A complaint against PG owner in Bangalore goes to one of three places: licence and safety breaches to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (helpline 1533 or Sahaaya 2.0), crimes such as lockouts and threats to Bengaluru police, and money lost to poor service to the consumer commission. Match the problem to the route first. Below are the 2024 BBMP PG licence rules, police timelines and the consumer fee worked out in rupees.
For the national helpline list, see our guide on where to file a PG or hostel complaint in India; Hyderabad readers should use our walkthrough of GHMC and Hyderabad police complaints against a PG.
| Key number | Value | Scope / data checked |
|---|---|---|
| GBA civic helpline | 1533, toll free | Greater Bengaluru Authority website, October 2026 |
| Minimum space per PG resident | 70 sq ft per head | BBMP order PR/136/2024-25, 7 August 2024 |
| CCTV footage a PG must keep | 90 days | Same BBMP order, condition 1 |
| Police petition service time | Up to 15 working days | Karnataka State Police citizen services, October 2026 |
| Consumer complaint fee, claim up to Rs 5 lakh | Nil | Consumer commission fee table, amended August 2023 |
| Consumer complaint deadline | 2 years from the problem | Consumer Protection Act 2019, section 69 |
Where to file a complaint against PG owner in Bangalore
Bengaluru has three working routes. The city corporation handles licence and safety breaches such as overcrowding, missing CCTV or no fire clearance. The police handle crimes such as lockouts with your belongings inside, threats or a camera in a private space. The consumer commission handles money lost to poor service.
Each route, checked on official sources in October 2026:
| Bengaluru authority | What it takes up | How to file | Charge | Time limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Bengaluru Authority and your city corporation | Unlicensed PG, overcrowding, no CCTV, water, hygiene, fire clearance | Call 1533, or log it on Sahaaya 2.0 (Namma Bengaluru) | None | No reply time found on GBA's site (October 2026); health officers inspect every 6 months under the 2024 order |
| Bengaluru police, emergency | Violence, being locked in or out, threats happening now | Dial 112 or use the Suraksha app | None | Immediate dispatch |
| Your local police station | Theft, intimidation, trespass, voyeurism, withheld belongings | Written complaint to the station house officer | None | Petition: up to 15 working days; FIR copy: 1 working day |
| District consumer commission | Paid for services not given, unfair charges | Online on e-Jagriti | Nil up to Rs 5 lakh | File within 2 years; commission aims to decide in 3 months |
Some disputes fit two rows: an owner who crams four beds into a two-person room and keeps your laptop is a civic case and a police case. File both and quote each complaint number in the other. Deposit refunds have their own playbook in our guide to legal action when a PG owner keeps your deposit.
How to file a BBMP PG complaint with GBA and Sahaaya 2.0
BBMP has been replaced by the Greater Bengaluru Authority, whose website lists five city corporations: Central, North, South, East and West. A BBMP PG complaint today goes to GBA's toll-free helpline 1533 or to Sahaaya 2.0, its public grievance system, which runs on the web and as the Namma Bengaluru app.
The Greater Bengaluru Authority website shows 1533 in its footer and links "SAHAAYA 2.0 (Public Grievance)" from its e-services panel. To file:
- Find your corporation and ward. Enter the PG's address in GBA's Know Your New Corporation lookup so your complaint names the right body.
- Use the order's own terms. "Three beds in 168 sq ft" beats "too crowded". The ten conditions are below.
- Log it. Sign in to Sahaaya 2.0, or call 1533. Give the full address, the owner's name and the date of each problem, with two or three clear photos.
- Save the complaint number. You will quote it in any police or consumer case.
- Follow up in writing. If nothing moves in two weeks, write to your city corporation's health officer; the 2024 order made health officers responsible for PG compliance checks.
If you do not know whether the PG holds a trade licence at all, our guide on how to check if a PG is registered and report an illegal one covers the checks.
What do the BBMP PG guidelines require from the owner?
The BBMP PG guidelines are a ten-point order dated 7 August 2024 that every PG must meet for a new or renewed trade licence. The key ones are 70 sq ft per resident, CCTV on all entries, exits and corridors with 90 days of storage, 135 litres of water per person a day and a 24/7 security guard.
The BBMP Chief Commissioner's order PR/136/2024-25 (scanned copy hosted by OpenCity) was issued under section 305 of the BBMP Act 2020. It tells health officers to check every PG once in 6 months and to act under sections 307 and 308 of that Act. The conditions, and how to test each:
| Condition | What the order says | How to check it |
|---|---|---|
| 1. CCTV | All entries, exits and corridors covered, 90 days of footage per camera | Ask in writing for footage of a specific date |
| 2. Space | At least 70 sq ft per head; licence fixes the number of occupants | Measure the room, divide by beds |
| 3 and 4. Washrooms and water | Clean washrooms, potable drinking water, 135 litres per person a day | Note dates of dry taps or broken toilets |
| 5. Kitchen | FSSAI licence within 3 months of the trade licence, if the PG runs a mass kitchen | Ask to see the FSSAI licence |
| 6. Security | At least one security guard with checked credentials, 24/7 | Note nights with no guard |
| 7. Fire | Fire safety clearance before the trade licence is granted | Ask to see the clearance |
| 8 to 10. Display, first aid, waste | GBA (formerly BBMP) and police helplines on display, a first aid kit, waste segregation | Photograph the notice board, or its absence |
Worked check: is your room over the limit?
