Tenant police verification in India: the online process, city by city
The short answer
- It is compulsory in most cities. Not because of a national law, but because police commissioners and district magistrates issue orders requiring landlords to report tenants.
- Skipping it is a criminal offence: up to six months or a ₹2,500 fine under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
- Most states let you file online in about fifteen minutes, for free or a small fee. You need the tenant’s ID, a photo, their permanent address and the rental agreement.
- PG owners must do it for every resident, ideally before they move in.
Most landlords hear about police verification from a society secretary or a neighbour, usually after the tenant has already moved in. It is easy to treat as optional paperwork. It is not: police in Pune, Punjab and Jammu have registered FIRs against landlords and PG operators in recent verification drives, and an unverified tenant is much harder to trace if they leave owing rent.
Why it is compulsory: the legal basis
There is no central act that says “every landlord must verify every tenant”. Instead, the police commissioner of a city, or the district magistrate elsewhere, issues an order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (the provision that replaced Section 144 CrPC in July 2024). The order directs owners to give the police details of anyone they let premises to, usually before the tenant moves in or within a short window after.
These orders are time-limited and are reissued every few months, which is why the rule can seem to come and go. Disobeying one is an offence under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (formerly IPC Section 188):
- simple imprisonment of up to six months, a fine of up to ₹2,500, or both;
- up to one year and ₹5,000 where the disobedience endangers human life, health or safety.
In practice the first step is usually an FIR during a police drive, not a prison sentence. That is still a criminal case in your name, and it is entirely avoidable.
Documents you need
Collect these from the tenant before move-in:
- Identity proof: Aadhaar, passport, driving licence or voter ID;
- a recent passport-size photograph (a clear phone photo works for online portals);
- permanent address, and the previous address if different;
- workplace or college details, and the names and numbers of one or two people who know them;
- the rental agreement, or at least its start and end dates.
You will also need your own ID and the address of the rented property. For a foreign national, the passport and visa details are required too.
How to file it online, step by step
The portals differ in layout, but the flow is the same everywhere:
- Open your state or city police citizen portal (see the table below) and create an account with your mobile number and OTP.
- Choose Tenant Registration or Tenant Information from the citizen services menu.
- Enter your details as owner, the rented property’s address, and the tenant’s details, permanent address and workplace.
- Upload the tenant’s photo and ID proof.
- Pay the fee, if your portal charges one, and submit.
- Save the acknowledgement. It is your proof of compliance, so keep it with the agreement.
Every portal also has an offline route: download the form, attach copies of the documents and photos, and submit it at the police station that covers the property.
Where to file, by city and state
| Where the property is | Where to file |
|---|---|
| Delhi | Delhi Police website, Citizen Services → Domestic Help/Tenant Registration (needs a citizen login) |
| Mumbai | Mumbai Police website → Tenant Information online form. Mumbai Police has said a police NOC is not needed to let a flat; submitting the information is what counts. |
| Navi Mumbai, Thane, Pune | Each has its own police commissionerate. File with the one that covers the property, not Mumbai Police. |
| Haryana (Gurugram, Faridabad) | Haryana Police HarSamay citizen portal → Tenant Verification |
| Uttar Pradesh (Noida, Ghaziabad, Lucknow) | UP Police citizen services portal. A ₹50 fee applies. |
| Gujarat | Gujarat Home Department citizen portal → Tenant Registration |
| Bengaluru and other cities | Ask the local police station that covers the property which form and channel they currently accept. |
Portals get redesigned and menu names change. If an option has moved, search the official police site rather than a third-party “verification service”. You never need an agent for this.
If you run a PG
A PG has the same duty as a landlord, multiplied by every bed and every turnover. Pune police included PG operators in one drive that booked more than a hundred owners. What works for PG owners:
- Make ID and a photo part of check-in, not something you chase later. No documents, no keys.
- File before the resident moves in, or on the day they do. A backlog is how you end up out of compliance.
- Keep a register of who stayed in which bed and when, with the acknowledgement number against each name. It answers both a police visit and a deposit dispute.
Handle the tenant’s ID copies carefully
Verification means you now hold copies of someone’s Aadhaar and photograph. Keep them somewhere private, not in a family WhatsApp group or a shared drive, and use a masked Aadhaar (which hides the first eight digits) wherever it is accepted. Once the tenancy ends and the deposit is settled, you do not need to keep the copies indefinitely.
What verification does not do
Filing the details is mainly a record that tells the police who is living where. It is not a credit check and not a guarantee that the tenant will pay. Still call the previous landlord, check the original ID in person, and put the rent, deposit and notice terms in a written agreement. If you do not have one yet, our free rent agreement generator produces an 11-month draft. And if a tenant does disappear, the verification record is part of what helps, as our guide on what to do when a tenant absconds explains.
Frequently asked questions
Is tenant police verification mandatory in India?
In most cities, yes. There is no single national law, but police commissioners and district magistrates issue orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (formerly Section 144 CrPC) requiring landlords to give tenant details to the police. Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Gurugram, Noida and many other cities have such orders. They are usually time-limited and reissued, so check the current order with your local police station.
What is the penalty for not doing tenant police verification?
Disobeying a Section 163 order is an offence under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (formerly IPC Section 188). The punishment is simple imprisonment of up to six months, a fine of up to ₹2,500, or both, rising to one year and ₹5,000 where the disobedience endangers life, health or safety. Police in several cities have registered FIRs against landlords and PG operators in verification drives.
Who has to do the verification, the landlord or the tenant?
The orders place the duty on the owner or the person letting the premises. In practice the landlord files it and the tenant supplies their ID, photo and permanent address. If a broker or a PG manager handles your tenants, the responsibility usually still sits with you as the owner, so confirm it has actually been filed.
Do PG owners need police verification for every resident?
Yes. A paying guest resident is a tenant for the purpose of these orders, and PG operators have been included in police action for missing tenant details. With frequent move-ins, the practical approach is to collect ID and a photo on the day a resident joins and file before they move in.
How much does tenant police verification cost?
It is free or close to it. Some portals charge a small processing fee (Uttar Pradesh lists ₹50, for example) and others charge nothing. The fee is shown before you pay on the official portal. Be wary of agents charging several hundred rupees for something you can file yourself in fifteen minutes.
How long does tenant police verification take?
Filing takes minutes and gives you an acknowledgement immediately. The police check itself can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks depending on the city. The acknowledgement is what shows you complied, so keep it with the rental agreement.
Is a police verification certificate the same as a background check?
No. Filing tenant details is mainly a record so the police know who lives where. Some portals return a report, but it is not a guarantee that the tenant is trustworthy or financially reliable. Speak to the previous landlord and check the ID in person as well.
Keep every tenant’s details in one place
Nestwise keeps each tenant’s contact details, ID type and signed agreement on their record, alongside their rent, deposit and move-out. When the police form asks for them, they are in one place instead of scattered across chats. It does not file the verification for you. Free while in early access.
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