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Agricultural land lease agreement generator for NRI landowners

Fill in six short steps — owner, tenant, land, term and rent, payment and extra clauses — and get a complete agricultural land lease agreement you can copy, print or download. It is written to protect an owner who lives abroad: the tenant farms only with permission, for a fixed term, gets no tenancy or ownership rights, and pays only into your bank account.

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Rent for the term · 11 months (one crop year)

₹2,50,000

Rupees Two Lakh Fifty Thousand only

AGRICULTURAL LAND LEASE AGREEMENT
(Theka / fixed rent)

This Agreement is made at [Place] on the date written below.

BETWEEN

[Owner’s full name], S/o [father’s / husband’s name], presently residing at [Owner’s address abroad] (the “Owner”),

AND

[Tenant’s full name], S/o [father’s / husband’s name], resident of [Tenant’s village and address] (the “Tenant”).

1. THE LAND
The Owner is the recorded owner of agricultural land bearing Khasra / Survey No. [Khasra / survey no.], measuring 5 acres, situated in Village [Village], Tehsil [Tehsil], District [District], Punjab (the “Land”), as shown in the current record of rights.

2. TERM
2.1 The Owner permits the Tenant to cultivate the Land for eleven (11) months, from [start date] to [end date] (the “Term”).
2.2 The Term ends automatically on the last date above. It shall not renew or extend by conduct, by acceptance of rent, or by the Tenant remaining on the Land. Any renewal shall be only by a fresh written agreement signed by the Owner.

3. RENT
3.1 The rent for the Term is ₹2,50,000 (Rupees Two Lakh Fifty Thousand only), calculated at ₹50,000 per acre per year for 5 acres.
3.2 The rent shall be paid in full, in advance, on or before the start date.
3.3 Rent shall be paid only by bank transfer to the Owner’s NRO [Bank name] account ending [last 4 digits], held in the name of [Owner’s full name]. No payment in cash, or to any other person, shall be treated as payment to the Owner. The bank record shall be the proof of payment.
3.4 If any rent remains unpaid for thirty (30) days after it falls due, the Owner may end this Agreement by written notice, and the Tenant shall hand back the Land as set out in Clause 9.

4. PERMISSIVE POSSESSION — NO TENANCY OR OWNERSHIP RIGHTS
4.1 The Tenant acknowledges that the Owner is the sole owner of the Land and that the Tenant’s use of it is only permissive, for cultivation, and only for the Term.
4.2 This Agreement does not create, and the Tenant shall not claim, any tenancy, occupancy, ownership, co-ownership, adverse-possession or other right, title or interest in the Land, whether under any tenancy or land reforms law or otherwise, beyond the limited permission given here.
4.3 The Tenant shall not deny the Owner’s title at any time, whether during the Term or afterwards.

5. REVENUE ENTRIES
5.1 Any entry in the khasra girdawari, crop inspection register or any other revenue record showing the Tenant as cultivator shall be only because of this permissive Agreement and shall not create any right in favour of the Tenant.
5.2 The Tenant shall not apply for, or allow, any entry in any record describing the Tenant as owner, tenant-at-will with rights, occupancy tenant or possessor in his own right, and shall sign any document needed to correct such an entry.

6. USE OF THE LAND
6.1 The Land shall be used only for agriculture.
6.2 The Tenant shall not sublet, assign or part with possession of the Land, or any part of it, to anyone.
6.3 Without the Owner’s prior written consent, the Tenant shall not build any structure (pucca or kacha), shed, room, wall or boundary; bore or install any tube-well or well; change, move or remove any boundary, mend or demarcation mark; or level, dig or change the Land in any lasting way.
6.4 Anything built or installed in breach of this clause may be removed at the Tenant’s cost and gives the Tenant no right or claim to compensation.
6.5 The Tenant shall not burn crop residue (stubble) on the Land and shall comply with all applicable environmental rules; any penalty imposed for such burning shall be paid by the Tenant.
6.6 The Tenant shall not cut any tree, or remove soil, sand or earth from the Land.
6.7 The Tenant shall not take any loan, crop loan, subsidy or other benefit by showing the Land as owned by the Tenant, and shall not pledge or encumber the Land in any way.

7. INSPECTION
The Owner, and any person authorised by the Owner in writing, may inspect the Land at any reasonable time. The Owner may also monitor the Land by satellite imagery, drone survey or photographs, and the Tenant consents to such monitoring.

8. TAXES AND DUES
Land revenue and any charge on ownership shall be paid by the Owner. Charges arising from the Tenant’s cultivation shall be paid by the Tenant.

9. HANDOVER
9.1 On the end of the Term, or earlier termination, the Tenant shall hand back vacant and peaceful possession of the entire Land to the Owner, or to the person the Owner names in writing, in the same condition as received, after harvesting any standing crop sown within the Term.
9.2 The Tenant shall not sow any crop that cannot be harvested before the end of the Term without the Owner’s written consent.
9.3 If the Tenant does not hand back the Land, the Tenant shall be a trespasser from the end of the Term and shall be liable for damages for use and occupation, in addition to any other remedy of the Owner.

10. TERMINATION
The Owner may end this Agreement by written notice if the Tenant breaches any term of it. Notice may be given by registered post, email or WhatsApp to the Tenant’s address or number recorded here.

11. REGISTRATION AND STAMP DUTY
This Agreement shall be executed on non-judicial stamp paper of the value required in Punjab, and shall be registered if the law so requires. Stamp duty and registration fees shall be borne by the Tenant.

