‘Birthday buddy’ to UN level auditor: Bengaluru tenant’s exit shock over ₹20K cuts

A routine move-out in Bengaluru has turned into a dispute over security deposit deductions, after a tenant alleged that his landlord introduced additional checks and delays after he vacated a 1BHK flat he had rented for nearly two years.

In a reddit post titled “My landlord went from birthday buddy to UN-level auditor in 20 months”, the tenant described how a friendly relationship with the landlord changed during the exit process. He said he had lived in the apartment with his wife and toddler for around 20 months, maintaining what he described as a normal household setup.

 

Read the viral post here

 

“No parties, no damage, no ‘chaos’ — just normal family life and regular cleaning,” he wrote, adding that the landlord lived in the same housing society and shared a cordial bond with the family. “We literally attended each other’s kids’ birthdays. Shared cake. Smiled. Trusted each other,” he said.

The issue, he said, began after he vacated the flat and handed over the keys. While he acknowledged minor wear and tear, the tenant said he had already taken steps to address it. “No major just minor 2-3 wear & tear. I even proactively got a painting + deep cleaning quote (~8–10K) from the society vendor to keep things smooth,” he wrote.

Despite this, the landlord allegedly initiated what the tenant described as an extended review process. “Excuse me… inspection team?? Bro, it’s a 1BHK, not a pre-launch audit for ISRO,” he said, referring to mentions of an “inspection team”, “detailed assessment”, and a 10–15 day timeline before deductions would be finalised.

The tenant said he had paid a security deposit of ₹1 lakh and was later informed to expect deductions exceeding ₹20,000 for unspecified “rent-related adjustments”, with final costs yet to be confirmed. “Feels less like a move-out…and more like I’ve entered a multi-stage billing pipeline,” he wrote.

He also questioned the need for further evaluation after the flat had already been inspected and keys handed over. “I’ll wait for the ‘inspection report’ like it’s a board exam result,” the user added.

The post has drawn attention online, with several users weighing in on rental practices, deposit returns, and the lack of standardised rules governing deductions at the end of tenancy agreements in cities like Bengaluru.

 The post has since drawn multiple responses from other tenants who said they had faced similar situations during move-outs.

“This is not normal. My Hyderabad last landlord was mental like this, she lived in the UK and it was her father’s house. I barely lived for 3 months there and she deducted 10k from deposit money because there were scratches on one of the bedroom door and black marks on the side of her cupboard (this was caused by her interior guys. I just stopped arguing with her and decided to trade my mental health for the 10k,” one user reacted.

Another Redditor said, “Well, they unmask in the last days. The whole game is that you pack your things, get ready to move out, and hand over the keys. Deposit adjustments are intentionally kept uncertain till the last moment, so you can’t keep up. Rent adjustments will also follow — like saying your two months’ rent is pending or that money is actually due from you until you show them your payment history. The ‘inspection team’ would be nothing but a plumber or some other guy they use, who comes to the flat and says this is not working or that is damaged, so it can be deducted.”

A third user said the experience was familiar. “Ah, brings back memories. Our earlier landlord did the exact same thing. All nice and merry until we decided to leave, but as soon as the notice period kicked in: The painting cost he quoted tripled, Behavior changed to blame every single little scratch on us (We had a vid which showed it was there before we moved in). Fair to say, common to find landlords like this all over town.”