Mumbai woman's post on Bengaluru's 'biggest rent scam' has tenants, landlords at odds

A Mumbai woman's post calling Bengaluru's rental security deposit system the city's "biggest rent scam" has drawn contrasting reactions from tenants and landlords.Mumbai woman's post on Bengaluru's 'biggest rent scam' has tenants, landlords at odds (Photo: Pexels) A Mumbai woman has called Bengaluru's rental security deposit system the city's "biggest rent scam,” as tenants and landlords debated in the comments on her post over what constitutes a fair deposit.In a post on X, Sneha Tamhankar shared how she had assumed brokers and landlords were simply overcharging tenants by demanding security deposits equivalent to several months' rent. However, she said she was surprised to learn that the “legal amount” was two months."The biggest Bangalore rent scam isn’t that brokers tell you – madam, the new legal deposit is three months. We typically charge six, but we’ve brought it down to four for you. It’s that I never bothered to look it up because I assumed the broker/landlord was openly mooching off me. I just learnt the legal amount is two months?" she wrote.Take a look at the post here: As her post went viral, several users shared similar experiences of being asked to pay hefty security deposits while renting homes in Bengaluru. A user said their brother had recently shifted to a new house in the city and was required to pay a security deposit equal to almost six months' rent.Another recalled that six-month deposits used to be the norm and suggested that while two months may be considered the legal benchmark by some, most landlords today settle on an amount through negotiation. Others, however, disputed the claim that there is a legal cap on security deposits. Several said that no law in India specifies a maximum amount that landlords can charge, with one adding there is "no legal amount specified in any law in any state in India." Another user remarked that six months was still reasonable, recalling how a landlord had casually demanded a deposit equivalent to 10 months' rent.The discussion also drew responses from landlords, who defended higher security deposits as protection against financial losses. One property owner said tenants sometimes stop paying rent for months and leave properties damaged before vacating, arguing that a four-month deposit was the minimum they would accept.Another reiterated that saying security deposits are governed more by market dynamics than legal limits, with landlords taking on greater risks and both parties needing to negotiate terms that suit them.- EndsPublished On: Jul 31, 2026 09:33 IST