Telangana May Seek Seller Affidavits on 22-A Land Status, a move that could make land and house purchases safer for buyers before they sign an agreement of sale or pay a token advance. The proposal, if taken forward, would require sellers to declare whether their property is affected by Section 22-A of the Registration Act, which covers prohibited properties that cannot be registered by the SRO.
For Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Medchal-Malkajgiri, Sangareddy, Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri and fast-moving mandals around the ORR, this is not a small procedural change. Telangana currently has 1,47,934 prohibited properties under Section 22-A. In our experience, many buyers discover this only after paying lakhs as advance, especially in village panchayat layouts, old GP plots, assigned land pockets and disputed survey numbers.
Telangana May Seek Seller Affidavits on 22-A Land Status: What may change
At present, a buyer usually depends on the seller, document writer, broker, banker, or advocate to flag 22-A risk. The Sub-Registrar Office may refuse registration if the property is on the prohibited list, but by that time the buyer may have already entered into a private agreement and paid money.
The proposed seller affidavit system would shift part of the responsibility to the owner. The seller may have to make a written declaration that the land, plot, flat or house is not falling under Section 22-A, or disclose if there is any restriction. This could become part of pre-registration paperwork or agreement-level due diligence.
Our view is simple: if a seller is confident about title, survey number, patta and registration history, an affidavit should not trouble him. It will mainly trouble sellers trying to pass title risk quietly to the buyer.
For buyers, this can create one more written record. If the seller gives a false declaration, the buyer gets a stronger paper trail for civil and criminal action. It may not replace legal verification, but it can reduce casual misrepresentation in hot markets like Gachibowli, Mokila, Shankarpally, Tellapur, Kompally, Bachupally, Adibatla and Tukkuguda.
Why Section 22-A land status matters before payment
Section 22-A is the list that tells registration authorities not to register certain categories of property. This may include government land, assigned land, endowment land, wakf-related entries, ceiling surplus land, lands under court or department restriction, and other notified properties.
The problem is not always visible on the ground. A plot may have a compound wall. There may be a previous sale deed. The seller may show electricity bills, property tax, LRS application, or even a bank loan discussion. Still, if the survey number is flagged under 22-A, the SRO can refuse registration.
This is why buyers should check the Section 22-A Prohibited Property Check before paying advance. If the land is in a village area, cross-check the survey number through the Survey Number Finder. For previous sale deeds and mortgage history, use the Encumbrance Certificate Search. These three checks alone can filter many risky deals.
Telangana May Seek Seller Affidavits on 22-A Land Status in high-growth mandals
The likely impact will be strongest in mandals where land conversion, plotted development and HMDA/DTCP layouts are active. We are talking about places like Shankarpally, Chevella, Moinabad and Gandipet in Rangareddy; Patancheru, Ameenpur and Jinnaram in Sangareddy; Medchal, Shamirpet and Ghatkesar in Medchal-Malkajgiri; and Maheshwaram, Kandukur and Ibrahimpatnam on the southern side.
These are not sleepy markets anymore. In Kokapet and Neopolis surroundings, apartment and villa pricing is driven by premium infrastructure and office demand. In Mokila and Shankarpally, villa projects are often quoted in crores. In Bachupally, Nizampet and Miyapur, buyers compare ready reckoner values, market value, UDS share and carpet area very carefully. Even in such mature pockets, a wrong survey number or old revenue entry can disturb a deal.
Before finalising consideration, buyers should compare the government market value using the Market Value / Guideline Value Search and estimate registration charges through the Stamp Duty Calculator. If the property is a flat in an ongoing project, verify the promoter details through the RERA Project Lookup. For land or independent houses, use the Property Verification Tool as a first screening step.
How a seller affidavit can reduce title risk
A seller affidavit will not magically clean a bad title. But it can improve buyer protection in four practical ways.
- Early disclosure: The seller must state whether the property has any 22-A issue before agreement or payment.
- Written accountability: Oral assurances from brokers are weak. A signed affidavit is stronger evidence.
- Cleaner documentation: Banks, lawyers and buyers can treat the affidavit as one input along with EC, pahani, Dharani extract, link documents and layout approvals.
