Confessions of a Housing Agent

“Providing accommodation to students from the Northeast is often difficult. Landlords do not want to rent flats to them”

I facilitate the sale, purchase and renting of properties for residential and commercial purposes. Renting is the regular business.

Students are our frequent clients, so we charge them only 15 days’ rent. We need to consider their preferences like budget, location and timings. Most students expect no restrictions on timings and visits by their friends. But this is not always okay with landlords. Boys make their flats liquor addas and misuse them in many ways, leading to conflicts with house owners.

Unlike earlier, students and working professionals (who pay more for the same space) often live together now. This has altered the lifestyle of students. Now, they spend more and are hungry to earn money. I know many girls who are preparing for the UPSC exams and have jumped into prostitution. We have our network in the area and nothing stays hidden from us. Generally, these girls are from small towns.

Students expect low rents from landlords, but it is not possible. For many house owners, rent is their only source of income. For the rest, it does not even cover the interest paid on housing loans.

Providing accommodation to students from the Northeast is often difficult. Landlords do not want to rent flats to them because of cultural differences.

Sometimes, we act as ‘guardians’ of students. Once, a boy rang me up in the middle of the night and asked for help. He had been arrested by the police on charges of raping a girl, which I came to know later. I reached the police station but did not interfere because of the severity of the charge.

Nowadays, students have become smart. They come to us to inquire about vacant flats or rooms. Then they directly approach landlords and cheat us. But if landlords provide rooms to students without our mediation, we blacklist them  (the landlords) and do not provide clients to them.

(This 43-year-old housing agent in Delhi has been in this business for 20 years.)

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