Bengaluru Rent: Landlord Returns Just ₹18k From ₹70k Deposit, Tenant's Viral Video Sparks Fury

A Bengaluru tenant claims her landlord returned only ₹18k from a ₹70k deposit. Her viral video has sparked outrage, highlighting ongoing issues of unfair deductions and tenant struggles in the city.

Bengaluru: Everyone knows that finding a house for rent in Silicon City is a huge task. But this story proves once again that getting your deposit back when you leave is an even bigger challenge. A young woman living in the 'Arge Urban Bloom' apartment in Yeshwanthpur has made a serious allegation that her landlords cheated her by not returning her full security deposit.

The woman, a working professional in Bengaluru, was living in a 3BHK flat owned by Veerendra P. Khatwkar and Rekha V. Khatwkar. When she moved in, she had paid ₹70,000 as a security deposit. Recently, the owners decided to sell the property and asked her to vacate the house. However, she claims that after she moved out, the owners returned only ₹18,000 to her. This means the landlords have deducted a whopping ₹52,000 without any proper reason, according to the tenant.

Video goes viral on social media

The young woman shared a video on Instagram detailing the injustice she faced, and it has now gone massively viral. The reel has already received over 7.3 lakh views and 17,000 likes, with many people online expressing their anger at the landlords' behaviour. She has tagged the Bengaluru City Police and senior police officials, asking them to investigate the matter and deliver justice.

The endless woes of tenants in Bengaluru

This issue of landlords unfairly cutting money from the deposit is not new in Bengaluru. It's a common problem tenants face. When vacating a house, landlords often cite excessive painting charges or unnecessary repairs as an excuse to keep a large chunk of the deposit. Sometimes, they ask tenants to leave before the agreement ends, saying they are selling the house, and then delay returning the deposit for months.

According to the Karnataka Rent Control Act, landlords are only supposed to take a few months' rent as an advance. But in Bengaluru, the unwritten rule of collecting 10 months' rent as a security deposit is still very much alive and kicking.