Verity for hostels

A hostel sells beds by the month. Every empty bed and every late rent is felt on the first of the next one.

A hostel is many small tenancies under one roof. Sixty residents, each with a bed, a rent date, a deposit, a meal plan, a gate entry and a guardian's phone number. The rent is due on the fifth, and the sixth is when the calls begin. The mess cook needs a headcount by evening, the warden needs the late-entry list, and the owner needs to know which beds will be empty after the exams. Verity puts every bed, resident, due, meal and entry on one set of records.

Verity in one line

One system that knows which bed is free, who owes what, who is eating tonight, who is out past curfew and what needs repairing.

See your hostel in Verity See the 16 problems we solve

Free: we set up a working demo of your own business, on your own data, within 7 days. You pay only if your team decides to use it.

Built for a warden with a register and a phone. The records come from check-ins, meal counts and gate entries you already handle.

Verity / Hostel / Today

Block: Lakeview Boys PG, 62 beds

Live

Occupied beds

54 of 62

8 free, 5 reserved

Rent collected

₹3.62 lakh

of ₹4.35 lakh due

Late by 5+ days

11

₹86,000 outstanding

Late entries this week

9

3 residents

Income against fixed costs, this month

  • Rent due₹4.35 lakh
  • Rent collected₹3.62 lakh
  • Landlord rent and wages₹3.30 lakh
  • Mess purchases₹1.75 lakh

9 beds open between 20 and 30 November as final-year residents leave. 4 are already reserved.

See beds
  • Fire extinguisher refill due in 12 daysFloors 1 and 2, ownerBook
  • Police verification pending for 3 new residentsJoined 4 to 9 days agoSubmit

Illustrative screen with sample figures. Yours is set up with your own beds, dues, mess, entries and upkeep.

Watch

Verity in food and hospitality

Kitchen, counter and stock moving together.

35 seconds, no sound. An illustrative film, so the scenes are examples, not customer results.

How it runs today

Most hostels know their residents by name and their dues by rough memory.

The corridor is easy to see. Who is on the second floor, which room has the loud roommate, which bed became free last week. What is hard to see is what sits behind it: how many beds are empty and for how long, who has not paid this month and how many days late, which deposits are held and against what, how many plates the mess cooked against how many ate, and whether every resident, including foreign students and working guests, has the verification the local police asked for.

That information lives in pieces. A register or sheet holds names and rent. Payments come as cash, UPI and bank transfers. Meals are a headcount shouted at the cook. The gate book is a ruled notebook. Police verification forms are in a file or on the warden's phone. The owner, who is often also the warden, holds the rest in memory.

A 2020 study of Bengaluru PGs found operators on three to five year leases, with occupancy averaging about 80 percent before the lockdown and about 10 percent after. That was an extreme year, but it shows the shape of the business: rent to the landlord is fixed, and every empty bed is a loss from day one. In Delhi alone, the municipal corporation has identified 1,355 buildings running PG facilities, housing about 27,000 people, in a sector with no PG-specific licence.

What most hostels run on

  • Resident register or Excel sheet
  • Cash, UPI and bank transfers
  • Gate book and visitor notebook
  • WhatsApp groups for residents and parents
  • Mess headcount on a notice board

Each one does its job. None knows about the others, and the owner finds out who has not paid only when the landlord's rent falls due.

16 problems, one by one

Where a hostel actually loses money.

These are the situations hostel owners and wardens describe again and again. For each one: what it looks like on an ordinary day, what it costs, and what Verity does about it.

  1. 01Beds

    Beds, not rooms, are the product and nobody counts them

    What it looks like

    A triple-sharing room has two residents and one bed free. A double room became single when a roommate left. The sheet shows "room 12 full" because the first name was never updated. A caller asks for one bed and is told there is none.

    What it costs you

    Example arithmetic: 6 beds idle for 3 months at ₹7,500 is ₹1.35 lakh. A bed that is free but not known to be free is the same as an empty bed.

    How Verity fixes it

    Every bed is a record with its room, type of sharing, rent and state: occupied, notice given, reserved or free. The warden and the owner see one board, and each bed shows how many days it has been empty.

    See the screen
  2. 02Beds

    Notice periods and the semester gap

    What it looks like

    Five final-year residents will leave when exams end. Three said so verbally, two did not. Nobody knows in June how many beds will open in July, and the new batch of students starts looking for a PG in the same month.

