A Lamborghini in the lobby: branded residences land in Gurugram.

For decades a branded residence was something Indians bought in London or Dubai. Now the brands have come to Gurugram, and not quietly. M3M has partnered the New York jeweller and watchmaker Jacob & Co on a branded tower, and Signature Global has brought Tonino Lamborghini Residences to the Southern Peripheral Road. The badge has moved from the driveway to the front door.

The proposition is simple: a global name, a design language borrowed from a luxury house, and a promise that the building will still feel current in fifteen years. The buyer pays for the brand and, more importantly, for the standard the brand is contractually meant to protect.

Branded stock trades at a clear premium to comparable unbranded product in the same micro-market, and carries higher maintenance. In return you get resale liquidity, because the brand travels, and a design and service standard that resists ageing. Internationally, branded residences have held price and resold faster than unbranded peers. India's sample is young, but the early signs point the same way.

The risk is always the substance behind the badge. Is it a genuine design and operating partnership, or a logo licence? What does the brand actually control, façade, interiors, service, or just the name on the gate? A famous name on a thin contract is a sticker. Read the agreement before the brochure.