Delhi’s latest push to regulate paying-guest accommodation is unfolding against a problem that has been building for more than three decades: the city has repeatedly attempted to bring PGs under a formal regulatory framework, but enforcement has struggled to keep pace with the rapid growth of the sector.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the Delhi government is drafting a new policy that will require owners of old buildings to submit structural audit reports and certify their safety before using them to accommodate paying guests, nursing homes, schools and other commercial establishments.
The move follows the collapse of a building housing a PG in south Delhi’s Satya Niketan, bringing renewed attention to structural safety, fire compliance and the conversion of residential properties into commercial accommodation.
Yet, the policy is far from Delhi’s first attempt to address the issue. Records cited in a 2006 Delhi High Court judgment show that regulation of paying-guest accommodation in the capital dates back to at least 1993. A Central government scheme introduced that year allowed residential properties to provide boarding and lodging to tourists, provided the owner also lived at the premises.
Delhi subsequently introduced its own Paying Guest Residential Accommodation Scheme in 2000 under the Sheila Dikshit government. House owners could register with Delhi Tourism, but the scheme limited PG use to half the bedrooms, with a maximum of four rooms or eight beds.
The framework, however, was designed around homeowners accommodating guests rather than the large, commercially operated PGs that later became common around universities, coaching centres and employment hubs.
As the business changed, the regulatory framework increasingly appeared out of step with the market. In 2019, a Delhi Assembly committee examining problems faced by students around Delhi University sought a list of PGs and other establishments operating in the area. It also asked authorities to clarify the rules governing fire safety, building norms and health licences, as well as identify regulatory gaps.
The committee later recorded that the requested documentation had not been received. The issue resurfaced in 2021 when the erstwhile North Delhi Municipal Corporation proposed a survey of PGs, particularly around Delhi University’s North Campus, and registration of establishments operating commercially.
In 2022, discussions involving the Delhi government’s Home Department, Delhi Police and civic agencies led to a proposal to bring around 700 private hostels and PGs used by college students under a Delhi Police licensing system.
The proposed framework was expected to cover occupancy limits, kitchens, elevators, fire clearances and other facilities. Officials also acknowledged that there was no statutory body specifically responsible for regulating such establishments.
By 2023, the gaps remained. Following a fire at a women’s PG in Mukherjee Nagar, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi ordered another survey. Officials said there were no specific norms governing PG operations in residential areas and that the civic body did not issue PG licences, although building, land-use and fire-safety regulations still applied.
The survey found more than 100 PG establishments allegedly violating building bylaws. That history gives the latest policy announcement a larger significance. The challenge is no longer simply whether Delhi has rules, but whether the city has an effective system to identify PGs, verify their structural condition, enforce occupancy and fire norms, and hold property owners accountable.
The growth of commercial PGs has also created a regulatory grey area between residential housing and organised accommodation. Properties designed for families are increasingly being adapted to house larger numbers of tenants, often without a corresponding change in safety oversight.
The proposed structural audit requirement could therefore mark a shift towards preventive regulation, provided it is backed by regular inspections and a clear licensing mechanism.
For Delhi, the Satya Niketan collapse has once again put PG safety on the policy agenda. The more difficult question is whether this effort will finally close gaps that previous schemes, surveys and committees have left unresolved.