Take a 12 ft by 14 ft room: 12 x 14 = 168 sq ft. Divide by the 70 sq ft minimum: 168 ÷ 70 = 2.4, so the room can be licensed for 2 people. Put three beds in it and each resident gets 168 ÷ 3 = 56 sq ft, which is 70 minus 56 = 14 sq ft short per head. That arithmetic, plus a tape-measure photo, is hard to dismiss.
Water works the same way: a 40-resident PG needs 40 x 135 = 5,400 litres a day under condition 4. Log the dates the tank runs dry.
In September 2026, LiveLaw reported that the Karnataka High Court ordered stricter PG inspections after authorities said about 2,500 of roughly 5,000 PGs in Bengaluru East lacked proper licences or fire safety. The report says the court also barred CCTV in bedrooms, bathrooms and toilets.
When should you go to Bengaluru police instead?
Go to the police when the owner's conduct is a crime, not a licence breach: locking you out with your things inside, threats, entering your room against your will, keeping your property or filming a private space. In an emergency dial 112 or use the Suraksha app; otherwise file in writing at the local station.
According to Karnataka State Police, calls to 112 and alerts from the Suraksha panic app get a response from Pink Hoysala patrol vehicles. The app asks for your name and two emergency contacts. 112 is the national Emergency Response Support System number. Bengaluru City Police also runs women help desks at police stations.
The written complaint and its clock
- Write it once, clearly. Date, time, what happened, who did it, and what you want back.
- Get a receipt. Ask for an acknowledgement on your copy. Karnataka's Receipt and Disposal of Petitions service gives the station a maximum of 15 working days, which at five working days a week is about three weeks.
- Escalate on time. If the 15 days pass, the first appeal and second appeal each have 7 working days: 7 + 7 = 14 more working days at most.
- Collect the FIR copy. If an FIR is registered, the copy-of-FIR service lists 1 working day.
Under section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, you can report a cognizable offence by electronic communication, but you must sign it within three days. The copy must be given to you free. When a Bengaluru station will not register it, BNSS section 173(4) allows you to post the substance to the Superintendent of Police, and then apply to a Magistrate.
Which offence applies is for the police to decide, but these Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 sections come up most often in PG disputes: wrongful restraint, section 126(2), up to one month or a fine up to Rs 5,000; house-trespass, section 329(4), up to one year or a fine up to Rs 5,000; criminal intimidation, section 351(2), up to two years; voyeurism, section 77, one to three years on first conviction. When an owner barges into your room, the details are in our guide to your rights when a PG owner harasses you or enters your room.
Can a Bangalore PG owner be taken to the consumer commission?
Yes. The Consumer Protection Act 2019 defines service to include boarding or lodging, so a paying resident is a consumer. You can file at the district commission where you live or work, online through e-Jagriti, within two years. Claims where you paid up to Rs 5 lakh carry no fee.
The Consumer Protection Act 2019 covers this in section 2(42). Section 34(2)(d) lets you file where you reside or work for gain, and section 35 allows electronic filing. The national portal for that is e-Jagriti, which the Press Information Bureau says was launched on 1 January 2025, absorbed e-Daakhil and now runs in all states and union territories. The National Consumer Helpline on 1915 (8 AM to 8 PM) is a pre-filing option.
Worked numbers: fee and deadline
Fee. Say you paid Rs 11,500 a month for six months at a Whitefield PG that never supplied the promised food or hot water. Value paid: 11,500 x 6 = Rs 69,000. The fee table notified in August 2023 charges nothing up to Rs 5 lakh, Rs 200 from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh, and Rs 400 from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh. Rs 69,000 is under Rs 5,00,000, so the fee is nil. At that rent you would need 5,00,000 ÷ 11,500 = about 43 months of payments before any fee applied.
Deadline. Section 69 says the complaint must be filed within two years of the cause of action. If the owner shut the kitchen on 15 November 2026, two years ends on 15 November 2028, so aim to file by 14 November 2028. Late filing needs a reason the commission accepts. Section 38(7) asks the commission to try to decide within three months of the owner receiving notice.
What to collect as evidence
- Rent receipts, UPI screenshots and any agreement (see PG and hostel tenant rights in India for what an agreement should say)
- Dated photos and short videos of the breach, plus a tape-measure photo for overcrowding
- Your Sahaaya 2.0 or 1533 complaint number and police acknowledgement
- WhatsApp chats with the owner, exported with dates
- A written request for CCTV footage: an incident on 1 November 2026 plus 90 days means that footage can be overwritten from 30 January 2027, so ask in the first week
Your next step in Bengaluru
Pick the problem that matters most and file your complaint against PG owner in Bangalore on the matching route today, keeping every complaint number in one note. If you are moving out, the budget guide to PGs in Bangalore for IT freshers shows what a fair rent looks like, and you can compare options on our Bangalore hostels and PGs page. This guide explains the Bengaluru routes in general terms and is not legal advice; for your own case, a lawyer or the district legal services authority (via the NALSA helpline 15100) is the right next call.