- Better negotiation: If there is a restriction, the buyer can either walk away or demand that the seller resolves it first.
We have seen buyers pay advance based on phrases like “registration aipothundi sir” or “Dharani lo problem ledu”. That is not due diligence. A 22-A check, SRO verification and affidavit should happen before money moves.
What buyers should ask before signing an agreement
If Telangana formalises this requirement, buyers should still not become lazy. Ask for the exact village, mandal, survey number, sub-division number, plot number, extent, SRO jurisdiction and chain of title. In revenue land, check pahani, ROR-1B, Dharani status, mutation history and conversion order. In plotted layouts, check HMDA or DTCP approval, LP number, mortgage plots and road width. In apartments, check RERA, building permission, occupancy certificate status and UDS.
| Buyer check | Why it matters | Useful tool |
|---|---|---|
| 22-A status | Confirms whether registration may be blocked | Prohibited Property Check |
| EC search | Shows registered sale, mortgage or release deeds | EC Search |
| SRO jurisdiction | Helps verify where registration records sit | Find Your SRO Office |
| Guideline value | Helps estimate stamp duty and under-valuation risk | Guideline Value Search |
For Hyderabad buyers, the SRO check is often ignored. A property in one side of a main road may fall under a different SRO than expected. Use the Find Your SRO Office tool before planning registration, especially near border areas of Kukatpally-Balanagar, Serilingampally-Rajendranagar, Uppal-Ghatkesar and Shamshabad-Maheshwaram.
Seller affidavit is useful, but not a substitute for legal opinion
The strongest buyer file will still contain link documents for at least 30 years where available, EC, latest market value, revenue records, layout approval, tax receipts, identity proof, possession proof and advocate opinion. If the land is agricultural or converted land, Dharani entries and old pahani records matter. If it is an apartment, RERA and municipal approvals matter more than revenue entries.
My advice to buyers is direct: do not pay a big advance just because the price looks attractive. In Telangana, title defects are costly to fix. If a seller refuses to share survey number or avoids written declarations, treat it as a warning sign. A genuine seller may negotiate price, but he will not hide land status.
For sellers also, this possible rule can be positive. Clean-title properties will stand out. A seller who can provide 22-A clearance, EC, mutation, layout approval and market value details will get more serious buyers and faster closure. In resale flats at Kondapur, Nallagandla, Manikonda, Chandanagar and Attapur, clean documentation already commands trust. The same discipline is now needed in plotted and land transactions.
What to watch next
The key question is whether the affidavit will be mandatory at the agreement stage, registration stage, or both. If it is only taken at the SRO counter, buyers may still remain exposed after paying advance. The better approach would be to make seller declaration part of the sale agreement format, especially for open plots, agricultural land, independent houses and unregistered layouts.
Telangana has been tightening property systems through Dharani, market value revisions, online EC access and registration digitisation. A seller affidavit on Section 22-A land status will fit into that larger direction. But execution matters. The form should be simple, searchable and linked to survey number, village, mandal and SRO records. Otherwise, it will become one more paper in the file.
For now, buyers should act as if the affidavit is already compulsory. Ask the seller to declare 22-A status in writing. Check it independently. Then talk about advance, agreement and registration date.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Section 22-A in Telangana property registration?
Section 22-A refers to prohibited properties that the registration department should not register. These may include government land, assigned land, endowment or wakf land, and other restricted properties.
How many prohibited properties are listed under Section 22-A in Telangana?
As per the available database fact, Telangana has 1,47,934 prohibited properties under Section 22-A. Buyers should verify the specific survey number before paying any advance.
Will a seller affidavit guarantee clear title?
No. It can reduce misrepresentation and create written accountability, but buyers still need EC, link documents, Dharani or revenue checks, layout approvals and legal opinion.
When should buyers check 22-A land status?
Check it before paying token advance or signing an agreement of sale. Waiting until SRO registration is risky because the buyer may have already paid money.
Which Telangana areas need extra care for 22-A checks?
Fast-growing mandals around Hyderabad such as Shankarpally, Chevella, Moinabad, Maheshwaram, Patancheru, Medchal, Ghatkesar and Shamshabad need careful survey number-level verification.
