How to Choose a PG in Delhi in 2026: The 25 Point Student Safety Checklist

Most students choose a PG the same way they choose a pair of shoes in a hurry. They look at the price, they glance at the room, and they decide within twenty minutes whether it feels right. That approach might work out fine most of the time, but every so often it does not and the consequences of getting it wrong can be far more serious than an uncomfortable pair of shoes.

A recent municipal survey found that only about one percent of PG properties checked across Delhi held a valid fire safety clearance. That number alone should be enough to convince anyone that choosing a PG deserves more than a twenty minute gut decision. What follows is a genuinely practical checklist, twenty five specific points across four categories, built to help you actually compare accommodation on more than just rent and room size.

Building Safety

Start with building safety, since this is the category where the stakes are highest and the most recent tragedies in Delhi have made that painfully clear.

1. Check for a valid fire NOC. Ask whether the building holds a valid fire NOC from the Delhi Fire Service, and ask to see it rather than accepting a verbal yes.
2. Ask for a structural stability certificate. Ask whether there is a structural stability certificate for the specific building, not simply an assurance that it has always been fine.
3. Check emergency exits. Check that emergency exits actually exist, are clearly marked, and are not blocked by furniture, storage or construction debris.
4. Inspect the staircases. Walk the staircases yourself and confirm they are wide enough and clear enough to move through quickly if everyone in the building needed to leave at once.
5. Look for maintained fire extinguishers. Look for fire extinguishers in common areas and corridors, and check whether they look maintained rather than decorative.

Security

Move next to security, which covers how well controlled the building actually is on a daily basis.

6. Check controlled entry. Check whether entry is genuinely controlled, through a gate, a front desk or a locked main door, rather than left open to anyone who walks in.
7. Check CCTV coverage. Confirm whether CCTV cameras actually cover entrances and common areas, not just a camera mounted somewhere for show.
8. Ask about security personnel. Ask whether security personnel are present, and specifically whether that presence extends into the night rather than only daytime hours.
9. Ask about the visitor policy. Ask what the visitor policy actually is, since an accommodation with no real visitor control is one where you have limited say over who else has access to shared spaces.
10. Check the emergency contact system. Ask what the emergency contact system looks like in practice, whether there is a number that is actually answered quickly if something goes wrong at an inconvenient hour.

Room and Building Infrastructure

The third category covers the room and the building's basic infrastructure, the everyday details that shape whether living there actually feels comfortable.

11. Check room ventilation. Check ventilation in the specific room you would be living in, since poor airflow affects both comfort and health over a long stay.
12. Inspect electrical safety. Look closely at electrical safety, checking for exposed wiring, overloaded sockets or anything that looks patched together rather than properly installed.
13. Ask about water supply. Ask about water supply reliability, since inconsistent water access is one of the most common daily frustrations students report in poorly managed PGs.
14. Ask about power backup. Ask about power backup, particularly relevant during Delhi's hotter months when even a short outage can make a room genuinely unbearable.
15. Understand the maintenance system. Ask what the maintenance system actually looks like, meaning who you would actually contact if something broke, and how quickly that kind of issue typically gets resolved.

Student Living

The fourth category concerns student living itself, the parts of daily life that determine whether a PG genuinely supports your routine or quietly works against it.

16. Check for a usable study space. Check whether there is a real, usable study space, either in your room or in a common area, since many PGs advertise this loosely without actually providing anywhere genuinely conducive to focused work.
17. Test the internet or Wi-Fi. Test the internet or Wi-Fi speed yourself if possible, since an unreliable connection can seriously disrupt both study and daily communication.
18. Ask about food arrangements. Ask about food arrangements specifically, what meals are included, how varied the menu actually is, and whether dietary preferences or restrictions can be accommodated.
19. Assess hygiene and housekeeping. Assess hygiene and housekeeping standards directly, both in your own room and in shared spaces like bathrooms and the kitchen.
20. Ask about laundry and other services. Ask about laundry or any other services the PG claims to offer and confirm whether they are actually included or charged separately.

Management

The final five points concern management, the layer that determines whether all of the above actually holds up over months of living there rather than just looking good on the day you visit.

21. Check manager or warden availability. Ask whether a warden or manager is genuinely available, and how reachable they are outside standard daytime hours.
22. Ask about the complaint mechanism. Ask what the complaint mechanism actually looks like and whether there is any track record of complaints being resolved rather than ignored.
23. Insist on a written agreement. Insist on a written rental or occupancy agreement rather than a purely verbal understanding, however informal the property might otherwise feel.
24. Get deposit and refund terms in writing. Get the deposit and refund terms specifically in writing, including the exact conditions under which any deductions would be made.
25. Ask about emergency response. Ask directly what the emergency response procedure actually is, for a fire, a medical issue or any other genuine crisis and whether residents have ever actually been told what that procedure involves.

What to Check During a PG Visit

If you are visiting a PG in person, a focused ten minute inspection can tell you a surprising amount before you ever sit down to discuss rent. Walk the staircase from top to bottom and check it is genuinely clear. Look at the electrical panel and visible wiring near the entrance and kitchen. Check whether the main entrance has any form of controlled access. Glance at the kitchen and shared bathroom for basic hygiene. Ask to see the specific room you would actually be assigned, not simply a show room kept especially clean for visitors. Check whether windows and any balcony areas have proper safety features if the building has multiple floors. Look for fire extinguishers and note whether they appear inspected. Ask, on the spot, who the manager or warden actually is and whether you can meet them directly. Check mobile network and Wi-Fi signal strength in the actual room. And trust your own reaction to the general atmosphere of the place, since a chaotic, poorly kept common area on the day of your visit rarely improves once you have actually moved in.

