Finding a place to live in Mumbai can feel like running an obstacle course, and one Redditor’s recent experience showed just how tough that search can be.
The Reddit post, which included a WhatsApp conversation, described a broker asking questions that went far beyond rent, deposit, or paperwork.
“What has happened to the people of Mumbai!” the caption of the post reads.
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Questions go beyond paperwork:
According to the Redditor, the broker repeatedly asked about the family’s dietary habits. When told that the Redditor’s in-laws, who would also live in the house, were non-vegetarian, the broker became more insistent.
The broker then shifted the conversation to religion. Even after the Redditor said the family was Hindu, the broker demanded their surname to “confirm” it.
{{/usCountry}}The broker then shifted the conversation to religion. Even after the Redditor said the family was Hindu, the broker demanded their surname to “confirm” it.
{{/usCountry}}When questioned about why such details were needed, the broker reportedly replied that the property owner “does not want to rent the house to Muslims.”
Long list of rejections:
The Redditor then added that this was not an isolated case. Another broker in Mumbai had earlier refused to allow a rental agreement in the in-laws’ name because they were “old,”.
Frustrated by these encounters, the Redditor described how difficult the rental hunt had become.
Redditor wrote that tenants are often rejected for being Muslim, a bachelor, a media student, an actor, a single mother, a lower caste, non-vegetarian, part of a live-in couple, a pet parent, or someone who does not speak the owner’s preferred language.
“So, who exactly is 'entitled' to rent a house?” the post adds.
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Check out the post here:
Reddit reacts:
The Reddit post sparked a wave of reactions online, with many users saying they had faced similar hurdles while searching for a home in Mumbai.
One of the users commented, “I was once rejected because I work the afternoon to night shift, I am a woman. It was a huge point of contention.”
A second user commented, “I faced this too. So I decided to buy, and guess what? They (brokers) still asked me the same questions!”
A third user commented, “Mumbai is really shitty. I was rejected because I was non-vegetarian (Hindu). Another place, I was rejected because I was non-muslim.”
“The number of times I've been asked, 'What's your caste?' by landlords in Mumbai is disturbing,” another user commented.
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)