Bachelors not allowed? Bengaluru based entrepreneur claims society president asked him to vacate flat just days after he paid deposit

A Bengaluru-based entrepreneur has sparked a discussion about the difficulties unmarried tenants can face after claiming he was asked to vacate an apartment just days after moving in because he was a bachelor. Nikhil Sheoran, founder of Backdoor and a BITS graduate, said he had spent a long time searching for a home in the city and believed he had finally found one, only to be told to leave soon after taking possession.

Just five days earlier, Sheoran had shared a photograph of himself holding the keys to his new apartment on social media. “War is over?” he captioned the picture. His experience, however, changed within days after he was asked to vacate the flat.

Sheoran later shared the incident on X, including a screenshot of his WhatsApp conversation with the president of the residential society. His post has since received more than half a million views.


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Sheoran says society asked him to find another flat

According to the WhatsApp exchange shared by Sheoran, the society president told him to speak with his landlord and “look for another flat”.

Sheoran responded by pointing out that he and his flatmates had already paid the security deposit and had a rental agreement in place. The society president, however, maintained that the decision had already been conveyed to the flat’s owner.


“Yes, we have communicated the association's decision that no bachelors allowed. Please work with your owner to vacate at the earliest. Thanks,” the president wrote, according to the screenshot shared by Sheoran.

The exchange indicates that the society had taken a position against bachelors renting homes in the residential complex, despite Sheoran saying that the tenancy agreement and deposit were already in place.

Founder calls experience ‘casual discrimination and harassment’

Sharing the exchange, Sheoran expressed anger over the treatment and criticised landlords and housing societies in Bengaluru for what he described as hostility towards unmarried tenants.

“Bangalore landlords so hostile, if they find out you’re a bachelor they will take you back and shoot you in the head,” he wrote on X.

He later described what happened to him as “casual discrimination and harassment”.

The incident comes against the backdrop of a recurring debate over unmarried people facing restrictions or reluctance from landlords while searching for rental accommodation in Indian cities. In Sheoran’s case, the issue involved not only the landlord but also the residential society, which he said had communicated its decision that bachelors should not be allowed to stay there.

Netizens debate legality of bachelor rental restrictions

The post drew a range of responses, with several users expressing support for Sheoran and questioning whether a housing association could impose such a restriction.

One commenter described the situation as “so stupid” and said they were sorry that Sheoran had to go through it.

Another user argued that such a restriction was not legally valid, writing, “Association by laws don't override laws of the state/country.”

A third commenter suggested that Sheoran send a legal notice seeking compensation for what the user described as damage, inconvenience and harassment. The commenter also suggested telling the society to pursue the matter through court if it disputed the claim.

The reactions reflected a wider disagreement over the extent to which residential associations can regulate who is allowed to rent homes in their buildings, particularly when tenants have already entered into rental agreements.

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Sheoran had celebrated finding a home days earlier

The dispute came only days after Sheoran appeared to believe his apartment search had finally ended. After securing the flat, he posted a picture with its key and the caption “War is over?”, signalling the conclusion of what he described as a long hunt for accommodation in Bengaluru.

The subsequent request to leave left him frustrated, particularly because he said the security deposit had already been paid and a rental agreement was in place.

His experience has since attracted widespread attention online, with the discussion focusing on the treatment of bachelors seeking rental housing and the role of resident welfare or society associations in such decisions.