Karachi Hotels and Lodging-houses (Control) Act, 1950

This 1950 Act was passed to regulate the rates that hotels and lodging-houses in the Karachi Division could charge, and to allow the government to reserve accommodation when needed. It applies only to the Karachi Division (Section 1(3)).

Section 3 lets the Provincial Government appoint a "Controller" (and Additional Controllers) to administer the Act, aided by an optional Advisory Committee. Section 4 requires every hotel and lodging-house owner to register with the Controller within two months of the Act coming into force, or of opening. Section 5 lets the Controller classify hotels by standard, and Section 6 gives the Controller power to fix a "fair rate" for lodging, board, and service -- separately for daily and monthly guests -- and to revise it over time. Section 7 lets the Controller cap the number of guests allowed in each room, and Section 8 requires the fair rates and guest limits to be prominently displayed in the hotel.

Section 9 allows the Controller to order a hotel or lodging-house to reserve specific accommodation, which can then be allotted to a chosen person. Section 10 flatly prohibits charging a guest more than the fair rate -- any such excess is void, and a guest who overpaid can recover the excess within six months of payment (Section 10(3)), or deduct it from future amounts owed. Section 11 protects guests from eviction as long as they pay the fair rate and follow their agreement's terms, except where the Controller finds the guest is a nuisance to others, the owner genuinely needs the room, or the guest overstayed their agreed period -- in which case eviction can be ordered with no more than seven days' notice.

Section 14 allows an appeal to the Commissioner of the Karachi Division within fifteen days of a Controller's order. Sections 15-18 set penalties: failing to register a hotel is punishable with imprisonment up to one month, a fine, or both; failing to display fair rates is punishable with a fine; disobeying a reservation order is punishable with a fine; and charging above the fair rate or overcrowding a room is punishable with imprisonment up to six months, a fine, or both -- the extract does not specify particular fine amounts for these offences. Section 19 makes hotel directors and partners equally liable alongside the manager unless they can prove the offence happened without their knowledge. Section 23 exempts government hostels used mainly for officials. This is an old, narrowly-scoped 1950 law specific to Karachi hotel rate control, and its practical relevance today should be checked against current hospitality regulation.