News: PG Rental Safety Checklist: Floors, Seepage, Fire Exits-08-09-2026
Sunday’s building collapse in Delhi has revived concern about structural safety, unauthorised construction and ageing residential buildings in the capital. For those living in paying guest (PG) accommodation, it is a reminder that rent, location and amenities are not the only things to check.
Real estate consultants say renters should run a basic safety audit covering structural and legal red flags before signing an agreement, especially in older buildings in Mumbai and Delhi.
Unsanctioned vertical extensions: A new top floor, terrace room or mezzanine should not be assumed legal. Tenants should compare the actual number of floors with the sanctioned plan and completion/occupancy documents. In Mumbai, certified copies of sanctioned plans, IOD, commencement and occupation certificates can be sought from the relevant Building Proposal office of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). In Delhi, the MCD building-approval system gives access to sanctioned-plan and completion-cum-occupancy processes.
Excavation and seepage: Fresh basement excavation, exposed foundations, persistent dampness, major cracks or falling plaster are warning signs. If cracks are widening, doors and windows suddenly jam, floors look uneven or reinforcement is exposed, tenants should ask the landlord about the building’s structural stability report.
Occupancy Certificate or Fire NOC: Tenants should ask for the Occupancy/Completion Certificate and applicable fire clearance. Madhur Ramkrishna, a Mumbai-based architect, said Delhi’s fire certification applies to residential buildings above 15 metres or ground-plus-four upper storeys, and separately to hotels and guest houses above 12 metres or ground-plus-three upper storeys. In Mumbai, high-rise and special buildings need fire-department clearance before an occupancy certificate is issued.
Overcrowding and blocked exits: Too many beds, locked staircases, blocked corridors, improvised rooms or grills across exits are red flags. Escape routes must be practically usable, Ramkrishna said.
Age of the building: Mumbai requires buildings in use for more than 30 years to be inspected by a qualified structural engineer under Section 353B of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act. Delhi also has a 30-year structural audit requirement, while high-rise buildings of 15 metres or more sanctioned before March 21, 2001 are subject to mandatory structural-safety audits.
Ashish Sawant, a Mumbai-based architect, said an extra floor or terrace structure may be unauthorised even if it has electricity or property-tax records.
Demand for student-living accommodation is estimated at around 12 million beds against organised co-living inventory of about 300,000 beds, according to Colliers. Organised inventory could reach nearly one million beds by 2030, according to a Moneycontrol report.
