A post on X has sparked a discussion around how safe residential societies really are, after a user shared their experience of a completely contactless Airbnb stay in Noida. While some found the setup convenient and modern, others felt it raises serious security questions for gated communities.
‘No physical check, just a code’ - user flags safety concern
The post was shared by X user @ShivrattanDhil1, who described how their team booked an Airbnb in an apartment society during a race event in Noida. The caption read: “Isn’t this a serious safety concern for apartment residents? Went to Noida for our race event, and our mechanic team booked an Airbnb in an apartment society.
The entire process was completely contactless they booked online, received the flat address and a locker code at the gate to collect the keys, and at checkout simply dropped the keys back without meeting a single person. Just an Aadhaar card upload and that’s it.
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Honestly, it felt worrying seeing how easily anyone could get access inside a residential society without the owner or even residents knowing who’s coming in. Maybe this model works in some foreign countries, but blindly trusting such systems here feels risky.
{{/usCountry}}Honestly, it felt worrying seeing how easily anyone could get access inside a residential society without the owner or even residents knowing who’s coming in. Maybe this model works in some foreign countries, but blindly trusting such systems here feels risky.
{{/usCountry}}What if someone books using fake or incorrect Aadhaar details? They still get full access to the society and flat without any proper physical verification. Felt really bad for families living in such apartments security shouldn’t become this casual!”
Reactions were pretty divided, with some saying this is already how things work in other countries.
One user wrote that this kind of system is already fairly common abroad. “It’s pretty common in Western countries, seeing this since pre-COVID era but again our Indian society is low-trust society and your concerns are very valid considering that,” the user said.
Another person shared a more casual take, pointing to everyday usage. “My cousin did this and keeps changing and sharing his code with me because he is lazy,” they wrote. Another user added, “This system was common in Thailand.”
Some users, however, felt the debate was missing a bigger point and argued that trust-based systems are important for progress. “Look at it this way: one of the major reasons India is in such a chaos and failing so badly is that we are a low-trust society. If there is a system that is encouraging a bit of trust, don’t shoot it down immediately,” one comment read.
Others weren’t fully convinced and highlighted the need for stronger checks and accountability. “Yes that is a risk. Airbnb should have a robust mechanism of authenticating their users and keeping a proper trail of guests. Apartment security is a deterrent and not a guarantee,” a user pointed out.
There were also concerns raised beyond Airbnb-style stays, with one user noting wider security gaps in societies. “Sometimes those extra draconian rules by RWA feels fine. One other troubling development is with delivery agents… they get to know security staff well and can access phone numbers/photos. Scary if they want to misuse it,” the comment read.