Building, renovating or doing up a home in Hyderabad

Design IRL Editorial · Figures checked 9 November 2026 · For anyone building a house, renovating a flat or doing up a new flat in Hyderabad · How we make our guides

Hyderabad grew fast and its rules moved with it: a new approvals system, a much larger city split into three corporations, and an agency, HYDRAA, demolishing buildings on lakes and drains. Before anything else, check that your plot or building is clear of lake and drain buffers.

Renovation cost calculator →Home interiors cost calculator →House construction cost calculator →Stamp duty and registration calculator →

Start here

Renovating a flat you own: read "Renovating a flat in Hyderabad" for what your society and the city need from you, then the costs below.
Doing up a new flat: check the building's occupancy certificate (OC) before you take possession or start interiors.
Building a house: your plans need approval before any work on site, filed by a registered architect.

Work out your own numbers

Describe your project in a sentence on Design IRL's "Where do I start?" page (for example "renovating a 1,200 sq ft flat in Hyderabad, ₹15 lakh") to see what it should cost at Hyderabad rates, the order to do things in, products within budget and firms to hire.

Building a house

BuildNow replaced TG-bPASS for GHMC, HMDA and DTCP approvals; TG-bPASS closed on 15 December 2025, and plans it sanctioned stay valid.
Approval depends on size: very small plots (up to about 75 sq yd, ground or G+1) are reported to need only registration, mid-sized homes get instant approval on self-certification, and larger or taller ones go through single-window approval with NOCs. Confirm the current limits on the BuildNow portal.
Since February 2026 the expanded city is split into three corporations (GHMC, Cyberabad and Malkajgiri). The split is being challenged in the High Court, so check which body covers your address.

Lakes, drains and HYDRAA

HYDRAA has had statutory powers since 2024 and continues to demolish buildings in lake full-tank-level (FTL) and buffer zones and on drains, including villas in Patelguda in 2025. It has said occupied homes in these zones won't be demolished pending a policy, but its chief has warned people not to buy there. Check the plot's FTL and buffer status before you buy, build or renovate.

Renovating a flat in Hyderabad

Apartment associations come under the Telangana Apartments Act, 1987, and the High Court has upheld an association's power to cut a flat's water and power. Get your association's written NOC; working hours, deposits and lift use are in its bye-laws. Structural changes without permission can be stopped or demolished under section 452 of the GHMC Act. GHMC fines construction waste dumped or carried illegally.

New flats

GHMC issues occupancy certificates online, in about 3–4 weeks. Ask for the OC and check the building's permission on BuildNow before possession and interiors.

What's different about Hyderabad

Water: tanker demand hit a record in 2026, with borewells drying up even in October. Plan water for curing and wet work.
Flooding: the Musi and narrowed nalas flood nearby colonies; in September 2025 more than 1,000 people were moved to relief camps.
Seismic zone II (low), under the 2016 code.

Costs and charges in Hyderabad

Charge	Rate	Note
Stamp duty, transfer duty and registration	About 7.5% in municipal areas	From a 2021 source; some 2026 sources quote 6%. Check on IGRS Telangana
Market values	Up 25–100% from 5 June 2026	Duty rates reportedly unchanged; the full rise only in a few high-value areas
House construction (lender estimate)	About ₹1,500–2,500 per sq ft	By specification

Who to hire in Hyderabad

Firms listed on Design IRL in Hyderabad, from their own websites. Verified pages and those showing their work come first; it isn't a ranking, and nobody pays to appear.