Buyer guide

Know the Risks First

How buyers lose money on land in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and how each trap is caught.

Nine ways land deals go wrong

Very common

Double registration

The same plot is sold and registered to two or more buyers, often on old or forged link documents.

How to catch it: Pull a 30-year EC for the exact plot and survey number, and check physical possession on the ground.

Blocks registration

Prohibited (22A) land

Government, assigned, endowment, wakf and ceiling-surplus lands are barred from registration under Section 22A.

How to catch it: Search the exact survey sub-division on Bhu Bharati or IGRS, and re-check close to the registration date. The list changes.

Layouts

Unapproved layouts

Plots sold with only a panchayat plan or a tentative approval. You may not get building permission or bank loans.

How to catch it: Ask for the final LP number from HMDA, DTCP or CRDA and the RERA registration. Check whether your plot is mortgaged to the authority.

Paper trail

Fake or revoked GPA

The seller acts on a power of attorney that is forged, cancelled, or whose owner has died.

How to catch it: Verify the GPA at the Sub-Registrar office and speak to the real owner. A GPA ends when the owner dies.

Hidden risk

Court cases a clean EC won't show

A court stay or family dispute is not a registered transaction, so it never appears in the EC.

How to catch it: Search eCourts by the seller's and previous owners' names, and ask neighbours about disputes.

Agricultural

Assigned and inam land

Land given by the government to the landless usually cannot be sold. Sales are void even after years.

How to catch it: Read the land nature and classification column in the pahani / adangal and the old RSR / Sethwar records.

Hyderabad region

Lake FTL and buffer zones

Plots inside a lake's full tank level, a nala or a buffer zone can be demolished, even with documents.

How to catch it: Check the HMDA lake maps and the layout plan, and inspect the site in the monsoon.

Scheduled areas

Tribal land (1/70)

In notified Scheduled Areas, land cannot be transferred to non-tribals. Such sales are void.

How to catch it: Confirm whether the village is in a Scheduled Area before paying anything.

Family land

Missing legal heirs

One heir sells inherited land without the signatures of brothers, sisters or other heirs.

How to catch it: Get the family member certificate and make every legal heir sign as a party to the sale deed.

Want all nine checked for your property?

Our lawyers run these checks and give you a Land Safety Score.

Get Land Report

Words you will hear

Pahani / Adangal: The village land record showing owner, extent, land type and crops. Called pahani in Telangana and adangal in AP.
ROR-1B: Record of Rights. The main revenue record of who owns agricultural land.
Pattadar passbook: The owner's title passbook for agricultural land, issued by the revenue department.
EC (Encumbrance Certificate): List of registered transactions on a property: sales, mortgages, gifts. It does not prove title by itself.
Link documents: The chain of earlier sale deeds that shows how the land reached the present seller.
Section 22A list: The list of prohibited properties that the Sub-Registrar will not register.
LP number: Layout Permit number given by HMDA, DTCP, CRDA or an urban development authority.
LRS / BRS: Layout and Building Regularisation Schemes for unapproved layouts and constructions.
FMB / Tippan: The survey sketch with measurements of a survey number.
NALA conversion: Permission to use agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes.
Bhudhar: The unique land parcel number being introduced under Telangana's Bhu Bharati.
Market value: The government's guideline value. Stamp duty is charged on this or the sale price, whichever is higher.

Questions buyers ask

How fast do I get the report?

A Basic Land Check is delivered within 24 hours of receiving your details. Standard takes about 48 hours. Premium, which includes office and site verification by the local team, takes 3 to 5 working days.

Which areas do you cover?

All districts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Work is done by the local team for that area, for example Hyderabad, Warangal, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam or Tirupati, because land records and Sub-Registrar offices are local.

What is the Land Safety Score?

A score out of 100 that sums up title, encumbrance, prohibited-list, approval and litigation findings. 90–100 is safe, 70–89 low risk, 50–69 medium risk and below 50 high risk.

What are the three legal checks?

Every report is reviewed by an advocate, then independently re-checked by a senior advocate, and then signed off in a final review before it is stamped. A report cannot be delivered until all three are complete.

I only have a survey number. Is that enough?

Yes. With the district, mandal, village and survey number we can pull the government records. Documents from the seller make the report stronger, and our local team can obtain certified copies.

Is the EC enough to buy safely?

No. The EC only lists registered transactions. It does not show court stays, unregistered agreements, prohibited-list entries or whether the seller's title is valid. That is why a legal opinion looks at the full chain.

Is a Land Lawyers report a government guarantee?

No. It is an expert legal opinion based on government records and the documents provided. It greatly reduces risk but is not a government guarantee of title.

Do you help with registration too?

Yes. Registration support covers drafting the sale deed, stamp duty calculation, slot booking and being with you at the Sub-Registrar office.