Rent agreement: Don't blindly sign on form downloaded from internet

Get lawyer to draft it, ensure it spells out key points of landlord-tenant relationship

The Mumbai police has issued an advisory to property owners saying landlords must do proper checks before renting out their place. It adds that the landlord must immediately furnish the tenant’s particulars online on the citizen portal Mumbaipolice.gov.in.

“Tenant verification must be done to safeguard the landlord’s interests and ensure that the property is being rented out to the right person. Doing a background check is mandatory under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code, and failure to do so is a punishable offence,” says Akhil Gupta, co-founder and chief technology officer, NoBroker.com. 

In addition to police verification, a properly