House Hunting, Hopping and Hoping!

Recently on my flight to Mumbai I met Gia, a girl who had moved out of a small city to pursue her dream of becoming an actress.  As the plane took off, she began narrating her story as a single girl trying to find a place in the big city.  Though she had been staying in Mumbai for over a year, she did not have a place which she could call home.  She had changed six accommodations in twelve months and was going to move to the seventh upon reaching her destination. Hopping from one place to the other with her baggage seemed to have become a normal activity. Disgruntled with the living situation in Mumbai, she complained of how difficult life can get due to lack of proper accommodation. As soon as we landed she made a call to an estate agent hoping to see a few places in the day.  Her only agenda was to pick up her stuff from her previously rented accommodation and move into a new one. Sadly there was nothing concrete in line.  
 

The irony is that this is not just one girl’s story.  Many young singles fascinated by the grandeur of life in a big city decide to make it their home only to discover that finding decent accommodation is their biggest challenge.  
 

There are several reasons as to why housing for young singles poses great dilemma.  First and foremost is the high price of real estate. Housing is an expensive phenomenon.  The term "affordable housing" seems like an oxymoron in today's times, especially when a one BHK apartment, in Mumbai, costs almost a crore, that too overlooking a gutter. Rents, even in the suburbs, are sky high and for those that struggle to make ends meet, the lack of economical housing pinches hard.
 

The options for young singles in any new city they move to are very few.  In urban India, the concept of studio apartments is still rare.  Hence, for a young single person just beginning a career, having a small place of her/his own does not pose as an alternative.  The lack of decent affordable housing in safe and well developed areas leaves singles with no choice other than making a home in dingy congested places.   
The best option is to buy an apartment.  However, this is not easy unless one is bestowed with ancestral wealth or has luckily hit the jackpot. 
 

A popular pick among singles is to stay in someone else’s house/flat as a paying guest. This is not as appealing because it comes with several restrictions mostly put by the landlord.  After a thorough interrogation on your work and lifestyle, you may get to stay as a paying guest.  Count your blessings if you work nine to five in a bank or school.  If you happen to be one of those odd ones to work in Media, then you’d be better off investing in a minivan that is big enough to put a sleeping bag in, rather than deal with unnecessary disrespect. Most landlords are more petrified of people working in the media than they are of the mafia. As soon as they hear the word media they shut all doors of communication and their homes.  Don’t be surprised if the landlord pulls out a weird list of do’s and don’ts.  For reasons best known to them, some only let women stay in their homes while others fear renting to a single woman.  Even single men have a tough time renting a place.  So despite all things, there is also a gender bias floating around in the house hunting scenario. If you are lucky and someone lets you stay as a paying guest, the landlord will turn watch guard scrutinizing your every move.  Such minute scrutiny can be quite taxing and may inspire a quick exit.
 

Many singles then opt for renting an apartment. This involves high monthly rentals, lease agreements, renewing the lease every eleven months and paying high deposits to safeguard the interest of the landlord.  For the thick skinned too it gets harrowing having to deal with all sorts of people living in the society, untrained security guards and neighboring critics.  With so many eyes on you, they constantly watch what you wear, what time you return and with whom?  If the landlord happens to stay in the same building, life gets tougher. If one gets lucky and skips the criticism of the landlord, they are truly fortunate and rare to come across.
 

So what does a young single person do to live peacefully in a city? What can landlords do to ensure a pleasant stay for the tenant?  After all, this is business for the landlord and tenants are adding value to their finances.  While these questions linger in our minds and this tug of war continues, every day young singles, like Gia, move to cities to make a career, to explore new horizons and to make a new home.  They hunt for houses; they hop from one place to the next and hope that someday they will be able to find themselves a place they can call home.