To prepare for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the Capital may have registered over 1,400 properties under its ‘Bed and Breakfast’ scheme so far, but the Delhi government has decided to amend rules and regulations regarding ownership of properties in the act, which allows registration of B&B homes in the Capital.

According to Delhi government officials, while the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Incredible India) Bed and Breakfast Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Act 2007 has strict rules in terms of the conduct of the owner running the B&B home, there is no provision to keep a check on the residential status of the property or the true ownership of the property.

“We noticed that many properties that were being registered for the scheme were mired in legal cases regarding ownership,” said a Delhi government official. “As per the new regulation, persons applying for the scheme have to present all papers proving his or her ownership rights over the property. It will be mandatory for the property owner to own the property before registering the property under the scheme,” the official said, adding, that this will increase the number of property registrations for the scheme as the government has had to turn down several requests because of ownership discrepancies reported upon verification.

Apart from this, in an attempt to crack down upon property owners who have registered under the B&B scheme but are running commercial ventures like guest houses, the government has decided to introduce another rule that makes it mandatory for the owner to live on the property.

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