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Rentagree

Rent agreement in Kochi

Kochi follows Kerala's rules. Here is what applies before you sign a residential rent agreement.

Agreement format
Lease Agreement
Governing act
Kerala Buildings (Lease and Rent Control) Act, 1965 (stamp duty under the Kerala Stamp Act, 1959)
Stamp duty basis
Flat statutory amount
Stamp duty rule
Flat ₹500 stamp for a residential agreement under one year (raised from ₹200, effective 1 April 2024). Registration is optional for 11-month terms; if you register, the fee is about 2% of the agreement value
Security deposit
Excluded from the dutiable base
Registration
Registration is optional for agreements up to 11 months; mandatory only for leases that exceed one year (Registration Act 1908, ss. 17–18)
e-Stamp portal
Kerala Registration Department (PEARL)

Law checked: Not yet verified · Procedure checked: Not yet verified. Confirm with the official portal before paying duty.

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Questions about renting in Kochi

Which agreement format is used in Kochi?
Kochi follows Kerala, where the usual format is a lease agreement. The governing law in our data is the Kerala Buildings (Lease and Rent Control) Act, 1965 (stamp duty under the Kerala Stamp Act, 1959).
How is stamp duty worked out in Kochi?
Flat ₹500 stamp for a residential agreement under one year (raised from ₹200, effective 1 April 2024). Registration is optional for 11-month terms; if you register, the fee is about 2% of the agreement value. Treat this as indicative and confirm it on the official portal before paying.
Do I need to register a rent agreement in Kochi?
Registration is optional for agreements up to 11 months; mandatory only for leases that exceed one year (Registration Act 1908, ss. 17–18).
Where do I pay stamp duty for Kochi?
Our data lists Kerala Registration Department (PEARL) for Kerala.
How is the security deposit treated for stamp duty in Kochi?
Excluded from the dutiable base.

Guides

Source data: Starting point: a third-party public stamp-duty and registration dataset published under CC BY 4.0, fetched 2026-10-20. Not independently verified: lawVerified/procedureVerified are null until each row is checked against the state Stamp Act and the official portal. Replace with primary-source data before launch.