Dealing with landlords can often be frustrating, with high security deposits and a long list of rules making the rental process stressful. However, one landlord in Bengaluru appears to have taken things
a step further by demanding an advance payment equal to a month’s rent even before showing the apartment.
Sharing their experience in a Reddit post, a young professional said they encountered this unusually strict landlord and a persistent security guard after entering a high-rise building while searching for a rental home.
‘Is This Some Common Scam?’
“This happened about 2 months ago when I had just moved to Bangalore for work and was looking for a place to rent,” wrote the young professional. “I was walking around a high-rise and asked the security guard if there were any vacant flats. He said yes and gave me the owner’s phone number. I called the owner, spoke to him, and he told me to ask the security to show me the flat.”
Got asked one month’s rent just to view a flat
byu/Silent-Character-907 inGatedCommunitiesIndia
The Bengaluru professional was left deeply shocked after going up to the security guard, as they were told by the landlord over the phone call. Later on, the security guard tried to enforce one of the stunning regulations set by the landlord. “I went back to the security guy, thinking he’d just take me upstairs. Instead, he tells me I need to pay one month’s rent for him to show the apartment,” wrote the professional.
The revelation and the demand by the security guard at the behest of the landlord left the person speechless before they walked away, wondering if they had just escaped a scam. “I honestly didn’t even know how to react,” the person wrote. “This wasn’t brokerage or anything official. Just money to open the door and show the place.
“I obviously walked away, but I keep thinking about it. Is this some common scam, or has anyone else faced this while house hunting in Bangalore?”
‘I Don’t Think He’s Actually The Owner’
After inviting the online community for their opinions on the post, the young professional received an array of comments. One of the users asked whether they called the owner back to confirm if the demand for the month’s rent before being shown the apartment was even legit, and as per the rules.
To which, the Bengaluru professional raised another suspicion, “judging by how the owner was talking, I don’t think he’s actually the owner. So I just walked away.”
Another person agreed with the sentiment, “That’s just the security guy trying to con you.”
“I guess this is a scam. The security guard would have given his friend’s number instead of the owner,” one more commented on similar lines.
“Scams are getting creative!” mentioned an individual.
The story should raise alarm bells over a potential new scam for people who recently relocated to a different city due to their professional commitments and are seeking a good rental household.
