One Officer, Two Powers: Mumbai's New Approach To Rent Disputes

Mumbai faces a striking contradiction: a rent-control law designed to protect both landlords and tenants has, through decades of administrative inertia, let down both. The Maharashtra Rent Control Act, 1999 (Act) created a fast-track framework for resolving possession disputes, bypassing ordinary civil-court delays. Yet enforcement remained fragmented and slow.

At a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on April 10, 2026, government data revealed approximately 18,553 rent-related cases pending in Mumbai's civil courts, many unresolved for years. Deterred by protracted litigation and uncertain enforcement, landlords increasingly kept properties vacant rather than offer them for rent. In a city where high property prices push most of the workforce into the rental market, this reduced supply precisely when demand peaked.