Have you ever noticed how some battles in life feel harder than they should be?
Like, curing a common cold seems easier than getting your rental deposit back, right?
But in Bengaluru, India, one tenant just did the impossible. He got all his Rs 2.6 lakh ($2,927) back from his landlord as claimed in a now deleted Reddit post (My story how I recovered 2.6 L security deposit by u/Best_Taste_7704 in LegalAdviceIndia).
Yes, miracles do happen, apparently.
So during COVID, the guy rented a 3.5 BHK for ₹55,000 ($619.31) a month. Post-pandemic, the landlord hiked rent to ₹78,000 ($878.29).
Since others in the same society did the same. The tenant agreed to leave with 45 days’ notice, but then the deductions started rolling in. ₹40,000 ($450.40) for painting, ₹7,000 ($78.82) for bathroom cleaning, and ₹38,000 ($427.87) for wear and tear.
Classic landlord’s game plan.
Forty days after moving out, the money was still missing. That’s when the tenant got serious.
He discovered the landlord had a military background and reported him to senior officials, pointing out how the ex-officer was misusing his position and spreading his name. Within days, the entire ₹2.6 lakh ($2,927) landed in his account.
No deductions.
But for most of us, this doesn’t work. For every one happy ending, there are a thousand lost deposits gone.
I mean, landlords returning deposits?
That’s like spotting Bigfoot.
So why do landlords do this?
See, the real issue is the power imbalance. Landlords know tenants hate legal fights, and most of them aren’t even from that state.
Also, most court cases drag on for years, paperwork is a nightmare, and the money you’re chasing often gets eaten up in legal fees anyway.
So they play the long game. Inflate deductions, delay payments, and wait for you to give up.
This tenant won not because he exploited the one weakness landlords fear: Reputation. The guy had a military background, which meant his image mattered in his circles. Once that was threatened, returning the money became easier than facing scrutiny.
That’s the real hack here. Find the pressure point.
THE WHY: ACCOUNTABILITY
So yeah, greed fuels it. But it’s a system with no accountability, where landlords have more leverage than tenants. Until that changes, most people will still end up losing their deposits, no matter how honest or genuine they are. I’ll give this one 2 stars just for the recovery.
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That’s it. No strings. Just you, me, and this stupid world.”
