A Muslim man looking for a house in Bengaluru has shared his frustration after being repeatedly rejected by landlords, saying the rejections only came after they learnt about his religion. He explained that most owners were happy with his job, workplace, and other details. But once they found out he was Muslim, they suddenly said the house was no longer available.
Why was the tenant rejected?
“Getting rejected by almost the majority of house owners once they know the tenant applying is Muslim,” he wrote, sharing how common the bias felt. “They will be happy with the company, place, and every other detail except when it comes down to this. Despite its reputation as one of India’s most progressive and cosmopolitan cities, according to the Reddit post, Bengaluru continues to grapple with religious discrimination in its rental housing market.
‘Find the right region to stay’
Netizens poured in their opinions and house-hunting experience in the comment section. A user wrote, “Electronic city area seems more accommodating. Have been to multiple apartments in the area with tenants of different religions or castes.” Another added, “Due to wrong doings by small fraction of people entire community suffers. Onus lies on educated people in your community to educate them. You have understood what I’m saying I hope.”
Meanwhile, a user shared his experience, “We’ve rented our flat twice to Muslim families in the past. Both times, it started with just two people, but gradually more and more people began staying—sometimes up to 10–12, and often random guests would show up without informing us. They didn’t seem to care much about the extra water or resources being used, and the house was always kept in a messy state. When they moved out, they didn’t bother cleaning properly. We had to get it professionally cleaned, and when we deducted that cost from the security deposit, they acted like we were being unfair to them. I really don’t want to sound discriminatory, but honestly, my experiences haven’t been great. And sadly, as someone pointed out, when a few people behave like this, it ends up affecting others from the same community—even the genuine, responsible ones—which is unfair to them too.”
A netizen suggested, “If you are looking at or near ORR then give up. Find a decent place which is a little farther from home. You’ll thank me 6 months later due to less issues and better quality of life.”