Skip to content

Independent. Unsponsored. Built for India.

Live rates Repo rate 5.50% USD/INR ₹96.73 Gold 24K (10g) ₹1,49,430 All rates
Advertiser disclosure. Some links on this page are partner links. They never change our rankings. Read how

Credsir earns money when you apply for a product through some of the links on this site. That revenue funds the research. It does not buy a placement: our rankings come from a published scoring method that runs on the same data for every product, partner or not. Products we do not earn from appear in these lists whenever they win on the numbers — and several currently do.

Stamp Paper & Legal Documents

Leave and Licence Agreement: Maharashtra Online Registration Explained

A leave and licence agreement allows use of a property without a tenancy. Maharashtra requires registration, which you can do online on IGR.

PN

Written by Priya Nair

Published 2 October 2026·6 min read

On this page9 sections
Credsir Stamp Paper & Legal Documents guide cover with a stamp icon

A leave and licence agreement lets a licensee use a property without becoming a tenant. In Maharashtra, Section 55 of the Maharashtra Rent Control Act, 1999 makes registration compulsory, and you can register it fully online on the IGR Leave and License 2.0 portal. Stamp duty is 0.25% of the rent and deposit value for terms up to 60 months.

Key facts

Item Detail for Maharashtra
Registration Compulsory under Section 55, Maharashtra Rent Control Act, 1999, whatever the term
Who must register The licensor (owner)
Penalty on the owner Up to 3 months’ imprisonment, a fine of up to ₹5,000, or both
Stamp duty (up to 60 months) 0.25% of total rent plus non-refundable deposit plus 10% a year interest on the refundable deposit (Article 36A)
Stamp duty (over 60 months) Same as a lease under Article 36
Registration fee ₹1,000 in urban areas, ₹500 in rural areas, as reported by MCHI-CREDAI Thane
Other charge Document Handling Charges (DHC), paid separately online
Online portal Leave and License 2.0, IGR Maharashtra
Agreement period on the portal 1 to 60 months

Licence vs lease: why the difference matters

Section 52 of the Indian Easements Act, 1882 defines a licence as a right to do something on another person’s property that would otherwise be unlawful, where that right does not create an easement or an interest in the property. A lease under the Transfer of Property Act, 1882 transfers a right to enjoy the property, which is an interest in it.

For owners, a licence is easier to end at the close of the term because the occupant has no interest in the property. In Maharashtra, Section 55 also protects the occupant. If the owner does not register the agreement, the occupant’s version of the terms prevails unless the owner proves otherwise.

A rent agreement in most other states is a lease, with different stamp duty and registration rules. Our rent agreement guide covers those; this page is about the Maharashtra licence format and its online registration.

What the agreement contains

ItemDetails
Licensor and licenseenames, addresses and Aadhaar-based identity of each party.
Propertyaddress, type (residential or non-residential) and area.
Periodstart date, number of months and any lock-in period.
Licence feefixed monthly amount, or varying amounts with the increase each year.
Depositrefundable and non-refundable amounts, shown separately.
Termsmaintenance, society charges, utility bills, notice period and permitted use.
Witnessestwo common witnesses for all parties, or two witnesses for each party.

Stamp duty and registration fee

Article 36A of Schedule I to the Maharashtra Stamp Act sets the duty for agreements up to 60 months. Add three amounts and take 0.25% of the total:

  1. The total licence fee (rent) for the whole period.
  2. Any non-refundable deposit or advance.
  3. Interest at 10% a year on the refundable deposit.

Example: rent of ₹25,000 for 11 months is ₹2,75,000. Interest at 10% a year on a ₹1,00,000 refundable deposit for 11 months is about ₹9,167. The total is ₹2,84,167, so stamp duty is about ₹710. The portal’s calculator gives the exact figure after rounding.

Add the registration fee and DHC on top. The Leave and License 2.0 portal has a stamp duty calculator that shows all three before you start. For the tax side of rent, see our guide to TDS on rent.

