Illegal PG Complaint: How to Check If a PG Is Registered

To check whether a PG is legal, ask the owner for four papers: the local licence or registration, the fire certificate, proof that your details went to the police, and an FSSAI number if food is served. An illegal PG complaint then goes to whichever authority issued the missing paper, such as the District Collector, fire officer or police station. The rules differ city to city, so this guide uses the actual systems in Chennai, Pune, Noida and Gurugram.

If your problem is a deposit, a lockout or bad food rather than missing paperwork, start with our map of where to file a PG or hostel complaint, which covers every route. This post answers a narrower question: is your building allowed to run as a PG at all?

What paperwork makes a PG legal in India?

There is no single national PG licence. A PG is legal when it holds what its state and city demand: a hostel or municipal trade licence, fire clearance for its building, police records of every resident, and an FSSAI number if it runs a mess. One missing paper is a lapse; none at all is an unregistered PG.

Each of those papers comes from a different office, which is why the check has to be done piece by piece. Bengaluru and Hyderabad run their own municipal licence systems, covered in our guides to complaining about a PG owner in Bengaluru and taking a PG complaint to GHMC in Hyderabad.

A GST number is not on this list, and its absence proves nothing. If a GSTIN appears on your rent bill, check it on the GST portal's Search Taxpayer tool; a different business name is worth a question.

How to check if a PG is registered in Chennai, Pune, Noida and Gurugram

Ask for the document, note its number, then check it against the issuing office. In Chennai that means the Collector's women's hostel licence, in Pune the fire certificate and police tenant filing, in Noida the UP fire NOC portal, and in Gurugram the Haryana Police tenant verification record.

Chennai: the Collector's hostel licence

Under the Tamil Nadu Hostels and Homes for Women and Children (Regulation) Act, 2014, a "hostel" is any building giving accommodation to women or children, "either with boarding or not" (s.2(e)). Section 4 bars anyone from running one without a licence from the District Collector. So a girls' PG in Chennai needs one; a men's PG falls outside this Act.

The 2024 amendment moved applications online, required the prescribed certificates to be attached, and raised the fee ceiling to Rs 10,000. A June 2026 Collector's notice from Coimbatore calls unlicensed operation an offence and names the Tamil Nadu e-Sevai portal for applications. Ask to see the licence, then check the s.14 basics yourself: working extinguishers, nothing flammable stored inside, clear stairs.

Pune: the January and July fire certificate

Under s.3(3) of the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, 2006, the owner or occupier must give the Chief Fire Officer a certificate in the prescribed form every January and July confirming the fire equipment still works. Schedule I adds equipment for lodging houses and dormitories from 15 metres.

Worked example: you move in on 12 October 2026, so the latest certificate due is July 2026. One dated January 2026 is about nine months old, which means the July filing is missing.

For police records, the Maharashtra Police portal hosts a tenant and temporary resident information form for the Pune Police Commissionerate. Free Press Journal reported that four Chandan Nagar operators were booked in July 2026 for ignoring a 3 July police order to furnish tenant details.

Noida: verify the fire NOC number online

The UP Police fire services page links a public Verify NOC tool. Get the NOC number from the owner, enter it, and match the address to your building. For police records, UP Police lists a Tenant/PG Verification service on its CCTNS citizen portal; ask whether the owner has submitted your name there.

Gurugram: the Rs 50 tenant verification

Haryana Police's fee and timeline table lists tenant verification for residents from another district or state at Rs 50, delivered within 21 days through HarSamay, eSaral or the JanSahayak App. If your owner applied on 12 October 2026, count 19 days to the end of October plus 2 into November: the report is due by 2 November 2026. At that fee, cost is no excuse.

Does the PG mess need an FSSAI licence or a registration?

Yes, one of the two. FSSAI lists "boarding houses serving food", defined as a building providing food and lodging for paying guests. Since 1 April 2026, annual turnover up to Rs 1.5 crore needs a basic registration; above that, up to Rs 50 crore, a State Licence.

