Only legal husbands and pet bans included in conditions set by Bengaluru's landlords amid rising demand for flats

Most people who move to Indian metros for work, have experienced difficulty in finding a house because of their marital status and lifestyle among other factors. As engineers return to the IT hub of Bengaluru to work from offices, rents have surged by 40 per cent, triggering bidding wars between tenants to secure accommodation by paying more.

But even those who manage to find a house, have to put up with bizarre conditions put down by land lords in agreements.

High demand leading to unreasonable clauses?

• Even after accommodating the unreasonable demands, some tenants in Bengaluru have been slapped with abrupt and exorbitant hikes in rent in violation of their contracts.

• Apart from discrimination against single people, agreements have a clause requiring tenants to pay for repainting houses when they leave.

• Some contracts even require pest control and deep clean to be completed by people who are moving out.

Personal spaces shrinking?

• According to a report by Moneycontrol landlords also reserve the rights to arrive at any time for an inspection and can't be stopped by force.

• These demands are accompanied with common conditions such as no alcohol or smoking, and even if non-vegetarian is allowed, beef is outlawed.

• With bachelor status being an eyesore for landlords, they also ensure that only legal husbands can stay in homes given to women.

• Forget being pet-friendly, there are home-owners who bar both domestic and even wild animals from the flats that they rent out.

Read contracts to avoid bizarre demands

• As more people are seeking a house in Bengaluru, not reading agreements carefully makes tenants vulnerable to harassment.

• Instances of landlords signing an agreement with another tenant for a higher deposit without informing those who have agreed to move in, have also increased.

• Brokers are providing temporary accommodation for house-hunters in co-living spaces, till they find suitable and affordable flats.