Why 11 months
A lease of a year or more must be registered at the sub-registrar's office. Eleven months stays under that line, so most Bengaluru homes are let on an agreement that is stamped, signed and kept, with no visit to the office.
At the end of the term both sides sign a fresh agreement on a fresh stamp. Nothing renews by itself.
REGISTRATION ACT, 1908, SECTION 17Stamp duty
A residential lease of up to a year pays 50 paise for every ₹100 of the average annual rent plus any advance or deposit, and never more than ₹500. That is Article 30(i) of the schedule to the Karnataka Stamp Act, 1957.
At ₹50,000 a month with a ₹2,50,000 deposit, 0.5% of ₹8,50,000 is ₹4,250. The ceiling holds it at ₹500. Below about ₹1,00,000 of rent and deposit together, the duty is less than ₹500.
The duty is paid as an e-stamp certificate and the agreement is printed on it. Either side can pay; the agreement should say who.
KARNATAKA STAMP ACT, 1957, SCHEDULE, ARTICLE 30(i) · DEPARTMENT OF STAMPS AND REGISTRATION FEE TABLERegistration
An 11-month agreement does not have to be registered. If you register it anyway, the department's fee table lists ₹100 for a residential lease of up to a year.
A lease of a year or more must be registered, and its duty is set by the longer-term rows of Article 30.
DEPARTMENT OF STAMPS AND REGISTRATION FEE TABLEThe deposit
Across the 506 listings we read on 30 Sep 2026 that state both, the median deposit asked was 4.2 months' rent, and 34% asked five months or more.
Write the amount, what may be deducted from it, and the date it comes back. Whether the 2026 amendment limits it is disputed; the Rent Act page says what we know.
OWNER ASKS ON LISTING SITES · READ 30 SEP 2026Rent increases
The agreement sets it. An increase usually comes at renewal, so write the new figure, or the percentage, into the agreement you sign now.
Notice
The agreement sets the notice each side gives before leaving. Write it in months, say that it binds both sides, and say what happens to the deposit if either side leaves early.
Police verification
Bengaluru City Police ask owners to give a tenant's details to the local station. Check the current form with the station before the tenant moves in. We have not confirmed the city's present process.
TO CONFIRM WITH BENGALURU CITY POLICEWhat each side must do
- Gives a written receipt for every payment of rent and the deposit.
- Pays the property tax, unless the agreement says otherwise.
- Hands over keys, meter readings and the society's rules on the first day.
- Returns the deposit on the date written in the agreement, with any deduction itemised.
- Pays the rent on the date written in the agreement.
- Pays electricity, water and gas as metered, unless the agreement says otherwise.
- Does not sublet without the owner's written consent.
- Leaves the home as it was let, allowing for ordinary wear.
- Department of Stamps and Registration, Karnataka: stamp duty and registration fees Article 30(i): 0.5% with a ₹500 ceiling, and the ₹100 registration fee.
- The Karnataka Stamp Act, 1957, and its schedule The article a residential lease falls under.
- The Registration Act, 1908, section 17 A lease of a year or more must be registered.
This is what the documents say as we read them. It is not legal advice. For a lease of a year or more, or a dispute, ask a lawyer.