You rent a house in Lahore, Karachi or Islamabad. One day the landlord says the rent is going up by 20 percent, or gives you 15 days to leave, or keeps your security deposit and says nothing. What can he actually do? It depends on where in Pakistan the house is.
There is no single rent law for all of Pakistan
Rent is a provincial matter. Each province runs on its own law:
- Punjab: Punjab Rented Premises Act 2009
- Sindh: Sindh Rented Premises Ordinance 1979
- Islamabad: Islamabad Rent Restriction Ordinance 2001, amended in 2021
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan: Urban Rent Restriction Ordinance 1959
- Cantonment areas: Cantonments Rent Restriction Act 1963
The same fight can end differently in Lahore and Karachi; see the Federal Law Journal comparison of the rent laws.
First rule: put the deal in writing
Every rent law wants one thing: a written agreement. In Punjab a landlord shall not let out premises except by a tenancy agreement, presented to the Rent Registrar and sealed. In Sindh the agreement must be attested by the Controller or a Civil Judge. In Islamabad it must reach the Rent Controller within 30 days of signing.
A verbal deal is not enough. In Punjab, without a conforming agreement, a dispute reaching the Rent Tribunal costs the tenant a fine of 5 percent of the annual value of the rent and the landlord 10 percent.
The agreement should state the rent, the increase rate, the due date, the deposit and any pagri. Pagri is the lump sum a landlord takes at the start of a tenancy, apart from rent and security. Our guides to what a rent agreement must say and rent agreement stamp duty cover the paperwork.
How much can the rent go up?
Punjab has no fixed cap. The increase is whatever the agreement says. If it is silent, the landlord cannot raise the rent on his own say so.
Sindh caps the increase at 10 percent per year on the existing rent. A fair rent fixed by the Controller cannot be revised before three years pass.
Islamabad gives an automatic 10 percent increase every year, unless the agreement says otherwise. Before 2021 it was 25 percent every three years.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan follow the 1959 model, where the Controller fixes a fair rent on similar premises in the locality, construction costs, new taxes, and the annual value.
Security deposit: the law does not set a limit
No rent law in Pakistan caps the security deposit. In practice landlords ask for one to three months rent. Write it into the agreement along with the return conditions. A landlord can deduct unpaid rent, damage beyond normal wear and tear, and unpaid utility bills. For the limits province by province and the refund steps, see our guide to security deposits in Pakistan.
If he refuses to return it, send a written demand, then file an application before the Rent Tribunal in Punjab or the Rent Controller elsewhere.
Can a landlord evict you?
No one can throw you out by force or by locking the house. Eviction goes through the Rent Tribunal in Punjab and the Rent Controller elsewhere.
Punjab lists the grounds in section 15: expiry of the term; rent unpaid 30 days after the due date; breach of a term; misuse of the premises; or subletting without written consent.
Sindh's grounds are similar: rent default, subletting or change of use without consent, damage to the premises, nuisance, reconstruction with sanction, and the landlord's genuine need for himself or his family.
- Rent default is the most common ground. In Sindh, if you pay the arrears on the first hearing, the default is under six months, and you have not defaulted before, the eviction application is rejected.
- Expiry of the lease term. In Punjab it is an explicit ground. Elsewhere the Supreme Court settled it in Waqar Zafar Bakhtawari's case: once the term ends and the landlord has not agreed to extend it, the tenant must leave.
- Landlord's own need. In Sindh a widow, a minor orphan, a retiring employee, or a person aged 60 or above can ask for the house back for personal use with two months notice. If the landlord rents it to someone else within a year, he can be fined up to one year's rent and you can be restored.
- In Islamabad, if the landlord does not move in within one month, or rents the house out again within six months, you can apply to be put back.
What the landlord cannot do
He cannot cut your electricity, gas or water to force you out. Sindh makes it an offence with up to six months in jail or a fine. Punjab bans cutting amenities without just cause, and Islamabad lets you go to the Controller for restoration.
He cannot walk in without notice. Punjab requires reasonable notice before entry. He also cannot stop repairing. Keeping the premises habitable is his duty, and if he refuses, you can repair and deduct the cost from the rent.
The tenant's side of the deal
Keep the house in the condition you received it, apart from normal wear and tear. Use it for the agreed purpose. Do not cause nuisance. No structural changes without written consent. Hand over possession when the tenancy ends.
If the landlord refuses the rent
Do not sit on the money. File an application to deposit the rent with the Rent Tribunal or Controller. This protects you from a false default claim. Ignoring a rent deposit order is worse: the defence can be struck off and the eviction decided against you.
Where the dispute is decided
Punjab runs Rent Tribunals with Special Judges (Rent). The tenant must obtain leave to contest within 10 days, and the Tribunal should pass its final order within four months. An appeal goes to the District Judge within 30 days.
Islamabad and Sindh work through Rent Controllers. Since the 2021 amendment a three member Mediation Council first tries to settle the dispute. Appeals go to the District Judge within 30 days; in Balochistan, to the High Court.
If you are the landlord, the grounds and the steps for getting possession back are in our guide to evicting a tenant in Pakistan. The owner's side, from rent recovery to entry, is in our guide to landlord rights in Pakistan.
What to do right now
If you are a tenant: get the agreement in writing and registered. Pay by bank transfer, keep receipts, and photograph the house at move in. If rent is refused, deposit it. If utilities are cut or you are locked out, apply at once.
The habit that saves both sides is the same: write everything down. For checking whether the house you plan to rent is clear of other claims, see our guide to checking a property lease in Karachi and the wider guides on the Lexiber blog. You can also start from the Lexiber home page.
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