Hyderabad · Tenant registration
Tenant Police Verification in Hyderabad: How Owners Register a Tenant
If you rent out a flat in Hyderabad, the police expect to know who is living in it. In July 2026 the city's police warned owners that renting without registering the tenant can bring legal action, and that a property can be sealed if it is later used for an offence. Here is how the registration works, which commissionerate you file with, and how to handle it from another country.
Why Hyderabad owners are being told to register tenants
On 15 July 2026 press reports said the Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Malkajgiri police were stepping up verification drives across residential colonies, housing societies and lodges. The warning to owners was blunt: rent out without registering the tenant and you can face "hefty penalties and sealing of premises" if the property is later linked to drug dealing, gambling, cyber fraud or housing people without documents.
The reports did not cite a section of law. Where police have cited a legal basis it is usually a commissioner's order under Section 163 of the BNSS (the successor to CrPC 144), enforced under Section 223 of the BNS (the successor to IPC 188); Pune police used exactly this route in August 2026. We did not find the current order for this city, so ask your local station which order applies. The safe assumption is that registration is expected for every new tenant.
Step 1: find the commissionerate that covers your flat
Since a December 2025 reorganisation the Hyderabad region has four police commissionerates: Hyderabad, Cyberabad, Malkajgiri (formerly Rachakonda) and the new Future City commissionerate. As a rough guide, Gachibowli, Madhapur and the Financial District are under Cyberabad; the old city, Begumpet and Shamshabad under Hyderabad; Keesara, Shamirpet and Kompally under Malkajgiri; and Chevella, Moinabad, Shankarpally, Maheshwaram and Ibrahimpatnam under Future City. Limits follow police-station boundaries, not locality names, so confirm with the station nearest the flat.
Step 2: file through the Hawk Eye app or on paper
- Hawk Eye app (Hyderabad commissionerate). Hyderabad City Police enabled tenant registration in the Hawk Eye app, with an owner module for the tenant's details, identity documents and photographs. We found no confirmation that Cyberabad, Malkajgiri or Future City take Hawk Eye filings; Cyberabad Police publish a downloadable tenant verification form on cyberabadpolice.gov.in.
- Paper form. If you do not use the app, collect the tenant verification form from the local police station, fill it in and submit it with identity and address proof. Ask for a stamped acknowledgement.
- Timing and fees. Third-party guides quote anything from a few days to about a week and describe the app route as free. We found no official service-level or fee schedule, so confirm at the station.
Documents to keep ready
| From | Typically needed |
|---|---|
| Tenant | Recent passport-size photograph; one government photo ID (Aadhaar, passport, driving licence, voter ID or PAN); current address proof; employer ID or offer letter, or college ID for a student |
| Owner | Your own photo ID; a document showing you own the flat (sale deed, society allotment letter or latest property tax receipt) |
| Both | A copy of the signed rent agreement, with the rent and the start date visible |
Gated communities ask for it too
Many Hyderabad gated communities and resident associations, especially around Gachibowli, Kondapur and Kukatpally, want to see the police acknowledgement or tenant form before they issue a gate pass or allow a move-in. Registering early avoids a stand-off at the gate on the day your tenant arrives with a truck.
Filing from abroad
The app and portal flows are built around Indian mobile numbers, so keep one active. If you cannot file yourself, a parent, sibling or a caretaker you trust can submit the paper form at the station with a short signed authorisation letter from you; check that the station accepts this. You do not need a Power of Attorney just to hand over a form (see when a Power of Attorney is actually needed).
What registration does not tell you
Registering a tenant tells the police who lives there. It does not tell you whether that person pays on time or looks after the flat. Do your own checks as well: match the ID to the person on a video call, confirm the employer, and ask the previous owner for a reference. The tenant checklist for owners abroad walks through them.
Where Rent Connect fits
The paperwork around a tenancy is easier when it lives in one place. Rent Connect is a property management tool for owners who rent out property in India, currently in early access. It sends WhatsApp rent reminders, records each payment as pending, overdue or paid, and generates a rent receipt when a payment is marked paid. Tenant details, the agreement and maintenance issues (with photos) sit on one tenancy record, and a Deposit Ledger records the agreed deposit and any move-out deductions. The ledger is a shared record only: Rent Connect does not hold the money.
It does not file police intimations, compute or deposit TDS, or file tax returns for you. Those stay with you, your tenant and your CA. To follow the launch, join the waitlist.
How this page was checked
Figures here were compiled on 16 October 2026 from the sources below. Where we could not open an official page, the note at the end says so. Government portals and rates change, so confirm the live number or form with the office before you pay or file.
- Siasat, 15 July 2026: "Verify tenants or face action, Hyderabad Police warn landlords"
- Punekar News, 8 August 2026: Pune action under BNS 223 for violating BNSS 163 orders
- The News Minute, 30 December 2025: Telangana rejigs Hyderabad police, creates Future City commissionerate
- Mygate: practical guide to tenant police verification in Hyderabad for RWAs and owners
What we could not verify: We could not open the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, Malkajgiri or Future City police sites directly, so the app and form steps come from a July 2026 press report and third-party guides. The locality-to-commissionerate mapping is from December 2025 reorganisation reports. No official fee, turnaround time or current commissioner order was found, so none is stated.
Frequently asked questions
Is tenant police verification compulsory in Hyderabad?
Hyderabad police have told owners to register every tenant and warned of legal action and sealing if they do not. The July 2026 warnings did not name a statute, so treat registration as expected for every new tenancy and confirm the exact order with your local station.
Which police commissionerate do I file with in Hyderabad?
It depends on the police-station limits of the flat: Hyderabad, Cyberabad, Malkajgiri or Future City. Gachibowli and Madhapur fall under Cyberabad. Ask the nearest station if you are unsure.
Can I register my tenant online?
In the Hyderabad commissionerate, yes, through the Hawk Eye app's owner module as described in July 2026 reports. For the other commissionerates, use that force's own form or go to the local station.
Does a registered rent agreement replace police registration?
No. Maharashtra has begun sharing registered leave-and-licence agreements with police systems, but we found no report of the same for Telangana. File the tenant details with the police separately from the agreement.
I live abroad. Can someone else file for me?
Usually yes: a family member or caretaker can take the form to the station with your signed authorisation letter. Confirm with the station first, because practice differs between stations.
General information, not legal advice. Police procedures differ by station and change; confirm with your local police station before you file.
Manage your Indian property from anywhere
WhatsApp rent reminders, a receipt for every paid month, tenant details and the agreement on one record, and a Deposit Ledger that records the deposit without holding it. Someone local still handles keys and repairs.
Join the waitlist