    What it costs you

    A bed that opens without notice is a bed without a plan. Beds that open at the wrong time of year can stay empty until the next intake.

    How Verity fixes it

    Notice is a date on the resident record. Verity shows beds expected to open by month, with the number already reserved, so the owner starts selling them weeks ahead. Your team talks to the families; Verity shows who needs a call.

    See the screen
  3. 03Leads

    Enquiries, visits and token advances on WhatsApp

    What it looks like

    A parent calls from another city and asks for photos. A student visits on Saturday and says "I will confirm". A token of ₹2,000 is paid by UPI and the bed is promised. A second student is promised the same bed on Monday.

    What it costs you

    A bed sold twice means one family is let down, and a token with no record can mean an argument and a refund. A slow reply loses a student to the next PG on the road.

    How Verity fixes it

    Each enquiry is a record with the beds asked for, dates, visit time, token paid and next step. A token reserves a specific bed on the board. Verity lists enquiries with no reply, and tells the person responsible. Staff still reply to the family.

    See the screen
  4. 04Money

    Rent due on the fifth, collected by the fifteenth

    What it looks like

    Thirty-five residents pay by UPI, ten in cash, a few in instalments "after the stipend". The sheet shows who paid on one date, not who paid for which month. By the tenth the warden is making calls, and some families are called three times.

    What it costs you

    Example arithmetic: 12 residents paying 10 days late on ₹8,000 a month means ₹96,000 sitting outside your account for 10 days, while the landlord's rent and the cook's wages are due on time.

    How Verity fixes it

    Each resident has a monthly due with an amount and date. Payments are recorded against the month they cover. Verity lists who is late and by how many days, and creates a follow-up task for the warden. The receipt is made the way you make it today; Verity compares it to what was recorded.

    See the screen
  5. 05Money

    Security deposits and refunds that turn into arguments

    What it looks like

    A resident leaves and asks for the full ₹10,000 deposit. The owner remembers a broken window and two months of electricity unpaid. The resident says no one told him. The notebook has no line for either.

    What it costs you

    A refund argued by memory costs goodwill, and an under-refund can turn into a complaint to parents or police. An over-refund is lost cash.

    How Verity fixes it

    The deposit is held on the resident record. Damages, unpaid charges and notice shortfalls are logged during the stay with a date and photo reference. At exit, Verity shows the deposit, the deductions and the refund due, so the conversation starts from the same page.

    See the screen
  6. 06Money

    Electricity, water and common charges split by guess

    What it looks like

    Electricity is shared among the residents in a room, and the room's air-conditioner use is higher in summer. Some PGs split charges by unit, some add a fixed amount. A resident questions the ₹600 line and no one can show how it was calculated.

    What it costs you

    Newslaundry reports Delhi PGs billing tenants ₹12 to ₹14 a unit for power, split among residents. When the split is unclear, small charges become the largest source of complaints.

    How Verity fixes it

    Meter readings or the fixed rule are recorded per room and month. The share for each bed is calculated by the rule you set, and the resident sees the line item. The owner sees the month's electricity bill against what was collected.

    See the screen
  7. 07Mess

    Plates cooked against plates eaten

    What it looks like

    The cook prepares for sixty. On Sunday, thirty are out; on Thursday, the dal is thin because more guests ate than expected. Residents who are travelling still pay for meals they do not eat, and complain about the menu in the group.

    What it costs you

    Example arithmetic: 12 plates a day cooked and not eaten at ₹60 of cost each is ₹720 a day, about ₹21,600 a month. Too few plates is a complaint, and a complaint is a lost renewal.

    How Verity fixes it

    Each resident's meal plan is on their record, with skipped meals marked ahead. The cook sees the headcount by meal. Verity compares plates cooked with plates eaten and total food bought, and lists the meals where the gap is widest.

    See the screen
  8. 08Mess

    Mess purchases, vendors and the licence

    What it looks like

    Rice, vegetables, milk and gas come from five vendors, paid in cash by the cook or the warden. Prices change on the bill. The FSSAI registration is in a drawer and nobody can say when the kitchen was last cleaned.

    What it costs you

    Unrecorded purchases hide waste and theft. A hostel that serves meals generally needs FSSAI registration or a licence, and an inspection with no papers is costly.

