To make a complaint against PG owner in Delhi, match the problem to the body: Delhi Police (112 or its online portal) for threats, lockouts, theft or harassment; MCD (155305 or MCD311) for licensing and civic hazards; and the district consumer commission for money, free to file below Rs 5 lakh. Most students need two of the three. This guide walks through each Delhi system, the forms and the numbers that apply.
If you are outside Delhi or not sure what kind of problem you have, our national guide on where to file a PG or hostel complaint sorts issues by type first. This post stays with the Delhi offices, portals and rules.
| Key number | Value | Scope / data checked |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi Police women's safety helplines | 1091 and 1096 | Delhi Police Citizens' Charter, October 2026 |
| Window to sign an online police complaint | 3 days | BNSS 2023, section 173(1)(ii) |
| MCD citizen call centre | 155305 (app: MCD311) | MCD portal, October 2026 |
| MCD lodging/boarding licence, up to 20 beds | Rs 23,000 a year plus Rs 10,000 one-time registration | MCD Health Trade Licence fee table, FY 2025-28 |
| Consumer commission fee, claims paid up to Rs 5 lakh | Nil | Consumer Commission Rules, 2023 amendment |
| Time limit for a consumer complaint | 2 years from the cause of action | Consumer Protection Act 2019, section 69 |
Which Delhi authority handles a complaint against a PG owner?
Delhi splits PG problems across three systems. Delhi Police takes anything criminal: entering your room, locking you out, threats, theft and harassment. MCD controls lodging licences and civic hazards in its area. The district consumer commission handles refunds, overcharging and services you paid for but never got. Pick by what you want: protection, an inspection, or your money.
This table is built only from the Delhi Police, MCD and central government pages linked in it, checked October 2026.
| Delhi authority / portal | Problems it handles | Filing method | Fee | Response or limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi Police emergency | Danger now: violence, forced eviction in progress, being locked in | Call 112 | Free | Immediate |
| Delhi Police Complaint Lodging | Written complaints: trespass, threats, harassment, withheld belongings | Citizen login on the CCTNS portal | Free | Sign within 3 days (BNSS s.173) |
| Delhi Police Theft e-FIR | Theft of your property from the PG | Stolen Report on the portal | Free | e-FIR lodged online |
| Women's safety and North-East helplines | Harassment of women; issues faced by North-Eastern residents | 1091 or 1096; 1093 | Free | Helpline |
| MCD 311 | Civic and sanitation complaints in MCD areas | MCD311 app, web form or 155305 | Free | Track with complaint number |
| District consumer commission via e-Jagriti | Refunds, deficient service, unfair charges | Online on e-Jagriti | Nil up to Rs 5 lakh paid | 2 years to file; 3-month disposal target |
A lockout often touches all three. The police deal with the lock, the commission deals with the money, and MCD matters only if the building itself is unlicensed or unsafe. Our guide to being evicted from a PG without notice covers that sequence in detail.
How do you file a Delhi Police complaint against a PG owner?
Use 112 if the situation is happening now. Otherwise, file in writing at the police station for your PG's area or on the Delhi Police Complaint Lodging portal, then sign it within three days. Theft goes on the separate Theft e-FIR portal. Always leave with a written acknowledgement or a complaint number.
- Decide if it is urgent. The Delhi Police online portal itself says to call 112 for immediate help, because online complaints take time to reach an officer.
- Write the complaint. Give the PG address, the owner's or manager's name, dates and times, what was said or done, and who saw it. Attach copies, never originals.
- File it. Either submit at the police station that covers the PG, or create a citizen login on the Delhi Police Complaint Lodging portal. For stolen laptops, phones or cash, use the Theft e-FIR portal instead.
- Sign within three days. Under section 173(1)(ii) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, information sent electronically is taken on record once the sender signs it within three days. Submit on Monday 12 October and you must sign by Thursday 15 October.
- Collect your copy. Section 173(2) gives you a free copy of the recorded information. The Delhi Police Citizens' Charter also says written petitions are acknowledged on your copy and that the SHO or investigating officer will hear both sides.
- Escalate if refused. Section 173(4) lets you post the substance of the complaint to the Superintendent of Police; Delhi's police districts are headed by a Deputy Commissioner of Police, so address it to your district DCP. If that also fails, section 175(3) lets a Magistrate order an investigation on your application with an affidavit.
Which law applies changes how the police act. These are from the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, with cognizability from the BNSS First Schedule:
| What the owner did | BNS section | Maximum punishment |
|---|---|---|
| Entered or stayed in your room to intimidate or annoy you | 329(4), house-trespass (cognizable) | 1 year, or fine up to Rs 5,000, or both |
| Blocked you from leaving or entering | 126(2), wrongful restraint | 1 month simple imprisonment, or fine up to Rs 5,000, or both |
| Locked you inside | 127(2), wrongful confinement | 1 year, or fine up to Rs 5,000, or both |
| Threatened you to make you pay or leave | 351(2), criminal intimidation (non-cognizable) | 2 years, or fine, or both |
| Sexual remarks or unwelcome advances | 75, sexual harassment; 79 for insulting a woman's modesty or intruding on her privacy | Section 79: 3 years and fine |
For a non-cognizable matter such as a plain threat, section 174 means the officer records it and refers you to a Magistrate rather than investigating on their own. Ask for that entry anyway; it creates a dated record. For harassment that does not stop at words, read our guide to PG owner harassment and your rights when the owner enters your room.
