QUEEN'S ROAD: In today’s cosmopolitan Bengaluru, unmarried couples renting flats together is becoming increasingly common. While finding an open-minded house owner can be a challenge, the way you approach them can make all the difference.
City Express went around town, speaking to men and women who are living with their partners.
Aldrin George (36) has been living with his girlfriend in Koramangala for the past three years. He says it took him all of five days to find the apartment. “All we had to do was sit down and talk to the owner. When we came across as responsible adults who wouldn’t misuse the space, he agreed to rent us the flat,” he explains.
Owners’ issues
“Young people move to the city, rent a place and switch partners often. It’s a choice that they make, but house owners tend to judge and get uncomfortable. They just need to know that you are sincere,” he says.
Maintaining a cordial relationship with the landlord is vital, he further says. “It is a complicated situation. Owners tend to be concerned about the people who rent their property, while young tenants think they are being intrusive. If you set boundaries early on and share a kind word once in a while, things should be fine,” George says.
Neighbourhood matters
However, the neighbourhood that you choose makes a lot of difference, he feels. “Live-in relationships are more acceptable in areas like Indiranagar and Koramangala, where the population comprises a majority of youngsters and those from the educated, well-travelled upper class.”
“We may not have been able to find a place in South Bengaluru as easily,” George adds.
First impression
For 26-year-old Sharanya Kumar (name changed), however, the apartment-hunting didn’t go so smoothly. It took her and her boyfriend two months and a bit of lying to finally find a flat in Indiranagar.
“At first, we tried using Facebook groups because we didn’t want to deal with brokers. When that didn’t work out, we gave up and did approach a few brokers. We found that most of them were okay with a live-in couple, but they suggested that we fudge the story a bit while telling it to the house owners,” she recalls.
“The brokers told every house owner that we met that we were engaged to be married within the year. While most of them refused to hear us out, we finally found one who didn’t object. Once we moved in, however, he let us be,” Sharanya says.
The couple has been living in the apartment for six months now.
Judgmental attitude
Chandrika (name changed), a 28-year-old writer, has lived in a three-bedroom apartment in Koramangala with her partner for the past four years.
“In the beginning, two of our friends also shared the apartment with us. But in the past year, it has only been me and my boyfriend,” she says.
Asked if her living situation has caused her problems, she says no. “Our landlord is aware that I am living with my boyfriend and he doesn’t mind. We even have pets at home. Legally or professionally, I haven’t faced any difficulties.”
Personally, though, she is constantly judged, she says.
“I have a bunch of nosy relatives who believe I am a woman of no integrity. The fact that their own sons choose to live with their partners before marriage doesn’t make a difference to them.”
Brokers speak
Kumar, who deals with flats and houses in Indiranagar, says, “Normally, home owners don’t question a couple’s marital status unless doubts arise. In case of suspicion, they ask for proof of marriage. Otherwise I don’t know of anyone who would rent their place out to an unmarried couple.”
Gautam Muniswamyy, who has been broking for a few months now, says that he has rarely had unmarried couples approaching him for an apartment.
“I’ve found accommodation for 30-40 people so far and only one or two such couples have come to me,” he says. And he hasn’t been able to find flats or houses for any of them.
“It’s just the way the owners think. The minute I say that a couple asking for accommodation has not tied the knot, they refuse. You never know from what quarters you’ll get trouble while housing unmarried couples,” he explains.