    How Verity fixes it

    Purchases are recorded with rate, quantity and vendor, and compared with plates cooked. Verity shows what is owed to each vendor and flags a rate that moved. The FSSAI registration is a record with a number and date, and kitchen cleaning is a daily checklist.

    See the screen
  9. 09Compliance

    Resident ID and police verification kept on the warden's phone

    What it looks like

    A new resident hands over an Aadhaar copy and a college ID. The warden photographs them. The police verification form goes in a file, or does not go at all because the resident is "joining next week". Six months later nobody can say who was verified.

    What it costs you

    In Pune, police booked four PG operators in July 2026 under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for not giving tenant details, after a 3 July order from the Special Branch. Delhi landlords must also inform police under Delhi Police rules, per press reports. Rules differ by city.

    How Verity fixes it

    Each resident has a verification record: documents seen, who checked them, date submitted to the police station and the acknowledgement. Verity lists residents whose verification is pending, with the days since joining. Your team submits to the police; Verity records it.

    See the screen
  10. 10Compliance

    Foreign students and the 24-hour form

    What it looks like

    An exchange student joins for a semester. Her passport copy is taken. The online report to the authorities waits until the warden has time, and the first week passes.

    What it costs you

    Under the Immigration and Foreigners Act 2025, accommodation providers including hostels and PGs generally must report a foreign resident within 24 hours of arrival. A Goa notice states a penalty of ₹50,000 in each case; other states may differ.

    How Verity fixes it

    A foreign resident's record shows the form status and the time left from arrival. Verity raises a task for the person on duty and keeps the acknowledgement. Your team files on the government portal.

    See the screen
  11. 11Residents

    Curfew, late entry and visitors in a notebook

    What it looks like

    The gate closes at 10:30 pm. A resident returns at 11:20 and the guard writes it, or does not. A parent visits on Sunday, a friend is "just dropping a book". A resident who has not come back at midnight is a worry that nobody knows how to escalate.

    What it costs you

    A hostel that cannot say who is in the building cannot answer a parent, a police officer or a fire marshal. Curfew rules are also a common source of friction, so a fair record protects both sides.

    How Verity fixes it

    Entry and exit are logged against the resident, with the curfew rule that applies to them. Visitors are logged with whom they met, time in and out. Verity lists residents not back by the curfew and tells the warden, who calls. Rules are set by you and agreed with residents; Verity applies them evenly.

    See the screen
  12. 12Residents

    Complaints about water, wi-fi and roommates

    What it looks like

    The hot water stopped three days ago. The wi-fi drops each evening. A resident asks to change rooms because of a noisy roommate. Each complaint is a message to the warden, and answers vary with who was on duty.

    What it costs you

    Repeat complaints are the usual reason a resident does not renew, and the usual reason a parent calls the owner.

    How Verity fixes it

    Each complaint is a task on the resident and room with an owner, a time and a state. Verity lists complaints past their time and room-change requests with the available beds beside them. The outcome is recorded, so a pattern shows by floor or by month.

    See the screen
  13. 13Maintenance

    Repairs that wait because nobody owns them

    What it looks like

    A leaking tap, a broken lock, a fan that does not turn. The plumber comes when the owner remembers. At move-out, a damaged item is found and argued about.

    What it costs you

    Small faults make a bed hard to sell, and unrecorded damage cannot be charged to the person who caused it.

    How Verity fixes it

    A fault is a work order with the room, who reported it, priority and the person assigned. A room with a serious fault is blocked until the order is closed. A walk-through at check-in and check-out records the state of the room.

    See the screen
  14. 14Compliance

    Fire safety, registration and local licences

    What it looks like

    After a PG fire in Chandigarh killed three students in 2020, the administration said every PG must be registered, hold a fire NOC and face annual checks. In Delhi, the MCD does not register PGs at all, and one landlord said NOCs are hard to get because two staircases are required. In your city, the position may be different again.

    What it costs you

    A notice, a closure order or, far worse, a fire in a building that failed its checks. A lapsed certificate or an unmarked exit is not worth the risk.

    How Verity fixes it

    Each registration, fire certificate, extinguisher refill and wiring check is a record with a date and an owner, and a renewal is a task weeks ahead. Weekly walks check exits, extinguishers and corridors. Verity does not give legal advice; it makes sure nothing slips.

