether a Section 47A reference is worth pursuing.
Quick answers
Is the guideline value the same as market price?
No. It is the minimum value the government uses to charge stamp duty and registration fees. Market prices in many Chennai localities are higher.
Has the guideline value changed in 2026?
As of 18 October 2026 we found no notification of new values. The figures shown on TNREGINET are the ones that apply.
Where can I get help with the portal?
The TNREGINET portal lists its helpdesk contacts, and your local sub-registrar office can confirm the value for a particular street or survey number.
Can I object to a guideline value?
If the department publishes draft values, the notice will say how and by when objections can be filed. For a single document, a Section 47A reference is the route.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
