Market shape
DHA rentals quote a monthly rent plus a refundable security deposit, commonly two to three months, with rent paid monthly or quarterly in advance. Houses are frequently split into upper and lower portions with separate meters and entrances; portions are the workhorse of the DHA rental market and typically rent for well under a full house.
Annual increases of around ten percent are customary and should be written into the agreement rather than left to negotiation each year.
The agreement and registration
- Put the tenancy in writing: rent, deposit, increase, notice period, maintenance split, and an inventory of fittings.
- Tenant registration with the local police is a legal requirement — landlords should file the tenant's particulars promptly.
- Agree in writing who pays which bills and DHA charges; disputes here sour more tenancies than rent does.
For overseas landlords
An overseas landlord needs three things set up once: a trusted local point of contact (a relative or a professional manager) for inspections and repairs, rent collection into a Pakistani bank account in the landlord's own name, and a clear written mandate for whoever shows the property and signs on their behalf. Rental management is exactly the kind of recurring, low-glamour work that goes wrong informally — formalize it.