Karnataka Rent Act: Rs 50,000 fine for tenants subletting without landlord’s consent
Bengaluru: Tenants in Karnataka who sublet rented premises without the landlord’s consent will soon face a hefty penalty of Rs 50,000, a 900% hike from the current fine, as per amendments proposed under the Karnataka Rent Act.
The Karnataka Rent (Amendment) Bill, which includes these stricter provisions, has been cleared by the scrutiny committee headed by Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil. It is expected to be tabled in the upcoming session of the state legislature, as reported by Deccan Herald on Thursday.
Currently, the penalty for unauthorised subletting is Rs 5,000 or double the amount received from subletting—whichever is higher—or imprisonment for up to one month. The proposed amendment will replace this with a fine of Rs 50,000.
In a move to deter landlords from exploiting tenants, the bill also proposes increasing the penalty for landlords who demand or receive payment for granting consent to sublet. Such landlords will now face a fine of Rs 30,000, up from the existing Rs 3,000. Imprisonment of up to one month is being dropped, according to the amendment proposed.
The amendment also targets unregistered brokers and middlemen involved in property rentals. Under Section 20 of the Act, they are required to register with the ‘controller’—typically an assistant commissioner in large cities, a senior tahsildar in smaller towns, or a tahsildar in rural areas, added the report.
Failure to register will now attract a daily penalty of Rs 25,000, a massive increase from the current Rs 2,000. Moreover, a daily fine of Rs 20,000 will be levied for each day of continued violation, compared to the existing Rs 2,000.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
