' ₹2 Lakh deposit for ₹20K rent?’: Viral post sparks outrage, laughter over Bengaluru’s housing woes

A viral Reddit post highlights Bengaluru's exorbitant rental deposits, with many tenants sharing their frustrations.

A viral social media post on Reddit has once again thrown a spotlight on the sky-high rental deposits in Karnataka capital Bengaluru. The post, which reads, “2L deposit for 20k rent?” has struck a chord with hundreds of frustrated tenants across the city.

Bengaluru has made several headlines over its housing woes, which includes exorbitant rent and deposits, and extensive interviews by landlords.

The post quickly gained traction, amassing hundreds of upvotes, and hilarious yet painfully accurate replies. Several agreed, some disagreed, and many shared real-life anecdotes from their life as a tenant in the city.

Social media reacts

“And here in mangalore I pay 3 month rent as security deposit,” one user wrote.

“Go negotiate. Stop accepting it,” another said.

“Yes it's common, they take 12 month deposit,” a reply read.

“Janta is so exploited that 10 months rent equivalent Security is fine and common for them. Jaago tenant jaago,” another response said.

The 10-month-rent rule that refuses to die

Bengaluru has long followed the unwritten rule of demanding 10 months’ rent as security deposit — a practice that many have normalised and some say is outdated and exploitative.

Landlords stand firm

For landlords, however, the deposit system is necessary to protect against property damage, unpaid bills, and abrupt departures. “It is very difficult to recover damages from the tenants. Basic amenities such as fans, tube lights, tiles, painting and electric fittings like geysers and switches etc are very expensive,” a user wrote in response to the reddit post.

“Only way they can safeguard themselves with a large monetary sum. This is not the case in other cities, RWAs and apartment associations are very strong. Even an owner cannot lease without the NoC from the association and they can collectively take action against any tenant,” he added.