Staying in a hotel, boxes at a friend's house: A Bengaluru man's house switch turns into a nightmare

Finding a rental home in Bengaluru is often described as one of the city's biggest challenges, but one resident says his experience turned into a nightmare after two promising deals fell through within days. His Reddit post, detailing cancelled agreements, packed boxes, and temporary hotel stays, has struck a chord with many navigating the city's competitive rental market.

Sharing his experience on Reddit, the Bengaluru resident said he never imagined house hunting could become so exhausting. A few weeks earlier, he and his family had found an apartment that "felt like home." According to him, everything appeared to be in place. The owner wanted them to move in quickly, documents had been exchanged, the token amount was paid, and the move-in date had been finalised. They were even scheduled to exchange keys that weekend.

Confident that the deal was complete, they gave notice to vacate their existing rental home, found another tenant to take over the property, packed all their belongings into boxes, and prepared for the move.

The deal collapsed just three days before move-in

Just three days before they were supposed to move into the new apartment, the resident received an unexpected phone call. He said the owner had changed his mind because another prospective tenant had offered a higher rent.

With a new tenant already lined up for their current home, staying back was no longer an option. The family moved all their belongings to a friend's house, packed only a few essential bags, and temporarily returned to their hometown while continuing their search for another rental.

Another apartment, another disappointment

The search soon led them to another apartment through a broker. According to the resident, their complete profile was shared with the owner from the beginning, and all relevant details were communicated upfront. After waiting for a response, however, they were informed that the owners had decided not to rent the property to them because the elders in the family had objected.

The resident clarified that he was not trying to blame anyone or start a debate. He acknowledged that property owners have the right to choose their tenants and that Bengaluru's rental market is highly competitive.

'We are honestly just tired'

Despite understanding the realities of the market, the resident said the repeated setbacks had left him emotionally drained. He questioned why prospective tenants are asked to share their complete profile, visit properties, and wait for decisions if they are ultimately rejected after the process has progressed.

Reflecting on the past few weeks, he described juggling work calls, visiting flats every weekend, packing up his entire home, losing one apartment just days before moving because someone offered more money, and then missing out on another despite completing all the formalities. He summed up the experience by saying, "we are honestly just tired."


At the time of writing his post, the resident said he was staying in a hotel so he could continue going to the office while spending his evenings searching for a new home.

He ended the post by asking fellow Reddit users for genuine rental leads in East or North Bengaluru, preferably a 2 or 3 BHK in a high-rise or gated community with a budget of up to Rs 40,000, including maintenance. After weeks of uncertainty, he said any genuine lead would mean a lot.