    See the screen
  15. 15Owner

    Fixed rent to the landlord, variable income from the beds

    What it looks like

    You lease the building for five years and pay the landlord on the first. In a good month, the hostel is full. After exams, twenty beds are empty for six weeks. A rent revision is due.

    What it costs you

    The Bengaluru study found operators on three to five year leases with occupancy that fell from about 80 to 10 percent in the pandemic. In a normal year the swings are smaller, but the rent is just as fixed.

    How Verity fixes it

    Verity shows income by month against the fixed rent, the occupied-bed trend, notices expected and beds reserved for the next intake. The owner sees whether the next three months cover the lease before signing a renewal.

    See the screen
  16. 16Owner

    Several hostels, or a hostel and a mess, in one WhatsApp group

    What it looks like

    A second block opens near the college gate. The warden of each sends a nightly message in a different style. The owner cannot compare occupancy, dues or complaints.

    What it costs you

    You cannot see which block leaks, so the same leak runs in both.

    How Verity fixes it

    Each block is a location in one system, with beds, dues, complaints, mess use and licence dates side by side. Each morning Verity lists what needs a decision, each with an owner.

    See the screen

The numbers behind it

The numbers that make these problems worth fixing.

From published sources, with the source named under each figure. Your own numbers will differ, and showing you yours is the first thing Verity does.

  • 1,355 buildings

    running PG facilities in Delhi have been identified by the municipal corporation, housing about 27,000 people, while the corporation does not register or license PGs.

    Newslaundry, 2026

  • 80% to 10%

    average PG occupancy in Bengaluru before and after the 2020 lockdown, in a study of operators who lease buildings for three to five years. An extreme year that shows how fixed rent turns empty beds into losses.

    The News Minute, citing an IIHS study, 2020

  • ₹20,000 and 90 days

    rent per person per month at or below which, for stays of 90 days or longer, residential accommodation is generally exempt from GST. Shorter stays or higher rent are generally taxed at 12 percent.

    ClearTax, 2026

  • 3 July 2026

    date of a Pune police order requiring PG operators to give tenant details to police. Four operators were booked under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for not complying.

    Free Press Journal, 2026

The Delhi figures are a city-specific press count. The occupancy figure is from a 2020 study of eight to fifteen Bengaluru operators in a pandemic, shown with its year. The tax exemption is from a tax advisory page, not the notification, and bundled food can change the position, so confirm it with your accountant. The Pune order is local to that city.

What you will actually see

The screens you would use every day.

Seven views, each built for one job. Names, columns and terms are set up in your own hostel's language.

Screen 1 of 7

The owner's morning view

Occupied beds, rent collected against due, beds opening soon, meals cooked against eaten and anything that needs a decision, on one screen. It replaces the warden's evening message.

Fixes

  • 15 Fixed rent to the landlord, variable income from the beds
  • 16 Several hostels, or a hostel and a mess, in one WhatsApp group

Verity / Hostel / Today

Block: Lakeview Boys PG, 62 beds

Occupied beds

54 of 62

8 free, 5 reserved

Rent collected

₹3.62 lakh

of ₹4.35 lakh due

Late by 5+ days

11

₹86,000 outstanding

Late entries this week

9

3 residents

Income against fixed costs, this month

  • Rent due₹4.35 lakh
  • Rent collected₹3.62 lakh
  • Landlord rent and wages₹3.30 lakh
  • Mess purchases₹1.75 lakh

9 beds open between 20 and 30 November as final-year residents leave. 4 are already reserved.

See beds
  • Fire extinguisher refill due in 12 daysFloors 1 and 2, ownerBook
  • Police verification pending for 3 new residentsJoined 4 to 9 days agoSubmit

Screen 2 of 7

Which bed is free, and which will be

Every bed by room and type of sharing, with its state and the days it has been empty. Notices and reservations show which beds open and when.

Fixes

  • 01 Beds, not rooms, are the product and nobody counts them
  • 02 Notice periods and the semester gap

Verity / Beds and rooms

This month and next

RoomBedsRent per bedOccupiedNext changeStatus
101, triple3₹7,0002Bed C free 18 daysSell
102, double2₹8,5002Notice: 28 NovOpens soon
205, double2₹8,5001Bed B free 42 daysLong empty
301, single1₹12,0001Renews 1 JanSettled
  • Beds opening in November9 beds
  • Already reserved4 beds
  • Still to sell5 beds

Screen 3 of 7

Enquiries, visits and tokens

Each enquiry has the beds asked for, a visit time, a token if paid and a next step. A token reserves one bed on the board, so the same bed is not promised twice.

