Seven things to check before buying a home in Hyderabad

Before paying a booking amount for a home in Hyderabad, check seven things: RERA registration, title, the Section 22A list, approvals, total cost, carpet area and your EMI budget. Skipping any of them is how buyers end up with delayed possession, disputed land or costs they did not plan for.

1. TG-RERA registration

Projects with more than eight units or land above 500 sq m must be registered with the Telangana RERA authority. Check the registration number on rera.telangana.gov.in and confirm it matches the project and promoter. TG-RERA has penalised builders for selling unregistered projects: in one case reported by The Realty Today, the authority imposed a ₹2.85 lakh penalty for non-registration. Under RERA, the promoter must also deposit 70% of buyer money in a separate bank account to be used for that project's construction.

2. Clear title and encumbrances

Ask for the chain of title documents and obtain an encumbrance certificate from the registration department. Have a lawyer confirm that the seller can legally sell and that no mortgage, litigation or competing sale exists.

3. The Section 22A prohibited-land list

Land listed under Section 22A of the Registration Act cannot be registered. Check the survey number against the list before paying anything. Our explainer covers who is affected by the Section 22A list.

4. Building approvals and occupancy

Ask for the sanctioned building plan from the local authority, GHMC or HMDA as applicable, and confirm the project matches it in floors and units. For a ready-to-move home, ask for the occupancy certificate.

5. The full cost, including registration

Stamp duty, transfer duty and registration fee together come to about 6% in urban areas, charged on the higher of the transaction value or the government market value. Telangana's land value revision effective 1 May 2026 raised the latter, so buyers may pay more than on the agreement price alone. See how registration costs rose after the land-value revision.

6. Carpet area and builder track record

RERA requires sale on carpet area, so compare projects on a carpet-area rate. Check the builder's earlier projects, delivery dates and any RERA complaints. Under Section 14(3) of the RERA Act, structural defects reported within five years of possession must be fixed by the promoter free of charge.

7. Your EMI budget

Knight Frank estimates Hyderabad's EMI-to-income ratio at about 30%. Work out your own before booking; our piece on Hyderabad's EMI squeeze explains the numbers. Compare localities using the AptLok locality guides before you commit.

For locality-level price benchmarks, market trends and property listings across Hyderabad, explore the AptLok Newsroom and locality guides at aptlok.com.