Online registration on IGR Maharashtra: step by step

These steps follow the IGR Leave and License 2.0 user manual. You need a webcam and a biometric fingerprint device (Mantra or SecuGen) at the place where the parties sign. You can also use an Authorised Service Provider listed on the IGR website for Mumbai, Pune or Thane.

  1. Open the Leave and License 2.0 portal and click Register. Enter your name, address, email, mobile number and an identity document, then create a username (8 to 20 characters) and password.
  2. Log in with username, password and captcha, and enter the OTP sent to your mobile.
  3. Click New Document Entry.
  4. Under General Information, choose residential or non-residential, the place of execution, who pays the fees (licensor, licensee or both equally), the refundable and non-refundable deposits, and fixed or varying rent.
  5. Enter the agreement period (1 to 60 months), start date, lock-in period and average monthly rent, then click Save.
  6. Add the property details and each party’s details, fetching name and address through Aadhaar.
  7. Add the witnesses, again through Aadhaar.
  8. Click Calculate & Save to see the stamp duty.
  9. Click Make Payment for stamp duty and registration fee. Confirm with OTP, choose a GRAS payment mode (internet banking, bank counter, payment gateway or UPI), pay, then click Get GRN to verify.
  10. Click Make Payment again for DHC and pay through SBI ePay.
  11. For each party and witness, use Photo Capture and Fingerprint Capture, then click EKYC and verify with the Aadhaar number and fingerprint.
  12. Fill in the tenant details for police records: permanent address, police station, previous address, workplace and family members, with a PDF address proof of up to 2 MB.
  13. Upload supporting documents, review the Final Draft and Police Information Report, and click Submit Document.
  14. When the sub-registrar approves, the status changes to Successfully Registered. Download the agreement, Index II and receipt.

Aadhaar e-KYC and biometric requirements

The portal verifies every licensor, licensee and witness through Aadhaar e-KYC with a live fingerprint. Photo and fingerprint capture must finish before the EKYC button turns on. Photos must be in colour, with a full front view of the face against a plain white or off-white background. A party without Aadhaar, or one who cannot give a fingerprint, may need to register at a sub-registrar office instead.

Police intimation

The Leave and License 2.0 form includes a Tenant Information for Police Records section. It collects the tenant’s permanent and previous addresses, the police station, work details and family members, and generates a Police Information Report with the application. Check with your local police station whether it needs anything more.

For a commercial licence, a long term or a dispute over an existing occupant, a property lawyer can review the terms before you register.

Frequently asked questions

Is registration of a leave and licence agreement compulsory in Maharashtra?

Yes. Section 55 of the Maharashtra Rent Control Act, 1999 requires every leave and licence agreement to be in writing and registered, and the owner is responsible for it.

What is Leave and License 2.0?

It is the IGR Maharashtra portal for registering leave and licence agreements online, with Aadhaar e-KYC, online payment and a downloadable registered agreement.

How is stamp duty calculated for an 11-month agreement?

Take 0.25% of the total rent for 11 months plus any non-refundable deposit plus 10% a year interest on the refundable deposit.

What is the registration fee for leave and licence in Pune or Mumbai?

MCHI-CREDAI Thane reports ₹1,000 for urban areas and ₹500 for rural areas. DHC is charged on top; the portal calculator shows the exact total.

What is the difference between a leave and licence agreement and a rent agreement?

A licence gives only permission to use the property and creates no interest in it. A lease, the usual rent agreement, transfers a right to enjoy the property.

Can the agreement be longer than 60 months?

The online portal accepts up to 60 months. Longer licences attract the stamp duty that applies to leases under Article 36.

What happens if the owner does not register the agreement?

The owner can face up to three months’ imprisonment, a fine of up to ₹5,000, or both. The occupant’s version of the terms is presumed correct unless proved otherwise.

Sources

Related articles