Tenant registration by province

When a house, flat or room is rented out in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or Islamabad, the police require the tenancy to be registered with them. This page sets out, for each of the four, the law the police cite, the official online system where there is one, the documents to bring, and the fee and time where the police state them. Every source link goes to a police or government site.

Links checked on 31 October 2026.

Registering a tenant, province by province

Province Law the police cite Online In person Fee
Punjab Punjab Information of Temporary Residents Act 2015 Tenant Registration System Police station or Khidmat Markaz Not stated by Punjab Police
Sindh Sindh Information of Temporary Residents Act 2015, as Karachi Police cite it TRUST Police station or facilitation centre, as Karachi Police state Free, as Karachi Police state
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Restriction of Rented Buildings (Security) Act 2014 None found on KP Police's site The local police station, within seven days of signing Not stated in the Act
Islamabad Not named by Islamabad Police Online application Police Khidmat Markaz or the nearest police station Rs 500, payable at a Police Khidmat Markaz

Punjab

Punjab Police say the Punjab Information of Temporary Residents Act 2015 "mandates property owners, tenants, and property dealers to register tenant information with the local police".

  1. Online: register on Punjab Police's Tenant Registration System.
  2. In person: go to the nearest police station or Khidmat Markaz with copies of the owner's and the tenant's CNICs, recent photographs of both, and the rent agreement. Source: Punjab Police, Tenant Registration System, checked 31 October 2026.

For Lahore, Lahore Police's own document list and timing are in our guide to renting a house in Lahore.

Sindh

Karachi Police say that under the Sindh Information of Temporary Residents Act 2015, "whenever a house or a hostel room is rented, owner/tenant/property dealer have to register details (owner, property, tenant info.) in concerned police station".

  1. Online: Sindh Police's TRUST portal registers you with your mobile number and a code sent by SMS; landlords then add the property and invite the tenant.
  2. In person: Karachi Police say to go to the police station or a facilitation centre with the originals and copies of the owner's CNIC, the tenant's CNIC and the rent agreement, an affidavit and the tenant's photograph. They say registration is free and takes around 15 to 20 minutes, and that the front desk gives you a certificate. Source: Karachi Police, How to apply for Tenant Registration, checked 31 October 2026.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Restriction of Rented Buildings (Security) Act 2014 (Act XIV of 2014) puts the duty on the landlord, or the lessee or manager renting the building out, and on the property dealer where the building is rented through one.

  1. Put the agreement in writing. The agreement must be signed by both sides, name at least two references who know the tenant, with their CNIC details and phone numbers, and be attested by a notary public (section 3).
  2. Tell the police within seven days. Within seven days of signing, not counting public holidays, give the local police station an attested copy of the rent agreement, an attested copy of the tenant's CNIC, the names, CNIC copies and phone numbers of the two references, and details of any male members over 14 living with the tenant (section 4(1)). KP Police's Tenants Information Form, which the owner fills in, also asks for attested CNIC copies of the owner and the property dealer, and says a landlord or tenant who is a foreigner or an Afghan citizen gives a passport or Afghan citizen card number instead of a CNIC.
  3. Keep the receipt. The police station issues a tenant acknowledgement receipt, and the landlord gives the tenant an attested copy of it (sections 4(2) and 4(3)). When the police ask, the tenant must produce a copy of the ownership document, the rent agreement and the tenant acknowledgement receipt within 24 hours (section 6). Breaking sections 3 to 6 is punishable with imprisonment of up to one year, a fine, or both (section 10(1)), and the offence is cognizable and non-bailable (section 12). A landlord, lessee, manager or property dealer whom the police find knew of a tenant's criminal designs, or did not take due care in checking the tenant, may be charged with abetting the tenant's offence (section 10(2)). Source: the Act, on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police's site, checked 31 October 2026.

KP Police also publish the Tenants Information Form and the Tenant Acknowledgement Receipt.

Islamabad

Islamabad Police say tenant registration "is mandatory for all tenants in Islamabad Capital Territory", and that the tenant or the property owner can apply.

  1. Online: Islamabad Police's application form asks for the tenant's and the owner's names and CNICs, the rental address, the police station and the lease dates, and uploads of the CNIC front and back, a passport-size picture, the lease or rent agreement, and a photo of a thumb impression on plain paper. You can then track the application with the tenant's CNIC and the application ID.
  2. In person: a Police Khidmat Markaz or the nearest police station, with the tenant's and the owner's CNICs and the original rent or lease agreement.
  3. Fee and time: Rs 500, "payable at PKM" (a Police Khidmat Markaz); the page doesn't say how an online applicant pays. Processing takes 1 working day. Source: Islamabad Police, Tenant Registration, checked 31 October 2026.

Balochistan

Not covered yet.

Before you sign

The police in all four ask for the rent agreement. For the checks to make on a property before you pay anything, see Check before you pay, and for renting in other cities, our guides to Karachi, Islamabad and Faisalabad.

A tenant that is a company, a government office, a private school, clinic or similar business, or anyone paying Rs1.5 million or more a year in rent, must also deduct income tax from the rent under section 155 of the Income Tax Ordinance. Our tax on rent calculator works out how much.