Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has brought landlord-tenant relations under a formal regulatory framework through the J&K Tenancy Rules, 2026, which require tenancy agreements to be reported to the designated Rent Authority within two months of execution.
The rules, notified on July 2 this year following the commencement of the Jammu and Kashmir Tenancy Act, 2025, also provide for a digital system to manage tenancy-related applications, records and services.
Under the new framework, landlords and tenants can report tenancy agreements either physically or through an electronic mode. After verification, the Rent Authority is required to allot a Unique Identification Number (UIN) and issue an electronic receipt to both parties within seven working days.
The rules envisage the creation of a digital platform in local and official languages for submission of tenancy agreements and related applications.
The framework also lays down procedures for resolving disputes related to rent revision and other charges. In such cases, the Rent Authority may consider prevailing market rates and seek assistance from government-recognised property valuers before taking a decision.
A separate mechanism has been provided for situations where landlords refuse to accept rent payments. In such cases, tenants can deposit the rent with the Rent Authority. The rules further stipulate that landlords who fail to refund advance rent or security deposits may be liable to pay interest as prescribed.
The rules include privacy safeguards, stating that tenancy records submitted to the Rent Authority will remain accessible only to the concerned parties and authorised officials and will not be publicly available.
The government had placed the draft rules in the public domain on April 15 for objections and suggestions before issuing the final notification after the consultation process.
While the rules have now come into force, questions remain regarding their implementation. Publicly available information does not yet indicate how many tenancy agreements have been registered under the new system, how many Rent Authorities are fully operational, or the extent to which the proposed digital platform has been rolled out.
The effectiveness of the new framework is expected to depend largely on the operationalisation of Rent Authorities and the digital infrastructure envisaged under the rules, particularly in urban and semi-urban areas of the Union Territory.