Maharashtra Government Postpones Launch Of Online Rent Agreement 2.0 System Amid Technical Glitches; Revised Version To Go Live from April 21

Pune, 12th April 2025: The launch of the upgraded ‘2.0 system’ for online rent agreement registration in Maharashtra has been postponed for a second time due to the discovery of multiple technical glitches. The state government has now rescheduled the rollout for 21st April aiming to resolve the identified issues before activation.

The online rent agreement registration system, managed by the State Registration and Stamps Department, has gained considerable popularity in cities like Pune for offering convenient, doorstep document handling at affordable rates. With over 7.5 lakh rental agreements processed annually through this platform in Pune alone, the state has been receiving substantial revenue from the initiative.

In response to consistent demands from the Association of Real Estate Agents, police verification for rent agreements was recently included in the system—a feature that took five years of lobbying. However, despite the absence of physical document handling, a handling fee of ₹300 was imposed on users, which triggered criticism from both users and industry representatives.

Sachin Singhvi, President of the Association of Real Estate Agents, submitted a formal statement to the Registration and Stamps Department highlighting over 30 necessary corrections in the new system. According to Singhvi, the 2.0 version requires significant revisions, including issues with Aadhaar-based OTP verifications for landlords, tenants, and witnesses. He raised concerns over the rising threat of cybercrime in urban areas, urging the government to discontinue both Aadhaar and bank OTP authentication methods.

Singhvi also pointed out that, while the state had previously partnered with verified service providers—requiring deposits and background checks—the new portal terminated these collaborations. This, he claimed, has led to a spike in fraudulent registrations. Furthermore, he emphasized that the current system processes agreements solely based on Aadhaar identification without any verification of the actual property involved, which raises serious concerns regarding authenticity.

The government now faces pressure to refine the system, reinforce security protocols, and reinstate reliable service providers to restore trust in the online rental documentation process before the revised launch date.