What the rental rules ask of tenants, landlords and PG owners
The Model Tenancy Act 2021 sets the deposit cap, the return window and registration. The Delhi PG Accommodation Regulation Bill 2026 adds duties for PG operators. Below is what each says, and a calculator for the one-time cost of registering a lease.
This is not legal advice
HomeTrust is not a law firm. The Model Tenancy Act is a model law: it binds in a state only once that state notifies rules based on it, and states differ.
Of the states HomeTrust covers, we have confirmed notified rules for Assam only. Elsewhere the Act is shown as a national benchmark. Confirm with your state's Rent Authority.
The Model Tenancy Act 2021
- Deposit cap2 months
- A residential security deposit may not exceed 2 months' rent. In cities where ten or twelve months used to be normal, this is the rule most often broken.
- Deposit return30 days
- The deposit, less agreed deductions, is due back within 30 days of the tenant vacating and handing over possession.
- Written, registered agreementDigital
- Every tenancy is to be in writing and registered, with digital registration through the Rent Authority. A verbal let is no longer the default.
- Penalty₹5,000
- The specification HomeTrust is built from describes a ₹5,000 penalty for violations. The amount, and what triggers it, depend on the rules each state notifies.
Delhi PG Accommodation Regulation Bill 2026
What it asks of PG operators. It is a Bill: check the text in force in Delhi before relying on any single item.
- Fire safety
- Fire safety compliance for the premises, with the clearance kept current.
- Police verification
- Police verification of residents, completed for each person who moves in.
- Tenant registration
- A register of residents kept and filed as the Bill requires.
- Food licence (FSSAI)
- Where food is served, the FSSAI licence the kitchen operates under. This sits alongside the Bill rather than inside it.
A PG owner account has a compliance calendar that lists each of these items by due date with its status, alongside lease expiries, renewal windows, registration status and deposit return deadlines. A scheduled check marks overdue items and notifies the owner.
Stamp duty and registration, by state
Enter the terms of the lease. The figure is calculated with the same rule HomeTrust prints on the rental agreements it generates, and the rule is shown with it.
Indicative for Karnataka
- Stamp duty
- ₹500
- Registration fee
- ₹200
- One-time total
- ₹700
Rule applied: 1% of average annual rent plus advance, capped for a residential lease up to one year.
Deposit cap check
₹50,000 is 2 months of rent. Exactly at the two-month cap. The cap on this rent is ₹50,000.
We have not confirmed that Karnataka notified tenancy rules based on the Model Tenancy Act 2021. The reading above applies the Act's two-month cap as a national benchmark for Karnataka, not as law in force there.
Compliance as a service
₹2,999 to ₹9,999 per registration
HomeTrust ops would prepare the Model Tenancy Act filing and coordinate registration at the sub-registrar, so neither side queues at the office.
- LiveState-specific rental agreement generated on approval, with indicative stamp duty.
- LiveSub-registrar filing status recorded by ops and shown on the agreement.
- Not connectedAadhaar e-sign: acceptance is recorded with the account and time instead.
- Not connectedAutomated filing on state portals.
No registration can be bought yet and nothing is charged.
Every listing is read against these rules
Renters see each deposit read against its state's cap before they enquire; owners see it as they type. Creating an account is free.