Rent Agreement Format in Delhi (2026): Clauses, Stamp Duty & Registration

Rent agreements in Delhi: the essentials

In Delhi, a residential letting is documented as a plain rent agreement — the standard terminology here, not the 'Leave & License' wording that is specific to Maharashtra. What most people don't realise is that the Delhi Rent Control Act, 1958 does not govern the typical market-rate letting: under Section 3(c), the Act does not apply to any premises whose monthly rent exceeds ₹3,500. Since almost every modern Delhi tenancy is well above that figure, it falls outside rent control and is governed instead by the general law of contract and the Transfer of Property Act, 1882, together with the central Registration Act, 1908 and the Indian Stamp Act, 1899 as applicable to Delhi.

The practical upshot is that your written agreement is what sets the terms — so getting the format right matters. Delhi has the highest urban rental share among the northern states (about 28% of urban households live in rented homes per Census 2011), which makes a clear, correctly stamped agreement worthwhile for both landlord and tenant.

Clauses every Delhi rent agreement should contain

• Names, addresses and ID details (PAN/Aadhaar) of the landlord and tenant
• Full description and address of the property, including flat/house number and locality
• Monthly rent, the due date, and the mode of payment
• Security deposit amount and the exact conditions for its refund
• Tenure (start and end dates), the 11-month term, and renewal/escalation terms
• Maintenance and society/RWA charges — who pays what
• Rules on subletting, alterations, and permitted use of the premises
• Notice period for vacating, lock-in period (if any), and grounds for termination
• Signatures of both parties and two witnesses

The 11-month convention in Delhi

Most Delhi agreements run for 11 months, and the reason is procedural rather than a Delhi-specific rule. Under Section 17 of the Registration Act, 1908, a lease of 12 months or more generally must be registered at the Sub-Registrar's office, which adds stamp duty at a higher slab, a registration fee, and time.

An 11-month term stays below that threshold, so it is fully valid without compulsory registration and can simply be renewed on expiry. (For the full logic, see our deep-dive on why a rent agreement is 11 months and not 12.)

Stamp duty and e-stamping in Delhi

Your agreement must be executed on stamp paper of the correct value, or e-stamped. Delhi has moved fully to e-stamping run by Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL), the Government-appointed record-keeping agency, so you buy an e-stamp certificate online at shcilestamp.com or from an authorised collection centre instead of physical stamp paper.

For a lease, Delhi stamp duty is commonly 2% of the average annual rent for a term of up to five years (the rate steps up for longer terms — around 3% for five to ten years). Treat that as a budgeting guide, not an exact quote: the final figure depends on your rent, deposit and term, and rates and slabs change. Always confirm the exact duty before you pay. (Our guide to rent-agreement stamp duty by state sets out the wider picture.)

Security deposits in Delhi

Delhi landlords commonly ask for two to three months' rent as a security deposit, though there is no rent-control cap that applies to the typical above-₹3,500 letting. The direction of reform is toward a lower ceiling: the Model Tenancy Act, 2021 recommends a maximum residential deposit of two months' rent (six months' for non-residential premises), but Delhi has not adopted that Act, so it is a benchmark to negotiate against rather than a binding limit here.

Whatever figure you agree, write the exact deposit amount and its refund conditions — deductions, timelines, and the state of the premises on hand-back — clearly into the agreement. That single clause prevents most end-of-tenancy disputes.

Do you need to register your Delhi rent agreement?

Stamping and registration are two separate steps: stamping makes the document valid, while registration records it with the government and gives it the strongest standing if it is ever contested. In Delhi, registration is compulsory for terms of 12 months or more under Section 17 of the Registration Act, 1908; a standard 11-month agreement need not be registered.

Where you do register, Delhi's process runs through DORIS (the Delhi Online Registration Information System, doris.delhigovt.nic.in): you calculate the stamp duty, pay the registration fee (commonly about ₹1,100), and book an appointment at the relevant Sub-Registrar's office for biometric verification. For an 11-month term, a correctly stamped agreement signed by both parties and two witnesses is valid and enforceable; registering or notarising it is optional but adds protection — our guide to notarised vs registered rent agreements explains the difference.

Sources

Delhi Rent Control Act, 1958 — Section 3(c) (the Act does not apply to premises whose monthly rent exceeds ₹3,500). Official text: India Code (indiacode.nic.in).

Registration Act, 1908 — Section 17 (compulsory registration of leases of 12 months or more), and Transfer of Property Act, 1882, which governs lettings outside rent control. Official text: India Code (indiacode.nic.in).

Indian Stamp Act, 1899 (as applicable to Delhi) — stamp duty on a lease (about 2% of average annual rent for a term up to five years); e-stamping through Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL), shcilestamp.com. The exact duty payable should be confirmed on the official source before payment.

Registration in Delhi via DORIS — Delhi Online Registration Information System, Department of Revenue (doris.delhigovt.nic.in).

Delhi's urban rental share (about 28%, the highest among the northern states) — Census of India 2011, Houselisting & Housing data (Office of the Registrar General; state-wise urban rental share on data.gov.in).

Security-deposit benchmark — Model Tenancy Act, 2021 (Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, mohua.gov.in), which recommends a two-month residential deposit cap; Delhi has not adopted the Act. Typical Delhi deposit practice reflects widely reported market convention, not a statutory cap.

Create your Delhi rent agreement

Score99 generates a Delhi rent agreement with the correct clauses, the right 11-month term, stamp-duty guidance and witness fields built in — for ₹199. Print it on stamp paper of the correct value (or e-stamp it via SHCIL), sign before two witnesses, and register it through DORIS if your term runs to 12 months or more.