Fixes

  • 03 Enquiries, visits and token advances on WhatsApp

Verity / Enquiries

Open

New2

  • 1 bed from 1 DecemberParent, Jaipur, via callReply
  • Two beds, same roomInterns, via InstagramNo reply 3 h

Visit booked1

  • Student, Sat 4 pmTriple, room 101Visit

Token paid1

  • Aman Verma, bed 101C₹2,000 token, joins 1 DecReserved

Screen 4 of 7

Monthly rent, deposits and shared charges

Each resident's due by month, paid against the month it covers, with days late. Deposits, deductions and shared electricity are on the same record, so an exit starts from facts.

Fixes

  • 04 Rent due on the fifth, collected by the fifteenth
  • 05 Security deposits and refunds that turn into arguments
  • 06 Electricity, water and common charges split by guess

Verity / Dues and deposits

This month

ResidentBedMonth duePaidDays lateStatus
Rohan Kulkarni101A₹7,000₹7,0000Paid
Imran Sheikh102B₹8,500₹09Chase
Vikas Rathi205A₹8,500₹4,0006Part paid
Arjun Nair301₹12,000₹12,0000Paid

Imran Sheikh, bed 102B

Joined June 2025. Final-year student. Notice: 28 November

Deposit held
₹10,000
Rent, October
₹8,500 due, 9 days late
Electricity share
₹540 (room unit rule)
Damage logged
Window latch, ₹300
Refund at exit
₹9,160 estimated
  1. 12 OctReminder task to the warden
  2. 5 OctRent due
  3. NoteParent is the contact for payments

Screen 5 of 7

Plates, purchases and the kitchen

Headcount by meal from each resident's plan and skipped meals, plates cooked against plates eaten, and what each vendor charged. The kitchen checklist and licence date sit beside them.

Fixes

  • 07 Plates cooked against plates eaten
  • 08 Mess purchases, vendors and the licence

Verity / Mess

Last 7 days

MealPlannedCookedEatenGapStatus
Mon dinner5256497Cut 4
Thu lunch475052-2Short
Sat dinner4448417Over-cooked
Sun lunch3840373Within range
VendorItemLast rateChangeDelivery check
Shree ProvisionsRice, 25 kg₹1,480+6%Matched
Fresh Veg MandiVegetables, weekly₹6,900+3%Matched
City GasCylinder₹1,720No change1 not delivered
  • Kitchen deep cleanWeekly, Sunday
  • Fridge and storage temperatureToday 7 am, cook

Screen 6 of 7

Gate log, visitors and verification

Each resident's curfew rule, late entries and visitors, plus police verification and foreign resident form status. The warden sees who is out past the curfew and who has no verification on file.

Fixes

  • 09 Resident ID and police verification kept on the warden's phone
  • 10 Foreign students and the 24-hour form
  • 11 Curfew, late entry and visitors in a notebook

Verity / Entry and verification

Tonight

ResidentCurfewBack atVisitors todayVerificationStatus
Rohan Kulkarni10:30 pm9:55 pmNoneSubmittedIn
Aman Verma10:30 pmNot backNonePending, 6 daysCall
Vikas Rathi10:30 pm10:20 pmFather, 5 to 6 pmSubmittedIn
Lena Fischer10:30 pm10:00 pmNoneForm due in 9 hFile form

Aman Verma is 35 minutes past curfew. This is his third late entry this month.

Record call

Screen 7 of 7

Complaints, repairs and safety checks

Complaints and faults as tasks with an owner and a time. Fire certificates, extinguishers and registrations have dates and people. Weekly walks are signed off at the gate.