The category comes from FSSAI's kind-of-business eligibility table. The turnover limits come from an FSSAI order of 13 March 2026, which replaced the older Rs 12 lakh registration cut-off. You can work out which one your PG should hold. Take a mess charge of Rs 3,800 a month:

• 28 residents: 28 x Rs 3,800 x 12 = Rs 12,76,800. That is far below Rs 1.5 crore, so a registration is enough.
• To cross Rs 1.5 crore at that charge: Rs 1,50,00,000 ÷ (Rs 3,800 x 12 = Rs 45,600) = about 329 residents. Only a very large hostel mess needs a State Licence.

The number tells you which one you are looking at. FSSAI's licensing FAQs say both are 14 digits; a licence starts with 1 and a registration with 2. Most PGs will show a number starting with 2; what matters is that the name and address match the PG. Verify any number through FBO Search on FoSCoS or the Food Safety Connect app. For hygiene problems with the food itself, see our guide to a PG food quality complaint to FSSAI.

How to file an illegal PG complaint, step by step

Send the complaint to the office that issued the missing paper, in writing, with photos and the PG's address. An unlicensed girls' hostel in Tamil Nadu goes to the District Collector; a missing fire certificate or blocked staircase goes to the fire service; an owner who never reported residents goes to the local police station.

1. Ask the owner first, in writing. A WhatsApp message asking for the licence, fire certificate and FSSAI number gives you a dated record of the request and the reply.
2. Check every number you receive on the portals above and screenshot the result with the date visible.
3. Collect evidence (list below) without confronting staff or entering locked areas.
4. Write one short complaint per authority. Give the PG's name, full address, owner's name if known, what is missing, and the date you checked.
5. Submit and keep proof: a stamped acknowledgment copy, a portal reference number, or a speed post receipt.
6. Follow up after the stated period, or after a few weeks where none is set, quoting your reference number.
7. Call the fire service on 101 at once if you see a risk to life, such as a locked exit at night. Do not wait for a written reply.

What to collect as evidence:

• Photos of blocked stairs, padlocked exits, expired or missing extinguishers, and gas cylinders stored indoors
• Screenshots of failed licence, NOC or FSSAI searches, with dates
• The owner's written reply, or a note of the date they refused to show papers
• Rent receipts and your agreement, showing you live there
• Bed count per floor, if the PG is clearly larger than its paperwork suggests

For warning signs to spot before you move in, our list of hostel red flags in India pairs well with this checklist.

What penalties does an unregistered or unsafe PG face?

The penalties are real but differ by state. In Tamil Nadu, running a women's hostel without a licence carries up to two years in jail and a Rs 50,000 fine. In Maharashtra, failing to maintain fire equipment carries six months to three years and up to Rs 50,000. Disobeying a police order can attract BNS s.223.

• Tamil Nadu. Section 20(1) of the 2014 Act sets up to two years and a fine of up to Rs 50,000 for having no licence. That ceiling is five times the Rs 10,000 maximum licence fee (50,000 ÷ 10,000 = 5), so registering is far cheaper than the risk. Other breaches, such as blocked stairs, carry two to three years and a Rs 50,000 fine for a first offence under s.20(3).
• Maharashtra. Section 36 punishes failure to maintain fire equipment, and a false s.3(3) certificate, with rigorous imprisonment of six months to three years and a fine of Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000. A continuing offence adds up to Rs 3,000 a day after conviction: 30 more days could add up to 3,000 x 30 = Rs 90,000. These are ceilings set by the law, not typical court outcomes.
• Police orders anywhere. Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 punishes disobeying a lawfully promulgated order with up to six months or a fine of up to Rs 2,500, rising to one year or Rs 5,000 where the disobedience endangers life, health or safety. This is the section the Pune bookings were reported under.

Your aim is a safe room, so if a complaint could close the PG, have a plan to move. Our guide on how to choose the right PG helps you shortlist a replacement quickly.

Ask for the papers before you pay

Check before the deposit leaves your account. Send the owner one message asking for the licence or registration number, the latest fire certificate, the FSSAI number and confirmation that your details will go to the police, then check each number on the portals in this guide. If the answers do not add up and you are already living there, file the illegal PG complaint with the right office and keep copies of everything. Licensing rules change by city and year, so take this as general information, not legal advice, and check a specific problem with a lawyer or your district legal services authority via NALSA.