Tamil Nadu Makes Registration Of Rent Agreement Mandatory

The Tamil Nadu government on February 22 introduced the new rules under the Tamil Nadu Regulation of Rights and Responsibilities of Landlords and Tenants Act, 2017, making the registration of rent agreements mandatory in the state.

The Act, modelled from the Centre’s Tenancy Act, will be aimed at maintaining a balance between the rights and responsibilities of both the owner and the tenant. The Act will replace the state’s the Tamil Nadu Buildings (Lease and Rent Control) Act, 1960, which has been known to favour tenants.

Under the new Act, new as well as existing tenants and landlords will have to register the rent agreement with the rent authority within 90 days.

To ensure the process of registering the rent agreement becomes easier for both the parties, the government has also launched a portal, www.tenancy.tn.gov.in. The portal will act as a point of registration for both the parties. Here both the parties will be able to create a registration number. With this number, the rent agreement could be registered with the designated rent authority, which would constituted in every district in the state. These authorities will be headed by a deputy collector rank officer that will also help resolve disputes between tenants and owners.

To ensure that the grievances of the tenants and landlords are heard, each district will also have a rent court and tribunal, which will be set up as a part of the new Act.

According to the new portal launched by the government, under the Census 2011, Tamil Nadu has an urban population of 3.5 crore, which is nearly half of the total population of the state. This population has been growing at a pace of 27 per cent in past one decade. This rising population has given a rise to the demand for rental housing across the state. Over 23 per cent already living in rental accommodations, the new Act is expected to regulate the growing rental population in the state.