Now Reading: Builders line up to buy bankrupt developers as land prices rise
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Builders line up to buy bankrupt developers as land prices rise
Builders line up to buy bankrupt developers as land prices rise
Small and mid-sized real-estate developers are increasingly using bankruptcy courts to acquire distressed property companies as an alternative to buying expensive land in major cities. In the past quarter alone, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has approved more than a dozen such acquisitions across benches in India.
The trend is most visible in Mumbai, Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru, where fresh land parcels are scarce and costly. Of the 8,987 companies admitted for resolution under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code through March, 1,977, about 22%, were from the real-estate sector, according to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India.
Recent approvals include Bharadvaja Buildcon's acquisition of Radius & Deserve Land Developers (admitted liabilities over Rs 3,255 crore) and Oriental Structural Engineers' acquisition of Accil Corporation (admitted liabilities Rs 895 crore). However, experts warn that buyers must assess title issues, pending litigation, and creditor claims before taking on such assets.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The shift from buying land to buying distressed developers reflects a maturing of the insolvency regime for real estate. Land prices in urban India have risen sharply, making this route cheaper in the short term, but the risk lies in hidden liabilities: stalled approvals, homebuyer litigation, and construction obligations that may not be fully captured in admitted claims. The NCLT process is also slow, many of these companies have been under resolution for years. The real test will be whether resolution plans actually deliver completed projects, not just paper ownership. Watch for the next NCLT order on a large distressed realty firm: if a big name like Jaypee Infratech or Amrapali sees a similar acquisition, the trend will accelerate.
Source: realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
