A Hyderabad buyer we will call Anil almost closed on a smart looking independent house in Nizampet last year. The price was fair, the paperwork looked complete, and the seller was in a hurry. On a last check, Anil's lawyer laid the sanctioned building plan next to the actual house and found an extra floor that the plan never approved. That single mismatch, an unapproved fourth floor, would have become Anil's legal problem the moment he signed. He walked away. The lesson is simple: a building can be beautiful and still be unauthorised, and only the approval papers tell you which.

The short answer. Before you buy any Hyderabad property, confirm two things: that the building has an approved plan from the local authority, and that what is actually built matches that plan. The approved plan and the occupancy certificate are the documents that prove a structure is legal, and Telangana processes these through its official online building permission portal. The trade off buyers miss: a slightly cheaper unapproved building can cost far more later in penalties, blocked utility connections and resale trouble, so treat missing approvals as a reason to pause, not a discount to enjoy.

What does an approved building plan actually certify?

An approved or sanctioned building plan is the formal permit from the urban local body, in most of the city the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, confirming that the building's design follows the master plan and the applicable building rules. It is issued as a stamped drawing together with a proceedings or permission letter, and it fixes what may lawfully be built: the number of floors, the height, the setbacks around the structure and the permitted use. When a builder or seller says the property is approved, this is the document you are entitled to see, not a verbal assurance.

The reason this matters to you as the buyer is that liability for any deviation travels with the property. If a previous owner added a floor or covered a setback that the plan never allowed, the authority can act against the structure regardless of who owns it now. Reading the plan and comparing it against the real building is therefore not a formality, it is the core of a safe purchase.

How is building permission granted in Telangana today?

Telangana grants building permissions through an official online self certification and single window portal run by the state government. Applications, approvals and the resulting sanction documents flow through that system rather than through informal municipal counters, which means a genuine approval can be traced back to an online record. You can start your verification at the state's building permission portal at tgbpass.telangana.gov.in, and confirm the exact current portal and process there, because the state has been consolidating its building approval systems.

Because the framework is online and self certification based for many categories, the presence of a proper digital sanction and proceedings number is a strong positive signal. The absence of any traceable approval, or a seller who can only produce a photocopy with no reference number, is a signal to slow down and involve a lawyer. Our companion explainer on who approves buildings and how those authorities differ is a useful primer on why the issuing body matters.

One caution on portals: state governments periodically rename or consolidate their approval systems, so the exact portal branding may change over time. What does not change is the principle. A real approval leaves a traceable digital record with a reference number, and you are entitled to that record. If you are ever unsure which portal is current, confirm it from the state government site rather than a broker's link.

What is an occupancy certificate and why insist on it?

An occupancy certificate, usually shortened to OC, is issued after construction is complete and certifies that the finished building was constructed in accordance with the approved plan and is fit for occupation. Where an approved plan says what may be built, the OC says that what was actually built matches it. For a buyer, the OC is the single cleanest piece of evidence that a building is not only designed lawfully but completed lawfully.

Practically, an OC is what makes routine things straightforward later: sanctioned water and electricity connections, a smooth resale to your own future buyer, and freedom from the risk of enforcement over unauthorised construction. When a seller cannot produce an OC for a completed building, ask why, and treat the answer as material to your decision rather than a detail to overlook.

In large apartment projects, the OC is usually issued for the whole building or block rather than a single flat, so ask the builder or the residents association for the project OC and confirm it covers the tower your flat sits in. In older resale flats, an OC may predate the current seller, so request it as part of the chain of documents handed over at registration.

Which documents should I check, side by side?

Use the table below as your verification map. For each document, note what it proves and the red flag that should make you pause.

How do I match the plan to the actual building on site?

This is the check most buyers skip and the one that catches the costliest problems. Take the approved plan to the property and physically compare it. Count the floors and confirm the number matches the sanction. Look at the open space and setbacks around the building and check they have not been built over. Confirm the use matches, so a plan approved for residential use has not quietly become shops or an extra rental floor. If anything on the ground exceeds what the plan permits, that excess is unauthorised construction, and it becomes your exposure once you own it.

If you cannot read a technical drawing confidently, this is exactly where a property lawyer or a licensed technical person earns their fee. The cost of that review is trivial against the price of the flat, and it is far cheaper than discovering a deviation after registration.

What are the risks of buying an unapproved building?

The risks are practical, not theoretical. An unauthorised structure can attract penalties and, in serious cases, enforcement action against the illegal portion. Utility connections and future approvals can be harder to obtain cleanly. When you later try to sell, your own buyer's lawyer will find the same gap you should have found, which can shrink your price or stall the deal. A home loan may also be harder to arrange against a property whose approvals are incomplete, because lenders scrutinise exactly these documents before they release funds against the flat.

None of this means every older building is a trap. It means the approvals are the difference between a home you own with confidence and a dispute you inherited. Verify first, negotiate second.

A useful habit is to ask for the approval documents early, before you emotionally commit to a property. Once you have decided you love a home, it becomes tempting to explain away a missing paper. Requesting the sanctioned plan and occupancy certificate at the first serious conversation keeps your judgement clear and signals to the seller that you are a careful buyer who will not be rushed into an advance.

A seven step approval verification checklist

Run these steps before you pay any significant advance.

1. Ask the seller for the approved building plan and the proceedings or permission letter, not photocopies alone.
2. Note the sanction reference number and confirm the approval exists on the state building permission portal.
3. Request the occupancy certificate for any completed building and check it names this property.
4. Confirm the plot sits within an approved layout rather than an unauthorised one.
5. Take the plan on site and count floors, check setbacks and confirm the permitted use.
6. Flag any extra floor, covered setback or changed use as unauthorised construction to be resolved before you buy.
7. Have a property lawyer review the approvals and the plan versus built comparison before registration.

Frequently asked questions

Is an approved plan the same as an occupancy certificate?

No. An approved plan is granted before construction and certifies what may be built. An occupancy certificate is issued after construction and certifies that the finished building matches that approved plan and is fit for occupation. A safe purchase checks both, because a building can be approved on paper yet built differently on the ground.

How can I confirm a Hyderabad building approval is genuine?

Ask for the sanction reference number on the approval letter and verify the approval through Telangana's official online building permission portal rather than trusting a photocopy. A genuine approval traces back to a digital record with a reference number. If a seller cannot provide one, involve a property lawyer before you pay any advance.

What happens if the building has an extra unapproved floor?

An unapproved floor is unauthorised construction, and the liability passes to you once you own the property. The authority can act against the illegal portion, and utility and loan approvals can get harder. Do not accept a verbal promise to regularise it later. Ask the seller to resolve the deviation before registration, or reconsider the purchase.

Do I really need a lawyer to check approvals?

For any significant purchase, yes. Reading a sanctioned plan and spotting deviations are exactly the tasks a property lawyer handles routinely. The fee is small against the price of the property and far cheaper than inheriting an unauthorised structure. Treat legal verification as part of the cost of buying safely, not an optional extra.

Last updated 2026-08-17. PropNewz Team.