Tenant registration in Punjab: deadline, documents and how to register

Tenant registration is compulsory in Punjab: the landlord, the tenant or the property dealer must give the tenant’s details to the police within 15 days of handing over the home. It is free at a Police Khidmat Markaz or police station and takes 15 to 20 minutes, according to Lahore Police, and the Punjab Police Pakistan app and Dastak also list it. Skipping it can cost up to six months in prison and a Rs 1 lakh fine.

The rule comes from the Punjab Information of Temporary Residents Act 2015. Police and news reports often call it the “Tenancy Act”.

Who has to register a tenant?

Section 3 of the Act names three people: the property dealer, the landlord and the tenant. Any one of them can do it. Once one of them gives the information, the other two are no longer liable.

The Act counts as a landlord anyone who owns the place or is entitled to collect the rent. A tenant includes a sub-tenant. It covers any building, or part of one, let out to live in. Hotels and hostels have their own rule: they must report a guest within 24 hours of check-in.

Landlords have one extra duty either way. Section 5 says you must not let a tenant stay until you have checked their identity from their CNIC or passport and given a copy to the police at the earliest.

What documents do I need for tenant registration?

The two police pages give slightly different lists. Carry everything on both:

If you don’t have a written agreement yet, see our guide to writing a rent agreement in Pakistan. Neither page says whether the affidavit must be on stamp paper, so ask the counter staff before you go.

How do I register a tenant at a Khidmat Markaz or police station?

This is the route both police pages describe, and the one we can set out step by step.

Lahore Police lists the processing fee as free and the time as about 15 to 20 minutes. In April 2026 the IG Punjab described Khidmat Markaz as open round the clock (24/7). The same release said over 310,000 people had registered tenants at Khidmat Markaz by 16 April 2026.

Can I do tenant registration online in Punjab?

Partly. There are three channels besides the counter:

• Punjab Police Pakistan app. This Google Play app lists Tenant Registration among its services, next to character certificates and police verification. On 13 October 2026 the listing showed more than 1 million downloads and a last update on 23 June 2026. PITB, the Punjab Information Technology Board, says a mobile app supports initial tenant registration.
• Dastak. The Punjab government’s Dastak service lists Tenant Registration under Punjab Police. You book a visit through the Dastak app or website (helpline 1202), and a representative comes to your door. Dastak’s fee page doesn’t list a fee for this service.
• trs.punjabpolice.gov.pk. The Punjab Police page names this as the online portal. It didn’t load when we tried it on 13 October 2026, and the only archived copy (2022) shows a staff login page.

What is the penalty for not registering a tenant?

The offence is cognizable and non-bailable. A first-class magistrate tries it summarily.

The government can settle (compound) the case instead, for an administrative penalty of at least Rs 10,000. That option isn’t open to repeat offenders.

Police do enforce it, especially in Lahore:

The June crackdown was tied to Muharram security. Lahore’s police chief called tenant registration a key part of the city’s security. These are police figures; neither report said how many cases ended in convictions.

What else does the law require from landlords?

Three duties go beyond the registration form:

• Identity check. Don’t hand over the keys before you have checked the tenant’s CNIC or passport and given the police a copy (section 5).
• No weapons. The landlord and the dealer must make sure the tenant has no firearm or explosives, other than a licensed weapon (section 8).
• Inspections. A police officer of Sub-Inspector rank or above can inspect a rented home with reasonable notice and question the landlord, tenant or dealer (section 7).

The Act limits how police use the data: only to prevent, detect, investigate and prosecute terrorism and other crimes under the Pakistan Penal Code (section 6). PITB says the system checks tenants against the Criminal Record Office and alerts police if a tenant has a record.

How many people register each year?

Registrations at Police Khidmat Markaz have grown, according to Punjab Police figures reported by APP:

The 2026 total by August was already well above the whole of 2025. The releases don’t break the figures down by district.

Before you rent out a property

Registration with the police is separate from your title and tax duties. Check the owner’s record on fard online in Punjab and keep up with property tax in Punjab.

If you live abroad and let your house through a dealer or a relative, the duty still applies. Any one of the three can register. See our guide for overseas Pakistanis buying property.

More guides: rent agreement in Pakistan, property transfer in Punjab, succession certificate, Property.