Fixes

  • 12 Complaints about water, wi-fi and roommates
  • 13 Repairs that wait because nobody owns them
  • 14 Fire safety, registration and local licences

Verity / Complaints and safety

Open items

ItemPlaceReportedOwnerDueStatus
No hot waterFloor 23 days agoPlumberTodayOpen
Wi-fi drops at nightWhole block5 days agoProviderTomorrowOpen
Room change request205 to 101C2 days agoWardenFridayReview
Fire certificate and drillBuildingCheck dateOwner30 daysCheck
  • Fire exits and extinguishers, weekly walkDue Saturday, warden
  • Terrace door lock checkDone 8 am, guard

Illustrative screens with sample data. Layouts, fields, names and terms are set up around how your hostel works.

An ordinary day

The same first week of the month, before and after.

What changes is not the building or the warden. It is that the week leaves a record, and the record does the chasing.

WhenTodayWith Verity
6:30 am TodayThe warden walks the corridors and counts who slept in, then sends the cook a guess. With VerityThe mess screen shows 49 planned for dinner after skipped meals, and the cook cooks for 52.
10:00 am TodayA parent calls about a bed, the warden says "I will check the sheet". With VerityThe beds board shows bed 101C free and reserved by a token. The enquiry has a visit time and an owner.
2:00 pm TodayRent due on the fifth means a day of calls, with no clear list. With VerityThe dues screen lists eleven residents late, with the days, and each call is a task on the warden's list.
6:00 pm TodayA new foreign resident arrives and her passport copy goes in a folder. With VerityHer record shows the form due in 24 hours. The person on duty files it, and marks it done.
10:45 pm TodayThe gate book shows who came in, but not who has not. Nobody knows until a roommate asks. With VerityThe entry screen lists one resident not back, with the third late entry this month, and the warden calls.
Month end TodayThe landlord's rent is due and the owner counts cash, UPI and cheques across three apps. With VerityEvery payment was recorded against the month it covered, so the month's income against rent is already in order.

How we work with you

We set it up with you, in four weeks.

You do not get a login and a manual. We spend time at your hostel, build Verity around how it really runs, bring your data in, then stay to make sure it keeps working.

  1. Week 1

    Discovery and mapping

    What we do
    Spend a rent day and an evening at your hostel. Watch how a bed is sold, how rent and deposits are collected, how the mess runs and how the gate is managed, and note which leaks matter most.
    What we need from you
    Two to three hours of yours and your warden's. Access to your resident register, a month of payment records, the gate book and your licence papers.
    What you have at the end
    A written map of your hostel: blocks, rooms and beds, rents, meal plans, vendors, rules, licences and the first leaks we will close.

  2. Weeks 2 to 3

    Configuration

    What we do
    Set up your blocks, rooms and beds, rents and sharing types, rent dates, deposit rules, shared charge rules, meal plans, curfew rules, vendors and licences, and build the seven screens around your own terms.
    What we need from you
    Check the setup with your warden and cook. Tell us where a rule or a name is wrong.
    What you have at the end
    A working Verity with your real beds, residents and rules, ready for your data.

  3. Weeks 3 to 4

    Migration and training

    What we do
    Bring in your residents, balances, deposits, vendor details and licence dates from the register and sheets you use. Train the warden, cook and guards at their own stations during a live day.
    What we need from you
    Your resident list in whatever form it exists, deposit records and an opening list of who is in which bed. One hour with each person.
    What you have at the end
    Your beds, residents and dues inside Verity, and a team that has used it through a rent week.

  4. After go-live

    Operations partnership

    What we do
    Stay on after launch. Review the first months with you, tune the rules and checklists, and handle changes when you add a block, a sharing type or a meal plan.
    What we need from you
    A short monthly review of what the numbers say.
    What you have at the end
    A system that keeps matching how the hostel runs, with someone responsible for it.

Bring these on day one

  • Your resident register with bed, rent and joining date
  • A month of payment records from cash book, UPI and bank
  • Deposit details for each resident, even if handwritten
  • Your gate book and the curfew rules you apply
  • Vendor bills and licence papers with their dates

Your time

About 8 to 11 hours of your own time across the four weeks, mostly in week 1. Your warden and cook need a few more.

After go-live

Nobody is hired to run Verity. Payments, meals and entries are recorded as part of work the team already does, and the reports come from those records.

Verity AI

Ask your hostel a question. Get an answer, not a report to build.

Verity AI reads your own beds, residents, dues, meal and entry records. Ask in plain language, then turn the answer into tasks for the right people.