12. GOVERNING LAW AND JURISDICTION
This Agreement is governed by the laws of India and of Punjab. Only the courts and revenue authorities at [District] shall have jurisdiction.

13. ENTIRE AGREEMENT
This is the complete agreement between the parties. Any change is valid only if made in writing and signed by the Owner and the Tenant.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties have signed this Agreement at [Place] on the date written below.

Date: ____________________

OWNER
[Owner’s full name]
Signature: ____________________

TENANT
[Tenant’s full name]
Signature / thumb impression: ____________________

WITNESSES
1. Name: ____________________
   Address: ____________________
   Signature: ____________________

2. Name: ____________________
   Address: ____________________
   Signature: ____________________

Attach: copy of the current record of rights (jamabandi / khatauni / 7/12), ID proofs of both parties, and a sketch of the Land.

A starting draft, not legal advice. Tenancy and land-reform laws differ sharply by state, and some restrict leasing farmland altogether. Have a local lawyer check it, sign it on stamp paper of the right value, and register it where the law requires — generally for a lease longer than a year.

How to use it

  1. Enter your details, and switch on ‘A relative will sign for me’ if someone in India holds a Special Power of Attorney for leasing.
  2. Add the tenant, then the land exactly as it appears in the record — village, tehsil, district, khasra number and area.
  3. Choose theka (fixed rent), chakota (lump sum) or batai (crop share), the term and how rent is paid — the preview updates as you type.
  4. Copy, print or download the draft, then have a local lawyer check it before it is signed on stamp paper and registered where required.

What is the difference between theka, chakota and batai?

Theka is a fixed cash rent, usually quoted per acre (or killa) per year. For example, 5 acres at ₹50,000 per acre is ₹2,50,000 for one crop year. It is the simplest arrangement to track from abroad, because the only thing to check is whether the money arrived.

Chakota is another north Indian term for a fixed rent agreed in advance, often as one lump sum for the whole term. Batai is sharecropping: instead of cash, you get an agreed share of each crop — commonly half — or its sale value.

Batai is harder to verify from overseas, because your income depends on the tenant’s account of the harvest and the sale price. If you choose it, ask for the mandi sale slip (J-form in Punjab) for every sale and have your share paid into your bank.

Which clauses protect an NRI landowner the most?

The core clause is an acknowledgement that the tenant’s possession is permissive — by your permission, for cultivation, for a fixed term — and that it creates no tenancy, occupancy or ownership right. Pair it with a ban on subletting and on building, boring a tube-well or moving any boundary without your written consent.

Two more matter in practice. First, rent only by bank transfer into your own account, so every year of permission leaves a record. Second, a clause saying any girdawari (crop inspection) entry naming the tenant as cultivator exists only because of the agreement and gives no right — and that the tenant will sign to correct it if needed.

Finally, the term must end on a fixed date and must not renew just because the tenant stays on or you accept money. Renew only by signing a fresh agreement.

Does a land lease agreement need to be registered?

Under Section 17 of the Registration Act, 1908, a lease of immovable property from year to year, for more than a year, or reserving a yearly rent generally has to be registered. That is the main reason many owners use an 11-month agreement and sign a fresh one each year.

Every lease also has to be on stamp paper of the value your state requires; an unstamped or under-stamped agreement can’t be relied on in court until the duty and penalty are paid. The amount differs by state and by rent and term, so ask the lawyer or the sub-registrar’s office which value applies.

Can you lease farmland in every state?

No — state land-reform and tenancy laws decide this, and they differ a lot. Kerala generally bars creating new agricultural tenancies, Karnataka restricts leasing with narrow exceptions, and states such as Maharashtra and Gujarat give agricultural tenants strong protection. A private agreement cannot override these laws.

In 2016 NITI Aayog published a Model Agricultural Land Leasing Act to encourage states to allow written, time-bound leases that protect owners, but states have adopted its ideas unevenly. So treat this generator as a starting draft and have a local lawyer confirm it works under your state’s law.

Can a relative sign the lease for me?

Yes, if you give them a Special Power of Attorney limited to leasing that specific land, for a set period, with rent going only into your account. The generator names the attorney and the date of the SPA in the agreement, and keeps you — not the relative — as the owner and the person who receives the rent.

Avoid a broad General Power of Attorney for this. A lease needs only a narrow authority, and a wide one can be misused to sell or mortgage the land. Our power of attorney builder shows how to keep the scope tight.

Questions people ask

It names the owner and tenant, describes the land by village, tehsil, district, khasra or survey number and area, and sets the term, the rent or crop share, how rent is paid, what the tenant may and may not do, how the land is handed back, jurisdiction, and signatures of both parties and two witnesses.

An 11-month agreement is common because a lease for more than a year generally has to be registered. It still has to be properly stamped, and it must be allowed under your state’s land and tenancy laws. It is valid as a contract, but it does not override a state law that restricts leasing.

A tenant who farms with your permission is generally not in adverse possession. Risk grows when permission is unclear — no written agreement, cash rent with no record, or revenue entries naming the tenant that nobody corrects. A written, time-bound lease and bank rent keep permission clear.

It depends on the state and is usually worked out from the rent and the term, with some states charging a fixed amount for short leases. Ask the sub-registrar or a local lawyer for the exact value before buying the stamp paper or e-stamp.

Check the girdawari or cultivator entries in the land record every season, make sure rent reaches your bank on time, and watch the land for new structures, tube-wells or boundary changes. Regular satellite checks, a weekly watch on the land record and a yearly drone video give dated evidence without relying on one person’s word.

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