Bengaluru Man Paying Rs 70,000 Rent Refuses To Give More Than Rs 3,500 To House Help; Internet Says 'What's Wrong With This'

A Bengaluru resident’s remarks about domestic workers’ salaries have sparked a massive online debate after a screenshot from a gated community app went viral on Reddit.

The discussion began after a user shared a screenshot from a gated community app, where a resident was looking to hire a maid for twice-daily work but insisted that residents should avoid “inflating” salary expectations.

The Reddit post, titled “What’s up with Bangalore boomer crowd lately?”, quickly gained traction online as users reacted strongly to the resident’s comments about what he believed was a “fair rate” for domestic help.

According to the screenshot, the man was searching for a maid who could visit twice a day, once in the morning and again in the afternoon.

In the post,

he wrote, “Looking for a maid who comes twice. I need morning anytime between 730 to 10 and afternoon at around 4 pm. Salary I will pay – 3500 for both times if Sunday is off. If she can come on Sundays then additional depending on what all she can do.”

However, the part that sparked the biggest backlash was his appeal to fellow residents regarding salary expectations. The man added, “Don’t send maids who demand 3500 for one time. The fair rate for one time is 2500. I don’t want to inflate the rates and I strongly urge all residents to control the rates.”

The resident also attempted to justify his argument by comparing domestic workers’ earnings with the salaries earned by fresh graduates in the corporate sector.

He wrote that if a maid worked across multiple homes, her earnings could exceed those of entry-level employees working in BPOs or service-based IT companies.

What further intensified the debate was the claim that the man reportedly lived in a rented 3BHK apartment costing over Rs 70,000 per month. Details visible in the screenshot allegedly identified him as a Bengaluru-based HR professional originally from Patna, Bihar, with over two decades of work experience.

As the screenshot spread across social media, Reddit users flooded the comments section with criticism, sarcasm, and counterarguments defending domestic workers.

One user sarcastically remarked, “Maids do have their own LinkedIn profiles in Bangalore btw. That’s exactly why he posted a job opening there.”

Another user criticised the repeated comparisons between domestic workers and young corporate employees, writing, “I just cant understand why these people keep comparing domestic help wage to a fresher Techie/BPO salary. I remember one of my colleague complaining that her maid is earning more than what a system engineer earns as a fresher in TCS.

I asked him – Are you comfortable going to flats (esp bachelors) and see the litter always there? Many of entitled “educated” ones cant even keep garbage out. And the avg domestic help age is above 30, how can people compare them with a 20 21 yo corporate employee who have a higher trajectory of growth in front of them.”

Some users questioned whether the original post was genuine at all. “This is rage bait. If the maid has to come twice a day , 6 days a week, she can work in only 1 or maximum two more households in between. That’s would only come to 10K-13K salary per month and for all that trouble?? Man, I really want to give this guy a tight slap,” one comment read.

Another Reddit user argued that the issue reflected hypocrisy in how people perceive market-driven wages. “The people asking ‘what’s wrong with this?’ are exactly the problem. It’s hypocrisy to celebrate the free market when it helps you as a white-collar professional to maximize your own salaries, but suddenly act offended when blue-collar workers do the same and charge what the market allows,” the user wrote.

“Also how can you even decide what a fair rate is for someone??? I don’t understand. Domestic work is NOT EASY. Imagine cooking and cleaning at 10 houses a day and then having to take care of your own house.

That’s INSANE. None of this should be taken for granted. They are humans. And so what if they want a little bit more money? We all ask for raises and promotions at work. They have lives too. Fucking hell,” the user said.