With the city expanding, and more people moving in everyday, finding adequate accommodation has become quite a task. It is easier for people who have families, but with everybody wanting their own space, the number of paying guest accommodation in the city has drastically increased.
And the stringent, and in some cases strange terms and conditions have increased. Apart from having a huge lack of facilities and amenities, home owners are stressing on unusual rules. We spoke to students, techies and even residents who let us in on the absurd terms levied on them, at PGs in the city.
Housing for bachelors only, has been one of the first problems that sprouted up. But for women only PGs, things like curfews and dress codes are seemingly common!
“My PG is in a gated community, and the first thing the owner of the flat told me was that I had to be home by 10 pm on weekdays and 11.30 on weekends! At first I found it ridiculous and went looking for other places, but many had the same curfew. I didn’t even have a curfew at home,” says Swati Gupta, a Delhiite who is studying in the city.
“But I had to accept it as the facilities were good and it is close to college. I also got a call from my landlord informing me that I couldn’t wear shorts outside the apartment as residents had complained. Such rules aren’t even there in hostels today,” says the fuming student.
Apart from curfew and attire, food habits also pose a huge problem. “I am a pure non-vegetarian and the only rule laid down by my landlord was that non-veg food would only be cooked on Fridays, and on other days, I wouldn’t be allowed to even bring non-veg home,” says an annoyed Natashia Desai.
“She is a Brahmin and the other days are auspicious for her. I am now forced to eat vegetarian, and can only go out to eat non-veg,” says the techie. For Rahul Saxena, a software engineer at an IT firm, other rules surfaced.
“Apart from my landlord changing rules based on his convenience, I am not allowed to have girls over as apparently it will portray him in the ‘wrong light’. I didn’t argue much as I am not a party person, but when I had a few of my guy friends over to watch a match, my landlord came knocking on my door and said that I wasn’t allowed to have more than two people over at the same time. It was absolutely ridiculous, and he waited until my friends left, leaving me embarrassed,” reveals the 28-year-old. Strange rules, indeed.
*Names have been changed
