A genuine HMDA layout has a Layout Permission (LP) number you can verify — not just a hoarding that says "HMDA approved".

Steps

1. Ask the seller for the exact LP No. (format like LP No. 0123/LO/Plg/HMDA/2023).
2. Cross-check the number on the HMDA portal's approved-layouts list.
3. Match the survey numbers on the LP with the survey numbers on the plot's sale documents — they must be identical.
4. Confirm the specific plot number falls inside the sanctioned layout, not an "extension" sold alongside it.

Red flags

• "Approval applied for" or "approval in process" — that is not an approval.
• LP number that doesn't resolve, or resolves to a different survey number.
• Gram Panchayat (GP) permission presented as HMDA approval — they are not the same, and banks don't lend on GP-only layouts.

When in doubt, get the layout independently verified before paying any token.