'Spending 3 hours daily on roads, plans to quit job…': Burnout Bengaluru man’s house hunting struggle goes viral

A Reddit post detailing the challenges of finding a rental home in Bengaluru has gone viral, with several users saying they are facing similar issues in the city’s costly and competitive housing market. In a post titled “Bangalore house hunt reality,” the user shared how his plan to relocate closer to his new office near MG Road turned into months of long commutes and unsuccessful house hunting.

From Simple Plan to Daily Struggle

“After 3 years of working and living in Electronic City, I changed jobs to a company in MG Road. The joining date was jan 1st. " My plan was simple, travel from my ecity apartment for a month, find a new property, and move in by Feb 1st,” the OP shared.

Initially, the arrangement seemed manageable despite the long commute. “Even though I had to travel 52 km every day, the weather was cool, so I didn’t feel anything bad,” he wrote.

Limited Options in Prime Areas

During the first few weekends, he explored areas such as Indiranagar, Domlur, Victoria Layout, Frazer Town, and Richmond Town, hoping to find a one-bedroom apartment within a budget of ₹25,000. However, he soon realised the harsh reality of Bengaluru’s rental market.

Instead of finding multiple options, he came across very few “to-let” signs and struggled to locate available flats in his preferred neighbourhoods. He then turned to online platforms and even spent around ₹8,000 on premium services, but the experience remained disappointing.

“90% of the brokers gave me ‘never mind’ vibes. Like, if you want it take it, or else I will give it to someone else,” he wrote, adding that some brokers even demanded money just to show properties.

Exhausting Commute and Rising Frustration

The user shared that many of the flats he visited were either too small or located in areas he did not prefer. As weeks passed, his search extended into March without any success.

At the same time, his daily commute became increasingly exhausting as temperatures rose. “I’m spending three hours every day in super hot roads. I have zero energy in the office, and after office I’m back roaming around looking for houses,” he wrote.

Deal Falls Through at the Last Moment

Eventually, he agreed to rent a small apartment in Domlur for ₹26,000 after being shown the property by a broker. However, things took an unexpected turn when the broker asked him to wait before making a token payment and promised to share the details later.

“Then I tried calling him from Sunday. He blocked me,” the Redditor wrote. When he visited the property in person, he discovered it had already been rented out to someone else.

After months of effort, the user said he decided to stop searching altogether. “I quit. After spending a lot of time, energy and money… I quit house hunting. The burnout is so real I’m honestly just planning to quit my job. BLR real estate is a joke,” he wrote.

Several users resonated with his experience. One user commented, “I swear !! i have been looking for houses from January and still haven’t gotten one yet." ₹25k??? I have extended my budget till ₹40k And yet no luck,” remarked another user.

Disclaimer: This article is based on a user-generated post on Reddit. ET.com has not independently verified the claims made in the post and does not vouch for their accuracy. The views expressed are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of ET.com. Reader discretion is advised.