After a Brazilian woman was raped by her landlord in the capital recently, the dark side of the city was revealed where the life of a single women is not only unsafe, but also difficult. Single women living alone talk about how finding a safe, secure and hassle-free rented place to live is an uphill task.
“It is really tough to manage everything alone in a strange city where you know very few people,” says Anjana Saraswati, an HR manager from Patna, who is living in Delhi with her twin sister Jyotsna for the last five years. Her main problem is getting a house after every 11 months when her lease gets over.
“It’s a tedious job. Since safety is paramount and so is the budget, house hunting is a tough job,” says Anjana, who was cheated by both her landlord and property dealer when she shifted to South Delhi from North Campus.
She shares that while both the men assured her that the apartment was safe, the day she shifted, she discovered only boys on the other floors of the building. “I’d have been okay if I knew about it before. But the men lied by saying that families and two girls live on the other floors of the building. We were forced to move out of the apartment in two days. In the process, we also lost a month’s rent and brokerage as they didn’t return it,” says Anjana.
Aparajita Biala, 29, manager marketing, Tech Mahindra, who is living in Delhi alone for the last few years, thinks the main problem in the capital is that you are always looked at with suspicion.
“People are still not used to girls living alone. Landlords are too nosey. They will tell you not to go out too late,” says Aparajita. She adds that the situation in Gurgaon is still better.
Agrees Tanuja Gupta, who is preparing for her CAT exams. She came to Delhi last year after completing engineering from Pune. “Finding a house was a challenge. I contacted almost 10 property dealers in Rohini and all they would say was the properties available with them are open only for families, single women are a strict no no,” says Tanuja, who had to finally opt for a house in North campus. Being a university area, people don’t mind girls living alone.
While women share the problems they face, property dealers and landlords justify their stand. According to them, their past experiences with women have made them enforce strict rules. “We don’t mind giving an apartment to anybody if the rent comes on time and the tenants live peacefully. But unmarried girls and boys are not disciplined and indulge in all kinds of nocturnal activities,” says Bittoo Awasthi, a dealer from East Delhi.