Bengaluru landlord hikes rent 'without any warning', says tenant: ‘If you don’t like it, leave'

Bengaluru has beaten Mumbai to become the hottest residential market. (Representational image)

Bengaluru has overtaken financial capital Mumbai as the hottest residential market with landlords having doubled rent in the last year to meet with surge in demands, but tenants are often left even without the scope of a negotiation. One such tenant has shared her account on Twitter claiming how her landlord left her no option but to either pay up or leave.

"My Bengaluru landlord hiked up the rent without any warning, completely ignoring the terms of our contract," wrote software engineer Khushboo Verma (@khushbooverma_) who lives in Bellandur. "And when I asked for an explanation, he simply said ‘If you don’t like it, you can leave and find a new place.’"

My Bengaluru landlord hiked up the rent without any warning, completely ignoring the terms of our contract.

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And when I asked for an explanation, he simply said ‘If you don’t like it, you can leave and find a new place.’

— Khushboo Verma (@khushbooverma_) April 4, 2023

"Considering the number of people who can relate with this situation speaks volumes about the condition of real estate in Bengaluru. Rent has increased by 100 percent in my area in just one year," she added.

Speaking about her own rent, Verma told Moneycontrol, "My rent hasn’t been doubled. But the rent in my entire area has doubled because of which even my rent got increased more than what the agreement stated."

Responding to the tweet, other Bengalurians also began to share similar experiences. "This is nothing. I done a deal for Rs 18,000 + maintenance and I paid token," wrote Twitter user Tarun (@tarun_soni10). Later, the owner said give me Rs20,000 or else cancel the deal and I was under notice with existing owner. So I had accept the offer and paid more than five month's rent in advance. Now agreement is pending. I don't know why people are going greedy."

Another Twitter user Kulbhushan (@KKulbhushan) said he was experience the similar problems while seeking to buy property. "Same with property cost also. I was thinking of buying a house 1.5 years ago, that time the cost was around Rs 1 crore. Now, they are demanding Rs 1.9 crore."

Bengaluru is home to over 1.5 million workers including those for global firms like Google, Amazon, Goldman Sachs, and Accenture. That population was displaced during the pandemic, with staff moving to remote work or departing the city, pushing rents down. With the city’s economy and private sector stirring back to life, landlords are looking to recoup lost revenue and find themselves in a seller’s market, Bloomberg reported.

Read more: Shark Tank India Anupam Mittal's advice for Bangalore entrepreneurs reeling from high rent: 'Build in Mumbai instead'