Questions to Ask Before Paying

It also helps to walk in with a short set of direct questions ready, since a confident answer delivered quickly is not the same thing as an accurate one. Does this building have a valid fire NOC and a structural stability certificate. How many students currently live here relative to how many the building was approved to hold. What happens if I need to raise a complaint, and who exactly handles it. What is the exact refund process if I need to leave before my agreement period ends. Is the rent amount you are quoting the complete cost or are there additional charges for electricity, maintenance or amenities that come later. Who is responsible for the building if there is ever a fire, a medical emergency or a security issue at night.

Red Flags to Watch For

A handful of warning signs deserve special attention, since they tend to predict trouble more reliably than almost anything else. Pressure to pay a deposit or advance immediately, before you have had time to think it over or verify anything, is one of the clearest red flags in the entire process. No written terms of any kind, with everything left to verbal promises, should concern you regardless of how trustworthy the person seems in person. No clear emergency contact or a contact number that goes unanswered when you test it, tells you something important about what will happen if you actually need help later. Blocked exits, poor visible wiring, and a general unwillingness to be transparent about who actually manages the property are all signs worth taking seriously rather than explaining away. An unclear or vague deposit and refund policy, one that shifts depending on who you ask, often signals a dispute waiting to happen. And visible overcrowding, more people or more beds crammed into a space than seems reasonable, is frequently a sign that safety has been quietly sacrificed for higher occupancy and higher revenue.

A checklist like this is useful precisely because it lets you compare accommodation on far more than rent and room size alone. Once the basics of safety are genuinely established, the next real question becomes what a residence actually offers as part of everyday student life, since a technically safe building that offers nothing beyond four walls and a bed still leaves a great deal to be desired.

What Aspiro Living Offers

At Aspiro Living in Karol Bagh, we built our residences with exactly this fuller picture in mind. We are a premium PG for girls with round the clock safety systems built around CCTV surveillance and biometric entry, and we back that up with an in house kitchen that serves freshly prepared, nutritionally focused meals in a fully air conditioned mess. We maintain a dedicated recreational space designed to genuinely support mental wellness, particularly valuable for residents managing the intensity of UPSC or other competitive exam preparation, and we have built a supportive peer community that residents consistently tell us matters as much to them as any single physical amenity. We are located in Karol Bagh's WEA block, five to ten minutes on foot from both Karol Bagh and Rajinder Nagar metro stations, and close to leading institutes including Vajiram and Ravi, Vision IAS and ForumIAS. We are not asking you to assume every student needs exactly what we offer. We are asking you to understand clearly what is actually included before you make a decision, whether that decision leads you to us or somewhere else entirely.

Print this list, save it, or screenshot it before your next PG visit, since a checklist you can actually refer to in the moment is considerably more useful than one you vaguely remember reading once and hope you covered.

Twenty five points may feel like a lot to hold in your head during a single visit but most of them take only seconds to check once you know exactly what to look for.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I check during a physical PG visit?

Inspect staircases and exits, electrical wiring, kitchen and bathroom hygiene, the actual room you would be assigned and confirm who the manager or warden is by meeting them directly if possible.

What questions should I ask a PG operator before paying a deposit?

Ask about fire and structural certification, current occupancy versus approved capacity, the complaint process, the exact refund policy, and whether the quoted rent includes all charges.

What are common red flags when choosing a PG?

Pressure to pay immediately, no written agreement, an unclear emergency contact, blocked exits, poor electrical wiring, vague deposit terms and visible overcrowding are all significant warning signs.

Should I get a written agreement even for an informal PG?

Yes, a written rental or occupancy agreement covering rent, deposit and refund terms should always be obtained, regardless of how informal or trustworthy the arrangement initially seems.

How can I tell if a PG is overcrowded?

Compare the number of residents and beds you observe against what seems reasonable for the space, and ask directly how many people currently live there relative to the building's approved capacity.

What non-safety factors should I still consider when choosing a PG?

Study space, internet reliability, food quality, hygiene and housekeeping standards, and laundry or other services all meaningfully affect daily life beyond basic safety.

What does Aspiro Living offer beyond basic accommodation?

We offer round the clock safety systems, an in house kitchen with fresh nutritionally focused meals, a dedicated recreational space, and a supportive peer community at our Karol Bagh residences for girls.

Keywords: how to choose a PG in Delhi, PG checklist Delhi, PG safety checklist, safe PG in Delhi, student accommodation checklist, things to check before taking a PG, PG in Karol Bagh, student accommodation Karol Bagh, safe PG Karol Bagh, Aspiro Living Karol Bagh

Read more: 99 Percent of Surveyed Delhi PGs Lacked Fire Clearance | Satya Niketan PG Collapse: What Happened and What to Check | After Satya Niketan: What Should Parents Ask Before Sending Their Child to a PG in Delhi?

Sources: Business Standard, "99% of Delhi PGs lack fire NOC, MCD survey finds major safety gaps" | The Hans India, "Delhi Plans PG Regulation Bill With Licences, Police Clearance And Public Registry"