Two Delhi-only lines are worth saving. The Citizens' Charter lists 1091 and 1096 for women's safety, and states that every police station has a Women Help Desk. When a woman reports an offence under BNS sections 74 to 79, section 173 requires a woman officer to record it. The charter also lists 1093, a Delhi Police helpline for residents from the North-Eastern states.
The charter also says owners must tell the local police whenever they keep a tenant, and Delhi Police runs tenant registration online. Ask your owner for proof it was done; our police verification guide for PG residents explains the process.
Can MCD act against an unlicensed or unsafe PG in Delhi?
Yes, if the PG lies in MCD's area. MCD licenses lodging and boarding houses as a health trade through a unified portal shared with Delhi Fire Service, the pollution committee and Delhi Police. Report a civic hazard on the MCD311 app or 155305. In New Delhi Municipal Council or Cantonment areas, MCD is the wrong office.
MCD lists a separate health trade licence for lodging, boarding and guest houses, issued through the Unified Health Trade Licensing Portal, which names MCD, NDMC, Delhi Fire Service, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee and the Delhi Cantonment Board as the agencies on it. So first find out who governs the PG's street.
The fee shows the licence is not a heavy burden. MCD's health trade licence fee table for FY 2025-28 charges a lodging boarding house of up to 20 beds Rs 23,000 a year, which is the earlier Rs 20,000 plus the 15% rise the table builds in every three years (20,000 x 1.15 = 23,000). Spread over 20 beds that is Rs 1,150 a bed a year, or about Rs 96 a month (1,150 ÷ 12). Above 20 beds the fee is Rs 34,500. The first year adds a one-time registration of Rs 10,000, so a 20-bed house pays Rs 33,000 in year one.
Fire safety is linked to that licence. MCD's licence terms say an applicant must obtain a fire NOC before applying. Under rule 27 of the Delhi Fire Service Rules 2010, guest houses taller than 12 metres or ground plus three upper storeys count as fire-risk occupancies, a stricter threshold than the 15 metres or ground plus four that applies to ordinary residential buildings.
For what you can see from the lane, such as overflowing garbage, blocked drains, or construction work on the floor above, file on MCD 311 through the app or web form, or call 155305, and keep the complaint number. To check whether your PG is registered at all, our guide on checklist for spotting an unregistered PG and reporting it goes step by step.
Complaint against PG owner in Delhi over money: the consumer commission
When you want money back or compensation for a service that never arrived, the district consumer commission is the right forum. Filing is free if the total you paid is Rs 5 lakh or less, you can file online through e-Jagriti, and you have two years from the date the problem arose.
Here is the arithmetic. The 2023 amendment to the Consumer Commission Rules sets the fee by the value you paid, not the amount you claim. A student paying Rs 11,000 a month for 12 months has paid 11,000 x 12 = Rs 1,32,000. That is below the Rs 5,00,000 slab, so the fee is nil. The next slab, above Rs 5 lakh and up to Rs 10 lakh, costs Rs 200, a level few PG stays reach.
The deadline counts from the event. Section 69 of the Consumer Protection Act 2019 allows two years from the date the cause of action arose. If the owner switched off the promised AC and refused a pro-rata refund on 20 November 2026, the two years run out on 20 November 2028. A late case needs the commission to accept a reason for the delay, so do not rely on that.
You need not file in the owner's district. Section 34(2)(d) lets you file where you live or work, which helps after you have moved out to another part of Delhi. Under section 38(7), the target for a decision is three months from the date the owner gets notice of the complaint. Our guide to filing a consumer complaint against a PG or hostel online walks through the e-Jagriti form screen by screen.
What evidence should you collect first?
Gather proof before you complain, because Delhi Police, MCD and the commission all decide on paper. Keep payment records, the agreement, dated photos or video and the names of witnesses, and store copies off your phone. This takes an hour and makes each route faster.
- Rent receipts, UPI or bank entries, and the deposit receipt
- The PG agreement or the WhatsApp messages that set the terms
- Dated photos or video of the lock, damage, missing items or the unsafe condition
- Screenshots of threatening messages, with the number visible
- Names and phone numbers of roommates who saw what happened
- Complaint numbers from 112, the police portal or MCD 311, with dates
Your next step in Delhi
Write a one-page timeline tonight, with dates, amounts and names, and send the owner a calm written message asking for the specific fix by a set date. If you are unsafe, call 112 first and write later. If the reply never comes, file your complaint against PG owner in Delhi with the police for conduct and with the district commission for money, and use MCD 311 only for the building. Before you sign for your next room, compare options on our list of PGs in Delhi near metro stations or browse verified Delhi PGs and hostels. For advice on your particular dispute, rather than the general information here, contact a lawyer or the Delhi State Legal Services Authority, which lists helplines 15100 and 1516.
