Written by the team at ಶ್ರೀ ಲಕ್ಷ್ಮಿ | Shree Lakshmi, near RBI Layout Main Rd, JP Nagar 7th Phase, Bangalore. We have been preparing rental agreements and issuing e-stamp paper since 2012.

For a straightforward residential tenancy the list is genuinely short. Most of this article is about the situations that are not straightforward, because those are the ones that send people home for a second trip.

The ordinary case

From the landlord

  • Aadhaar card
  • PAN card, if the annual rent is high enough that the tenant will be claiming HRA against it
  • The complete property address as it appears on the tax paid receipt or khata

From the tenant

  • Aadhaar card for every adult who will sign
  • PAN card, if the agreement is being used for an HRA claim
  • A working phone number and email for the copies

Agreed between them

  • Monthly rent and security deposit
  • Start date and duration
  • Notice period, and lock-in if any
  • Who pays maintenance, water and electricity

Property ownership proof — when it is actually needed

For an ordinary eleven-month agreement we do not usually need to see the sale deed or khata. But bring it if the property is newly purchased, if the address on Aadhaar does not match the property, or if the tenant's employer or bank has said they want ownership evidence attached. It costs nothing to have it with you.

The awkward cases

The landlord lives outside India

Very common in JP Nagar. The agreement is signed by a power of attorney holder, and we need the POA document along with the holder's Aadhaar. A scanned POA is usually enough for drafting, but the holder has to sign in person. Plan for this — it is the single most common reason a signing gets postponed.

The tenant is a company

A company lease needs the company's PAN, the registered address, and identification for the person authorised to sign, plus the board resolution or authorisation letter naming them. Companies also usually want their own clauses on notice and assignment, so send us their draft in advance if they have one.

More than one tenant

Every adult who will live there and wants their name on the agreement must sign and must produce Aadhaar. Flatmates frequently discover at the last minute that only one of them can prove the address later. Decide early whose names go on it.

Someone has no Aadhaar

Passport, voter ID or driving licence can be used. Tell us in advance, because the agreement wording refers to the identification produced and we would rather set it correctly than reprint.

The property is jointly owned

All the owners on record should sign, or one of them should hold written authority from the others. A bank scrutinising the agreement later will check this.

Two witnesses

Bring two people with Aadhaar, or tell us in advance if you cannot. Witnesses do not need any relationship to the property — they are simply attesting that the signatures happened.

What you do not need

You do not need a lawyer. You do not need the original sale deed for a normal eleven-month agreement. You do not need to visit a government office — e-stamping is done at authorised centres like ours.

Send it ahead and cut the visit to ten minutes

Photograph the Aadhaar cards, type out the rent, deposit, start date and full address, and send the lot on WhatsApp. We will have the agreement drafted and the stamp value confirmed before you arrive, so the counter visit is only signing.

Related reading

Contact ಶ್ರೀ ಲಕ್ಷ್ಮಿ | Shree Lakshmi

For rental agreement and e-stamp paper in JP Nagar 7th Phase and all South Bangalore areas, contact ಶ್ರೀ ಲಕ್ಷ್ಮಿ | Shree Lakshmi near RBI Layout Main Rd: