by THO
Tenants in Bengaluru have for the last few years struggled to cope with the ever-changing demands of landlords, some of whom have gone to the extent of checking profiles of tenants on LinkedIn.
There have also been instances wherein property brokers have allotted appointments to tenants for interviews with the landlords forcing many of them to remark that cracking a ‘rental’ interview may be tougher than getting through ajobinterview.
A social media user once offered to sell his left kidney in an X post, in zest, to fund the security deposit demanded by landlords in Bengaluru. The dark humour masked the story of a long and unsuccessful house hunting journey in the city.
In a property-starved rental housing market, landlords call the shots. Time and again, those looking for rental accomodation in the IT capital have taken to social media to share their experiences with Bengaluru landlords and their notorious demands.
In a recent case of yet another distasteful experience with Bengaluru landlords, a social media user was asked to share documents beyond the usual requirement – passport, company ID, letter of appointment and three months’ salary slips. Following a reluctant submission of the said documents, the landlord jacked up the security deposit initially demanded from the individual. The matter did not conclude there.
The individual took to Reddit to share her story.
“…I again got (a) call from the broker and he said to transfer the security deposit of X amount which was double of what I was told and agreed to earlier. I confronted him and he said, you earn X amount of salary, it should not be an issue for you. I was shocked that (the) owner shared all my details with this broker and later I got (a) call from the first broker that I contacted and he also knew all the details,” the social media user wrote.
“The owner is not replying to my texts now and neither picking my calls. All the brokers involved are asking for double the security deposit and more brokerage,” the Redditor added.
Bizarre demands of Bengaluru landlords
Last year, an X post about a Bengaluru tenant being rejected for not securing 90% marks in class 12 went viral on social media. The X user named Shubh had shared the screenshots of the conversation between the tenant and the landlord, which showed that the tenant was refused an apartment as he had scored only 75% marks in class 12.
Other social media users took to the comments section to discuss the deepening checks. One user wrote, “I have submitted lesser documents for interviews, what is this renting process?!”
Time and again, those looking for rental accommodation in Bengaluru have taken to social media to narrate their experiences with landlords in the IT capital.
In another incident, an engineer, sharing his experience, wrote: “Moving to Bangalore, and house owner asked for our LinkedIn profiles.” He added, “what level of behaviour is this?”
Yet another X user wrote: “Peak Bangalore moment. After having Google, JP Morgan in our portfolio, still couldn’t impress the flat owner.”
Bengaluru’s rental housing market
According to an Anarock report, Bengaluru recorded the highest rental yield amongst the top-7 cities in India during the first quarter of the ongoing calendar year at 4.45%.
Rental yield refers to the percentage of a property’s value received over a year through rental earnings.
According to August data sourced from proptech platform Square Yards, average rent of a 924 – 1,906 square feet apartment in Bellandur is around ₹47,000. Meanwhile, a 1,000-2,800 square feet residential unit in Koramangala commands a rental fee ₹48,000 on an average. Other areas like Hebbal and Whitefield charge about ₹27,000 and ₹39,000 respectively, as per average calculation.
