In a tweet that resonated with many, tech entrepreneur Varun Mayya shared his frustrations over a common problem faced by tenants in Bengaluru.
He tweeted: « The biggest scam in Bangalore is when you move out of an apartment and the landlord sends you a fraction of the security deposit claiming ‘damages’ or something, despite no proof . I have lived in maybe 10 apartments and this illegal withholding of deposit has happened every time.
Mayya’s tweet attracted considerable attention, garnering 1.1 million views, as other renters from across India joined the conversation, sharing similar experiences. This sparked a wider debate about the widespread problem of unfair withholding of security deposits.
In addition to the deposit retention problem, tenants in Bangalore also face very high security deposits, with many landlords requiring 10 to 12 months of deposit.
A speaker pointed out that this problem is not limited to Bangalore, but extends to other cities like Gurugram and Mumbai. “You are incredibly lucky if you get more than 70% of your security deposit back,” one user shared.
In response to Mayya’s tweet, one user humorously suggested a workaround: « The best way to avoid this is to give the apartment to a new tenant and take away the deposit. » » However, other users have pointed out that these informal solutions are not always practical, especially when dealing with uncooperative landlords.
Many tenants have shared their experiences of landlords withholding deposits without the legal proof required by the Karnataka Rent Control Act. By law, landlords must return the entire security deposit within 30 days of the tenant’s departure unless they can provide itemized receipts or proof of needed repairs. However, enforcing these rules remains difficult. One commenter shared how her friend in Mumbai had to call the police to get part of her deposit back after her landlord initially refused to comply.
In contrast, a user from Mizoram highlighted the very different rental culture in the northeastern state. « Here no one knows what security deposits are. No rental agreement either, just trust, » the user said.
Some commenters have mentioned being able to get their deposit back only by sending legal notices, a process that has been effective but time consuming. However, for many tenants, the time, effort and resources required to take legal action make it an unattractive option, and they end up writing off part of their deposit as a lost cost.
