The recent saga of a Bengaluru tenant’s eviction shared with his landlord has sparked a wider conversation about tenancy conflicts and withholding deposits across the city. In a post titled “My landlord went from birthday buddy to UN-level auditor in 20 months.”a tenant described how a once friendly relationship collapsed when he vacated his 1BHK flat after nearly two years.
The tenant stated that he has lived in the apartment with his wife and toddler for about 20 months. He emphasized that there were no problems during the stay, writing: “No parties, no damage, no ‘chaos’ – just normal family life and regular cleaning.”
He added that the landlord lived in the same apartment unit and the two families shared a cordial bond. “We literally attended our kids’ birthdays. We shared a cake. We smiled. We trusted each other,” he said.
The dispute begins during the move
According to the tenant, the problems began after he handed over the keys and completed an initial walk-through with the landlord. He claimed the owner later implemented additional inspections and unclear deductions.
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“No major issues, just minor wear and tear. I even proactively got a quote from the company’s contractor for a paint + deep clean (~8-10k) to keep things smooth,” he wrote.
Despite this, the landlord reportedly mentioned an “inspection team”, a “detailed assessment” and a waiting period of 10-15 days before deductions are confirmed. In response, the tenant remarked, “Excuse me… inspection team? Bro, it’s 1BHK, not a pre-launch audit for ISRO.”
₹deposit of CZK 1,000 ₹20,000+ deductions
The tenant stated that he paid a ₹1 lakh security deposit but later told to expect higher deductions ₹20,000 for unspecified “rent-related adjustments”, with the final figure still unclear.
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“It doesn’t feel like a move … and more like I’ve entered a multi-stage billing pipeline,” he wrote, questioning whether such practices are standard or even legal.
He also expressed concern about the need for further evaluation after the keys had already been handed over and the flat inspected once. “I will wait for the ‘inspection report’ as if it were the result of an administrative examination,” he added.
Social media users share similar experiences
The post quickly gained popularity online, with several users sharing similar incidents.
One user commented: “Bangalore landlords are total amateurs. They cut water and electricity when you live and take 90% of the deposit when you leave. There is a new electricity bill scam in new buildings. They take 1-2000 on your electricity bill saying it’s a regular connection.”
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Another wrote: “I just hate Banglore landlords, no matter how well they behave when you are a tenant, they always bite you as soon as you ask them for a deposit. Never trust them. Don’t include them in your life.”
A third user shared: “Ahh, it brings back memories. Our previous landlord did the exact same thing. All fine and dandy until we decided to leave, but once the notice period started: The price of the painting he listed tripled, behavior changed to the point where he blamed every little scratch on us (we had a video that showed it was there before we moved in) Fair to say, it’s common to find landlords like this after the whole city.”
Another suggested a legal solution: “Most homeowners in Bangalore are small operators who think they are renting out their house to ‘big business’. They act like it’s a big deal. However, once lawyers get involved, most of them screw their pants. Pay 10,000 to a lawyer, get them to write your emails. Most landlords want to avoid the risk of being caught in court and don’t want to you fool, if you didn’t cause actual harm, they’ll have to prove you did.”
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. LiveMint has not independently verified and does not endorse these claims.)
