How to Complain About an HFC: Timelines, Escalation and the National Housing Bank
RBI's Housing Finance Companies Directions, 2025 say an HFC should acknowledge a written complaint within a week, naming the official in charge, give a final response within six weeks, publish its escalation matrix, and display that borrowers may approach the National Housing Bank's Complaint Redressal Cell if there is no reply within one month.
A Bengaluru buyer has been chasing a housing finance company for three weeks about a disbursal released without consent and a processing fee that was never refunded. Each call ends with a promise of a callback that never comes. The buyer does not know whom to write to, how long the company has to reply, or where to go if it simply stays silent.
RBI's current rules for housing finance companies set out each of those steps: what the company must have in place to receive complaints, how fast it should acknowledge one, when it should give a final answer, and when a borrower can take the matter to the National Housing Bank. This guide lays out that path for Bengaluru borrowers. It is buyer guidance on complaint procedure, not legal advice on any dispute.
The short answer. RBI's Housing Finance Companies Directions, 2025, updated as on October 1, 2026, say an HFC shall endeavour to acknowledge a written complaint within a week, naming the official handling it, and to send a final response, or explain why it needs more time, within six weeks. HFCs must publish their grievance procedure, escalation matrix and turnaround times, and display that if there is no response within one month, or the complainant is dissatisfied, the complaint may be taken to the National Housing Bank's Complaint Redressal Cell online or by post. The trade-off: the timelines are framed as endeavours, so they guide rather than guarantee, which makes a clean written record your most useful tool.
What must an HFC have in place for complaints?
A working system and a published route. Paragraph 141 of the Directions says the HFC shall have a system and procedure for receiving, registering and disposing of complaints and grievances in each of its offices, including those received online. Paragraph 139 says its board should lay down a grievance redressal mechanism that ensures disputes arising from decisions of its functionaries are heard and disposed of at least at the next higher level.
Paragraph 144 says the HFC shall publicise its grievance redressal procedure, including the email address and other contact details for lodging complaints, the turnaround time for resolving issues and the escalation matrix, and ensure it is available on its website. Your first step, then, is to find that page and use the channel it names.
Paragraph 140 adds that the board of each HFC should provide for periodical review of compliance with the Fair Practices Code and of how the grievance redressal mechanism works at various levels of management, with consolidated reports submitted to the board at intervals it prescribes. In other words, complaints are meant to feed into oversight at the top of the company, not just be closed at the counter.
How fast should the HFC respond?
Paragraph 142 says that if a complaint is received in writing, the HFC shall endeavour to send an acknowledgement or response within a week, and the acknowledgement should contain the name and designation of the official who will deal with the grievance. If the complaint is made over the designated telephone helpdesk or customer service number, the customer shall be given a complaint reference number and kept informed of progress within a reasonable period.
Paragraph 143 says that after examining the matter, the HFC shall send its final response or explain why it needs more time, and shall endeavour to do so within six weeks of receipt of the complaint. The customer should also be told how to take the complaint further if still not satisfied.
When can you go to the National Housing Bank?
After a month of silence, or an unsatisfactory reply. Paragraph 144 says the HFC shall clearly display in all its offices and branches and on its website that, in case the complainant does not receive a response from the company within one month, or is dissatisfied with the response received, the complainant may approach the Complaint Redressal Cell of the National Housing Bank by lodging the complaint online on NHB's website or by post to NHB, New Delhi.
Note how the timelines interact. The one month trigger for going to NHB comes before the six week window the HFC has for a final response. If you have had no response at all after a month, the display requirement points you to NHB even though the HFC's own six week endeavour has not run out. For how the RBI Ombudsman route relates to housing finance companies, see our earlier explainer on home loan complaints and the RBI Ombudsman scheme.
How does the complaint timeline compare step by step?
