Hyderabad: Thousands of homebuyers in Hyderabad have been left in limbo as the delivery of their long-awaited homes is set to be delayed by at least another year due to supply chain and logistics disruptions triggered by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.According to property consultancy Anarock Group, nearly 63,000 housing units in the city that were scheduled to be handed over this year have been delayed, accounting for almost 10% of the country’s delayed housing stock.Many buyers had booked their apartments four to five years ago with the expectation of taking possession by the end of 2025 or the first half of 2026. However, developers now say project timelines have slipped owing to shortages of imported construction materials, escalating input costs and labour constraints, forcing buyers to wait even longer for their dream homes.The delays have placed a heavy financial burden on many homebuyers, particularly those who financed their purchases through bank loans. With possession postponed, several buyers continue to pay monthly EMIs on their under-construction apartments while simultaneously bearing rental expenses for their current accommodation, effectively leaving them with a double financial burden.“I paid Rs 2.2 crore for a 3,300 sq. ft. flat in 2022 and completed the entire payment after being assured that the project would be delivered by 2025. But construction of the 38-storey high-rise in Hitec City is progressing very slowly, and there is little indication that it will be completed even by March 2027. Under the RERA Act, developers are required to compensate buyers at Rs 25 per sq. ft. per month if possession is delayed by stipulated time, but they are not doing so,” said Dr Sai Ravi Shankar, president of the Federation of Gated Communities, Cyberabad.Another buyer, T. Sanjeev Prakash of Kothaguda, said he has been waiting for possession of his apartment for over four years.“I paid Rs 1.8 crore for a flat in Kondapur, but I am still living in a rented house and paying Rs 50,000 every month. The delay has put me under severe financial strain because I am paying both EMIs and rent,” he said.According to RERA, more than 2,000 complaints have been registered over delays in handing over residential units. The regulator’s data also shows that nearly 3,000 residential projects are currently under construction in the Greater Hyderabad area.Developers attributed this situation to ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has impacted the supply of key construction materials and equipment. With this, finishing works such as tile laying, electrical supplies and elevator installations have slowed due to delays in imports and logistics.“We want buyers to be prepared that possession of houses could be delayed by up to one year. In many projects, construction has reached the finishing stage, but works such as laying tiles and granite, installing window glass, electrical fittings and elevators have been affected because several materials and inputs have not reached the sites. Almost every project is expected to witness a delay of at least nine months. We have submitted a representation to RERA seeking a one-year extension for project completion,” said N Jaideep Reddy, president of CREDAI Hyderabad.Developers have also pointed to an acute labour shortage as a portion of the construction workforce had returned to West Bengal during the Assembly elections and many workers are yet to return, further impacting project timelines.“A record 5.4 lakh housing units are scheduled for completion across the top 7 cities including Hyderabad in 2026, the highest in the last decade. Only about 46% of the planned pipeline was ultimately delivered as construction came to a halt. The gap between scheduled and actual completions shows that even projects in advanced stages of construction can face delays when confronted with large-scale disruptions,” said Prashant Thakur, executive director & head – research & advisory, Anarock Group.GFX:Registered complaints: 2,866Defaulters: 9Projects revoked: 11Agents: 4,205Ongoing residential projects: 2,700Ongoing mixed projects: 560New projects registered as on 2025: 1,480