  • Your records only Answers come from your own hostels data, not from generic knowledge.
  • Right person, right view It only shows what the person asking is allowed to see.
  • Turns into action An answer can become a task assigned to a named person.

Verity / Ask

Which residents are more than a week late on rent?

Eleven residents are late, owing ₹86,000 in total. Four are more than ten days late.

  • 1 to 7 days late5 residents
  • 8 to 10 days late2 residents
  • More than 10 days late4 residents

Create follow-up tasks for the warden

Verity / Ask

How many beds will be empty on 1 December?

Nine beds open in November. Four are reserved, so five still need to be sold.

  • Opening in November9 beds
  • Reserved4 beds
  • Still to sell5 beds

Create call tasks for the enquiry list

Verity / Ask

Which residents are past curfew tonight, and how often this month?

Aman Verma is 35 minutes past. It is his third late entry this month. Two others have two each.

  • Aman Verma3 late entries
  • Two other residents2 each

Create a call task for the warden

Sample questions and answers with illustrative figures.

Without chasing

The follow-ups nobody has time to make.

Set once, then they run from your records. Staff still talk to residents and parents; Verity makes sure the right person knows what to do.

When

A rent due date passes without payment

  • Resident added to the dues list with days late
  • Follow-up task to the warden
  • Promise and payment recorded on the resident

When

A resident gives notice or a bed opens

  • Bed marked as opening on its date
  • Enquiry list shown for that sharing type
  • Exit checklist and deposit statement prepared

When

A new resident joins

  • Verification task with the days since joining
  • Foreign resident form task with the time left, where it applies
  • Acknowledgement recorded on the resident

When

A resident is not back by curfew

  • Warden sees the resident and the number of late entries this month
  • Call task created
  • Outcome recorded on the resident

When

A complaint or fault is past its time

  • Flagged on the upkeep list
  • Reminder to the person assigned
  • Closed with a note, or moved to the owner

When

A licence, certificate or safety check is 45 days away

  • Task to the person who owns it
  • Papers and the last renewal shown on the task
  • Next date set when it is done

Rules and paperwork

The rules a hostel has to keep up with.

Verity does not give legal or tax advice and does not file anything for you. It keeps the records these rules depend on in order, so you are not hunting for them when an officer asks.

  • Police verification of residents

    What is expected

    Many cities require PG and hostel operators to give police the details of residents. In Pune, a 3 July 2026 order from the Special Branch required PG owners to give tenant details to police, and four operators were booked under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for not doing so. Delhi landlords are also required to inform police of tenants, per press reports. Ask your local police station for the current form and timeline.

    How Verity helps

    Each resident has a verification record with documents seen, who checked them, date submitted and the acknowledgement. Pending ones are listed with days since joining.

    Free Press Journal, 2026

  • Foreign resident reporting

    What is expected

    Under the Immigration and Foreigners Act 2025, in force from 1 September 2025, accommodation providers including hostels and PGs generally must report a foreign resident online within 24 hours of arrival, through the FRRO portal. A Goa notice of December 2025 states a penalty of ₹50,000 in each case; other states may differ.

    How Verity helps

    The resident's record shows form status and time left, and a task goes to the person on duty. The acknowledgement is stored.

    Right to Information wiki, 2026

  • Tax on accommodation rent

    What is expected

    Residential accommodation rent of ₹20,000 or less per person per month for stays of 90 days or longer is generally exempt from GST. Shorter stays, higher rent or bundled services may be taxed at 12 percent, so confirm your own position with your accountant.

    How Verity helps

    Rent, stay length and any bundled meals are recorded per resident, so your accountant can see which stays fall on either side. Verity does not file returns.

    ClearTax, 2026

  • FSSAI registration for the mess

    What is expected

    A hostel or PG that serves meals to residents generally needs FSSAI registration or a licence, with the band set by turnover. Check your own band and category on the FoSCoS portal.

    How Verity helps

    The registration is a record with its number, category and renewal date, and the daily kitchen checklist is signed off by the cook.

  • Fire safety, registration and local licences

    What is expected

    Many cities expect PGs and hostels to be registered locally and to hold fire safety clearance. In Chandigarh, after a PG fire in 2020, the administration said every PG must be registered, hold a fire NOC and face annual checks. In Delhi, the municipal corporation does not register PGs, per a 2026 report. Rules differ by place.

