In this Act unless the context otherwise requires,––
(a) ‘Act’ means the Jammu and Kashmir (Residential and Commercial Tenancy) Act, 2012 ;
(b) ‘Appellate Rent Tribunal’ means the Special Tribunal established under the Jammu and Kashmir Special Tribunal Act, 1988 ;
(c) ‘existing tenancies’ means tenancies entered into prior to the commencement of the Act and covered under the Jammu and Kashmir Houses and Shops Rent Control Act, 1966 and valid up to twenty four months from the commencement of the Act as per sections 4 and 8 ;
(d) ‘family’ in relation to a person means the wife or husband of such person and his or her dependents including children, daughter-in-law being the widow of predeceased son and parents of any of the spouses ;
(e) ‘Government’ means [Government of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir] ;
(f) ‘joint tenants’ means more than one person or family unit occupying one rental unit and responsible for paying rent to the landlord separately or jointly ;
(g) ‘landlord’ means a person or a company who owns a rental unit and who is entitled to receive rent for the use and occupancy of any rental unit and shall include his or its successor-in-interest ;
(h) ‘local authority’ means a Municipal Corporation or the Municipal Council or the Municipal Committee or any other local body constituted under any law for the time being in force ;
(i) ‘periodic tenancy’ means a tenancy for successive periods of equal duration, that is, from month to month or week to week or as the Government may prescribe and terminable by notice, of the same period by either landlord or tenant and includes tenancy which commences on the expiry of fixed term tenancy ;
(j) ‘property manager’ means a person or company who is employed by the landlord to manage the rental unit(s) and who represents the landlord ;
(k) ‘prescribed’ means prescribed by rules made by the Government under the Act ;
(l) ‘public institution’ includes any educational institution maintained out of [Government funds] or aid received out of [Government funds] or free hostel attached to such educational institution, library, a Government Hospital, charitable dispensary, orphanage, disabled home and destitute home ;
(m) ‘rent’ means the consideration paid or required to be paid periodically by or on behalf of a tenant to the landlord or to the property manager for the right to occupy a rental unit and for any services and any privileges or benefits that the landlord provides for the tenant in respect of the occupancy of the rental unit but does not include security deposit or any other deposit ;
(n) ‘Rent Controller’ means a Controller appointed under section 29 of the Act ;
(o) ‘rental unit’ means a unit in any building or hut or part of a building or hut other than a farm house let or to be let separately for residential or commercial purposes and including land appurtenant thereto, and includes––
(i) the garden, grounds and out-houses, if any appurtenant to such rental unit rented or available for rent for residential or commercial use and occupancy together with all services connected with the use and occupancy of such unit ;
(ii) any furniture or equipment supplied by the landlord for the use in such building or hut or part of a building or hut ;
(iii) any fittings affixed to such building or part of a building for the more beneficial enjoyment thereof ;
but does not include hotel, hostel, a boarding house, tourist homes or guest houses ;
(p) ‘security deposit’ means any payment, fee, deposit or charge to be used for any purpose including recovery of rent defaults, repairing damages caused by the tenant and any other item as specified in the tenancy agreement ;
(q) ‘services’ include provision of furniture, furnishings, appliances, parking and related facility, laundry facility, lifts, garbage collection, storage facility, intercom system, cable television facility, security services and common recreational and other facilities related or connected to residential or commercial use of the rental unit, as the case may be, or as per the rent agreement ;
(r) ‘tenancy agreement’ means an agreement in writing between a landlord and a tenant for the use and occupancy of a rental unit and related services on agreed terms and conditions for commercial or residential purposes ;
(s) ‘tenant’ means any person who has the right to use and occupy a rental unit and includes successor to a tenant and a subtenant ;
(t) ‘tenancy period’ means the period for which the rental unit has been let to the tenant by the landlord ; and
(u) ‘urban area’ means the areas that fall within the Territorial Limits of any Municipal Corporation, Municipal Council or Municipal Committee, as the case may be.