Bengaluru resident's rant about landlords amid soaring rents in city divides internet

A Bengaluru resident called out the city's soaring rents, arguing that landlords often assumed that every tenant worked in the IT sector and earned a six-figure salary.

The woman, who posts on Instagram under the handle Namma Rants, shared a video reflecting on a recent conversation with a property owner that left her frustrated about the realities of renting in Bengaluru.

In the video, she argued that many landlords failed to recognise the diversity of the city's workforce. While Bengaluru is widely known as India's tech hub, she pointed out that thousands of people working in other industries also called the city home and often struggled to keep up with rising housing costs.

"Bangalore property owners need to know that not everybody earns in lakhs, nor is everyone from the IT industry," she said. "The reality is that everyone who comes here is working in a different workplace and industry."

She went on to say that while inflation pushed up prices across the board, rents and security deposits in Bengaluru appeared to be increasing at a pace that was making survival difficult for many residents. According to her, people were increasingly forced to worry about balancing rent, daily expenses and savings.

The woman also said the video was prompted by an interaction with a landlord while she was attempting to negotiate rent. According to the caption, the owner dismissed her concerns by suggesting that she would eventually earn in lakhs because she lived in Bengaluru and must be from the IT sector.

That assumption, she said, highlighted a larger issue.

"In a recent conversation with the owner while I was trying to bargain, he brought it up saying you'll earn in lakhs and come from IT department so why are you asking to reduce the rent?" she wrote. "I am not from IT and only IT people are not the ones buying the flats, so what about people like us? Where should we find a place?"

She added that she wanted to "burst this bubble" among property owners who automatically associate Bengaluru residents with high-paying tech jobs.

Watch the video here:

The post quickly drew mixed reactions, with users offering different perspectives on the city's rental market.

Some commenters agreed with her concerns, arguing that real estate prices in many Indian cities have become excessively inflated and increasingly disconnected from the earning capacity of ordinary residents.

Others, however, countered that rent is determined by property values and market demand rather than a tenant's salary, suggesting that landlords typically price homes based on what the market is willing to pay.

Several users also pointed out that Bengaluru's rental boom is being driven by demand, arguing that as long as people continue to rent properties at current rates, landlords will have little incentive to lower prices. The discussion eventually evolved into a broader debate about affordability, urban migration and whether the city's housing market is becoming inaccessible for professionals outside the tech industry.