The table maps each stage of a written complaint against an HFC. The first three columns restate the Directions; the last two are borrower actions.
| Stage | What the Directions say | Time reference | What you should do | What to keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lodging the complaint | System to receive, register and dispose of complaints, including online | Day 0 | Use the channel on the HFC's grievance page, in writing | Copy and proof of sending |
| Acknowledgement | Endeavour to acknowledge within a week, naming the official handling it | Within a week | Note the official's name and designation | Acknowledgement |
| No response | Display that the complainant may approach NHB if no response within one month | After one month | Consider lodging with NHB's Complaint Redressal Cell | Your complaint and the date |
| Final response | Endeavour to send final response or explain delay within six weeks | Within six weeks | Read it against your original complaint | Final response |
| Dissatisfied with reply | Complainant may approach NHB if dissatisfied; HFC to say how to escalate | On receiving the reply | Escalate internally or to NHB with all papers | Full chain of correspondence |
How do you write a complaint that gets traction?
Make it specific and easy to act on. Start with your loan account number, the date and the exact issue in one or two sentences. Quote the paragraph of the Directions you believe applies, such as paragraph 187 for a builder release made without your consent, or paragraph 137 for a change in terms that works against you. Attach the evidence: statements, sanction letter extracts, emails and call logs. End with what you are asking for, whether that is a reversal, a refund, a written explanation or a corrected statement.
It helps to know which paragraph fits which problem. In the HFC Directions, paragraph 135 covers written reasons for rejecting a loan, paragraph 137 the 60 day window to close or switch after an adverse change, paragraph 187 consent before payments to a builder, paragraph 156 the conduct of loan selling agents, and paragraph 170 the conduct of recovery agents. Pointing to the right paragraph shows the HFC exactly which obligation you believe was missed, and makes it harder to send a generic reply.
Send it through the channel named on the HFC's grievance page, keep proof of sending, and note the date. Every timeline in the Directions runs from receipt, so that date matters. Whether your loan is for a flat in a project such as Sumadhura Solace in Whitefield or anywhere else in the city, the same disciplined record keeping applies.
What should you include when escalating to NHB?
The whole story, in order. Include a copy of your original complaint, proof of the date it was sent, any acknowledgement and the name of the official handling it, the HFC's final response if you received one, and a short note explaining why you are dissatisfied or that no response came within a month. Keep the tone factual. A clear chronology is easier to examine than a long account.
Remember that the conduct rules for non-banking lenders also require a grievance mechanism. RBI's NBFC Responsible Business Conduct Directions, 2025, which list HFCs among the companies they cover, say the grievance redressal mechanism shall ensure disputes arising from decisions of functionaries are heard and disposed of at least at the next higher level. If our guide to appeals after an Ombudsman decision applies to your lender type, it explains the later stages.
Finally, keep your own expectations realistic. The Directions use the word endeavour for the one week and six week timelines, which signals a target the HFC should work towards rather than a hard deadline with a penalty attached. That is another reason to escalate in a measured way: one clear reminder after the target date passes, then the NHB route if the month passes without a response.
A seven-point checklist for complaining to an HFC
- Find the HFC's grievance page and note the email, turnaround time and escalation matrix.
- Write the complaint with your loan account number, the issue and the relief you want.
- Quote the relevant paragraph of the HFC Directions where you can.
- Keep proof of the date your complaint was sent.
- Note the official named in the acknowledgement, expected within a week.
- If there is no response within a month, consider lodging with NHB's Complaint Redressal Cell.
- If the final response does not resolve the issue, escalate with the full chain of correspondence.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly must a housing finance company acknowledge my complaint?
RBI's Housing Finance Companies Directions, 2025 say that if a complaint is received in writing, the HFC shall endeavour to send an acknowledgement or response within a week, and the acknowledgement should contain the name and designation of the official who will deal with the grievance.
When should I expect a final reply from the HFC?
The Directions say that after examining the matter, the HFC shall send its final response, or explain why it needs more time, and shall endeavour to do so within six weeks of receiving the complaint. It should also tell you how to take the complaint further if you are not satisfied.
When can I go to the National Housing Bank?
The Directions require HFCs to display that if the complainant does not receive a response within one month, or is dissatisfied with the response, the complainant may approach the Complaint Redressal Cell of the National Housing Bank by lodging the complaint online on NHB's website or by post to NHB, New Delhi.
What if I complained by phone?
The Directions say that if a complaint is made over the HFC's designated helpdesk or customer service number, the customer shall be given a complaint reference number and kept informed of progress within a reasonable time. Follow up in writing as well, so the one week and six week timelines have a clear start.
Last updated 2026-11-03. PropNewz Team.
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