    How Verity helps

    Each certificate and check is a record with a date and owner, and a renewal becomes a task weeks ahead.

    Tribune India, 2020

Rules for hostels and PGs differ widely by city and state, and several are set by local police orders. Confirm current requirements with your accountant, your local police and the relevant authority.

Who sees what

Everyone sees the same records, through their own window.

A guard should not see rent. The cook should not edit deposits. Each role opens on what it needs.

  • Owner

    Is the hostel making money, and which beds are costing me?

    Occupied beds, rent collected against rent due, notices, deposits held, licence dates and every block side by side.

  • Warden

    What needs sorting tonight?

    Late payers, residents not back, pending verifications, complaints past their time and arrivals expected.

  • Cook or mess manager

    How many plates, and what is short?

    Headcount by meal, skipped meals, stock on hand, vendor rates and the kitchen checklist.

  • Gate guard

    Who is in, and who is coming?

    Residents with their curfew, visitor log, parcels and the entry list for the night.

  • Accountant

    What was due, collected and held?

    Rent by month, shared charges, deposits and deductions, and mess purchases matched to bills.

Straight answers

What changes, and what stays the same.

Keep using

  • Your UPI, bank and cash habits. We record each payment against the resident and month it covers.
  • Your resident WhatsApp groups. Staff reply
  • Verity tracks who owes a reply.
  • Your gate book while you move across. We agree during setup how entries reach Verity.
  • Your accountant, who still prepares your returns.

Verity does not

  • Collect rent or take payments online.
  • Send messages to residents or parents on its own.
  • Submit police verification or foreign resident forms for you.
  • File your returns or run your payroll.

We bring your residents, balances, deposits, vendor details and licence dates across from the registers, sheets and phones you use now, in stages, so the hostel keeps running while it happens.

  • Excel
  • Google Sheets
  • Legacy ERP
  • CRM
  • One operating environment

Questions

Questions hostel owners ask.

I run one PG with 30 beds and a part-time warden. Is this too much?

A small hostel has the same leaks and less time to notice them. We set up only what you need, in the same four weeks, and leave out what you do not.

Does Verity collect rent from residents?

No. Residents pay the way they do today: UPI, bank or cash. Verity records each payment against the resident and the month it covers, and shows who is late.

Can it show me bed-level occupancy, not just room-level?

Yes. Every bed is a record with its room, sharing type and rent, so a triple room with two residents shows one free bed and how many days it has been empty.

How does it help with deposits and refunds?

The deposit sits on the resident record. Damage and unpaid charges are logged during the stay, and at exit Verity shows the deposit, the deductions and the refund, so both sides see the same numbers.

Will my warden and guard actually record entries and visitors?

Only if it takes seconds, so we set it up as one tap or one line per entry, kept at the gate, and train during a real evening. If the gate has no phone or tablet, the warden can enter the book at the end of each shift.

Can it submit the police verification or foreign resident form?

No. Your team submits them to the police or the government portal. Verity shows who is pending, how many days or hours are left, and records the acknowledgement.

Can it help with the mess?

Yes. It records meal plans and skipped meals so the cook gets a headcount, compares plates cooked with plates eaten and food bought, and tracks what vendors charge. It does not run a kitchen display or take food orders.

I run a boys block and a girls block. Can I see them together?

Yes. Each is a location in one system with its own warden, curfew rules and mess, and you see beds, dues and complaints side by side.

Who can see my data?

Only the people you allow. Access is set by role, so the warden, cook, guard and accountant each see what they need, and every change is recorded with who made it and when. Residents' ID and verification records are visible only to the roles you choose.

What does it cost?

It depends on the number of beds, blocks and what you want set up. Message us and we will give you a clear number after a short conversation about how your hostel runs.

Where the figures come from

Sources

  1. Newslaundry, 2026
  2. The News Minute, 2020
  3. ClearTax, 2026
  4. Free Press Journal, 2026
  5. Right to Information wiki, 2026
  6. Tribune India, 2020

Last checked 15 October 2026. Published figures vary by region and method, so treat them as indicative, not as a promise of your results.

Start with the beds nobody knew were empty.

Tell us how your hostel runs and we will show you the idle beds, the late rent and the pending verifications it would find, using your own numbers.

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Free: we set up a working demo of your own business, on your own data, within 7 days. You pay only if your team decides to use it.