'Why Bengaluru landlords are such crap': Tenant living in a one-room kitchen apartment sparks debate on unfair charges

Time of India

06-05-2025

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Tenant claims rent too high for poor living conditions
Sudden demand for borewell repair charge
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Online users react to the tenant's complaint
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A tenant living in a one-room kitchen apartment near Electronic City Phase 2 in Bengaluru has accused his landlord of unfairly demanding extra payments and ignoring repeated complaints about poor living conditions. The tenant shared his experience on Reddit, stating that he was unexpectedly asked to pay Rs 300 for borewell motor repairs, despite no such clause being mentioned in the rental agreement.According to the Reddit post, the man pays Rs 6,500 every month for the rented space. He described the room as "crappy and crampy" and said the condition of the walls had worsened due to water seepage. Despite raising the issue multiple times, the landlord had not taken any steps to resolve the problem.The tenant also pointed out that the landlord owns a real estate company, which he found ironic given the lack of maintenance in the rented property.The tenant said the dispute began when the landlord asked for Rs 300 to repair the borewell motor. 'This month, out of the blue, he asked for bore motor repair charges Rs 300. I have a rental agreement and nothing in that states about this kind of charge except if I damage anything,' the tenant wrote.When he questioned the extra charge, the landlord reportedly told him to either pay or vacate the property. 'I know nothing can be done about this situation except to pay or vacate, but I just wanted to share the situation in Namma Bengaluru, where landlords are taking advantage of every situation,' he wrote.The post soon went viral on Reddit, leading to responses from others who said they faced similar issues while living on rent in the city. One user wrote, 'You are tenant to parasite. They are like maybe 10% of landlords in BLR. I suggest u start looking for other places, as this guy will just keep leeching off you. Look to share a 2BHK with a room mate or something. In fact ur better off in a PG for the rent you are paying.'Another person commented, 'Land lords are very bad, same experience even I had when I first moved. We agreed on deposit money of 50k and paid him advance 10k. He told me rent 13k. But when I reached there suddenly there is 1k water charge excluded so it is now 14k, than I gave him 50k in hand he brought me rental agreement with 60k as deposit and argument happened and finally he accepted 50k than covid happened and had to leave, where he is crying coz there is agreement how can I leave in between? Never got a single penny back. Living on rent is headache in city like Bengaluru as per my experience.'The Reddit thread has brought attention to a larger issue of alleged landlord exploitation in Bengaluru. Several users said they had also faced surprise charges, sudden rent hikes, and trouble recovering deposits, raising questions about transparency and tenant rights in the city's rental housing market.