Telangana’s 22-A List Pushes Due Diligence Into Focus

Telangana’s 22-A List has become one of the first checks serious property buyers are now doing before paying token advance in Hyderabad and across the state. With 147,934 prohibited properties sitting under Section 22-A, the message is clear: title verification can no longer be treated as a last-minute lawyer formality after price negotiation.

For buyers in Kokapet, Kollur, Tellapur, Shankarpally, Shamshabad, Ghatkesar, Medchal, Maheshwaram and dozens of fast-moving mandals, this is not a small procedural issue. A land parcel may look clean on location, have a compound wall, and even come with a confident broker pitch. But if the survey number is blocked under 22-A, the SRO may refuse registration. That means your advance, agreement timeline and home loan plan can all get stuck.

In our experience, the smartest buyers in Hyderabad are no longer asking only “What is the rate per square yard?” They are asking “Is the survey number registrable?” That one question is changing the market.

Telangana’s 22-A List: Why 147,934 Prohibited Properties Matter

Section 22-A of the Registration Act allows the government to prohibit registration of certain properties. These may include government lands, assigned lands, endowment lands, Wakf lands, ceiling surplus lands, court-disputed parcels, and lands flagged by departments for specific restrictions.

The number — 147,934 prohibited properties — is large enough to affect behaviour across the market. It is not limited to far-away agricultural belts. The impact is visible in urban expansion zones where land has been converted, re-sold, plotted, inherited, gifted, mortgaged, and sometimes litigated over many years.

We’ve seen buyers become extra cautious in mandals like Rajendranagar, Gandipet, Serilingampally, Shankarpally, Moinabad, Shamshabad, Medchal, Keesara, Ghatkesar, Hayathnagar and Maheshwaram. These areas have strong demand due to ORR connectivity, IT corridor spillover, pharma and logistics growth, and villa/plotting activity. The same demand also brings title risk.

In the western corridor, open plot conversations in Kollur, Mokila and Shankarpally often run into lakhs per square yard in prime pockets. In growth belts like Adibatla, Tukkuguda and Maheshwaram, buyers are still entering early compared to the Financial District side, but land history can be more layered. That is why 22-A checking must happen before advance payment, not after drafting the sale agreement.

Telangana’s 22-A List Is Changing Buyer Behaviour Before Advances

Earlier, many buyers followed a risky sequence: visit site, negotiate rate, pay token, collect documents, then send papers to an advocate. That habit is slowly reducing. The new sequence is sharper:

• Get the village, mandal and exact survey number first.
• Check whether the land is in the Section 22-A prohibited list.
• Verify EC, link documents, pahani/adangal, mutation and dharani details.
• Check SRO jurisdiction and market value before final negotiation.
• Pay advance only after written title comfort.

For a flat buyer in Narsingi or Puppalaguda, the checks are slightly different from an agricultural land buyer in Chevella or Yacharam. But the principle is the same: do not trust only brochure, Google pin, layout map or broker assurance. Documents must speak.

On Verified.RealEstate, buyers can start with the Section 22-A Prohibited Property Check. If the survey number itself is unclear, use the Survey Number Finder. For a broader document review, the Property Verification Tool is the better starting point.

What Brokers And Lawyers Are Doing Differently Now

Good brokers are also changing their working style. The old method of saying “sir, documents are clear, many people bought here” is not enough anymore. Serious brokers are now keeping basic due diligence folders ready — pahani, EC, layout approval copy, link deeds, pattadar passbook details where relevant, and SRO market value screenshots.

Lawyers, meanwhile, are spending more time on government records rather than only private sale deeds. A registered sale deed is not the end of title verification. It only proves that a registration happened. It does not automatically erase earlier restrictions, land classification issues or departmental claims.

This is especially relevant in Telangana because dharani, revenue records, old pahanis, SRO records and court orders may not always tell the same story at first glance. A small mismatch in survey number subdivision, extent, village name or pattadar name can create major confusion during registration or bank legal scrutiny.

Due Diligence Checklist For Hyderabad And Telangana Property Buyers

Here is a practical checklist we recommend before paying even a modest token advance:

For plotted layouts, also check road width, land use zone and layout approval. A 30-feet internal road and a 40-feet road can change both usability and resale value. For builders, FSI/FAR also matters. Tools like the Road Width Check, Land Use Zone Finder and FSI/FAR Calculator are useful before assuming development potential.

Locality Examples: Where Caution Is Rising

In Kokapet and Neopolis-side discussions, buyers are already used to high-ticket scrutiny because prices are steep and deals are professional. But in peripheral land markets, the temptation to move fast is higher. A seller may say another buyer is ready with cash. A broker may push for same-day token. That is exactly when mistakes happen.

In Shankarpally mandal, demand from villa developers and long-term investors has pushed many buyers towards agricultural parcels and HMDA-layout plots. In Moinabad and Chevella, weekend farmhouse demand has increased. In Shamshabad and Maheshwaram, airport-side growth and industrial movement attract both end users and investors. In Ghatkesar and Bibinagar, buyers look at eastern Hyderabad’s price advantage. Each belt has genuine opportunities, but also its own history of assigned land, government land boundaries, court disputes and old revenue entries.

My opinion is simple: if the deal depends on hurry, slow down. A clean property can survive two or three days of verification. A risky property often cannot.

Why 22-A Is Not The Only Check

A property not appearing in the prohibited list is a positive sign, but it is not a full title certificate. Buyers must still verify ownership chain, possession, boundaries, approvals, mortgages, litigation, family claims and land conversion status. For apartments, check RERA registration, building permission, occupancy certificate stage, UDS, parking allocation and association handover terms.

Ready reckoner or guideline value also deserves attention. If market price is far above guideline value, registration cost planning becomes crucial. If declared value is pushed too low, it can create tax and scrutiny issues. Before finalising numbers, buyers should compare the local market with official values using the Guideline Value Search and estimate charges through the Stamp Duty Calculator.

For investors selling an older asset to buy in Telangana, tax planning is also part of due diligence. The Capital Gains Tax Calculator helps estimate tax impact before committing sale proceeds into a new plot or flat.

What Buyers Should Do Before Paying Token Advance

Here is the safer approach we advise:

• Do not pay cash token without receipt and property details.
• Insist on survey number, village, mandal, extent and seller identity proof.
• Run a 22-A check before signing any agreement.
• Get EC for at least 30 years where possible, especially for land.
• Ask for link documents and compare names, extents and boundaries.
• Check whether the seller has full authority to sell, especially in inherited properties.
• For flats, verify RERA, building permission and sanctioned plan.
• Use a written condition that advance is refundable if title is not clear.

This last point is critical. Many buyers lose money not because the property is bad, but because the advance agreement is badly written. A simple title-clearance clause can save months of tension.

The Bigger Market Signal From Telangana’s 22-A List

The large prohibited properties database is pushing Telangana’s real estate market towards better discipline. That is good for genuine sellers, organised developers and careful buyers. It may slow down a few impulse deals, but it will reduce disputes and registration shocks.

Hyderabad property demand is still strong across the IT corridor, ORR growth belt, airport side and northern industrial stretches. But the next phase of market maturity will not be driven only by glossy launches and location stories. It will be driven by clean title, verified records and transparent registration readiness.

For buyers, the lesson is direct: before asking for a discount, ask for documents. Before paying advance, check 22-A. Before trusting a promise, verify it.