BENGALURU: An online petition urging Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to enact the Model Tenancy Act in the state is gathering momentum.
The petition has been put up on Change.org and is being widely circulated in social media. It targets a total of 5,000 signatures but has already attracted more than 4,800 petitioners in a span of three days.
The petition “Say No to ten months’ rent as security deposit while renting a house in Bangalore” is creating buzz in several online groups here. Recently, a court in Chennai had ordered that owners can collect only one month’s rent as deposit for houses and apartments on rent.
The online petition states that security deposits beyond three months’ rent should be made illegal. The practice of forcing tenants to pay 10 months’ rent as advance is “unethical” and “a social evil”. The petition said, “It places a huge, unnecessary and improper financial burden on tenants looking to merely rent out property.”
Tanu Jalan, who has signed the petition, said rules on this are essential in a city like Bengaluru, which attracts people from across the country.
Problem for students
Rajib Deb Varma, who hails from Manipur and resides in JP Nagar, said 10-month advances are not prevalent in other cities. “In Kolkata, I was asked for only three months advance. In Tripura, there is no practice of paying security deposits,” he said.
He added, “It might be easy for professionals to pay this kind of advance but it is a burden on students who come to the city.”