| Setting up a home
in India can be a challenging experience, but
comfortable accommodation can be arranged most
anywhere. A recent building boom, and
the emergence of a moneyed middle class, has
meant that good to excellent housing is widely
available. If you're a foreigner you
cannot own land so you'll be renting a
place.
In larger centers, you may even
have a choice between furnished and unfurnished
places, and short or longer term
rentals. If you are here for a
comparatively short time, the furnished option
may be attractive, though you may have little
choice in the style of décor. Even if
you are getting your own place, a short term
rental may be preferable to staying in a hotel
for a few weeks while your place is found and
kitted out. Finding a place with a
telephone already installed, and/or a cooking
gas connection, is also
useful. Getting these basic amenities
hooked up can be trying.
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If you are here
with a company, they may make all the
arrangements, or even have long term housing
established for their
personnel. Otherwise, house hunting
in India is remarkably similar to anywhere else,
with some unique twists thrown
in. You can look for housing through
a rental agency, or through "free" advertising
papers, (daily newspapers rarely advertise
rentals) or find people interested in renting
through friends and associates. In
big cities these days, quite a few people
moonlight as rental consultants and it is not
unusual to have business cards thrust on you
"just in case you need a place".
Ask to
see a few places with a range of
rents. If you are foreign, people
will assume you only want to view lavish and
expensive places. You may be happier
in a simpler place. Talk to a few
different sources, and don't be afraid to ask
colleagues what rents they pay, and what rents
you can expect. Keep
looking. There are always units
available. You just have to find the
one that best suits you.
The rental process
The rental process
is usually straightforward. Houses
are rented to companies or individuals on an 11
month basis (avoids legalities) with a lease
agreement. A rental deposit is
standard and is unusually high by Western
standards. It varies with the city,
the standard of housing, and the rental
demand. For example, the deposit
expected equals 10 months of rent in Bangalore
but only 2 or 3 months in
Hyderabad. The lease usually
specifies an annual increase of, say, 10
percent.
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The quality of housing
The quality of
housing varies. You can find old,
traditional colonial houses, but these are rare
and expensive. They also require a
lot of upkeep and staff. Newly
constructed units, either independent houses or
apartments, in the upper income range vary from
garish, Bollywood fantasies to elegant homes,
appealing to western
tastes. Apartments, both low rise and
high rise, are the most common and most
economical.
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Standard features
Standard features
in both apartments and detached homes usually
include Western style toilets, showers (but not
tubs), ceiling fans, and hot water
heaters. Bedrooms usually have a
bathroom attached. Lighting is
usually fluorescent, and there may not be wall
sockets where you expect them. The
floors are usually stone, often low-grade
marble, or tile of some kind. You
will not find carpeting, nor would you want
it. India is too dusty and
hot. Windows will be barred, often
with ornate grills, and there will be heavy
bolts on the outside and inside of all the doors
in the house. There are often
built-in cupboards or shelves (not necessarily
useful ones, either). There may be an
anteroom, for receiving visitors, and possibly
an Indian style toilet for servants.
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The quality of construction and
design
The quality of
construction and design varies
tremendously. Carefully check the
finishing, electrical outlets, plumbing
etc. See how the bathroom floor
slants. (It is amazing how commonly
it slants away from the drains.) See how the
place is maintained. New buildings
can get run down quickly because nobody planned
for regular upkeep. Also, consider
the water and electric supply. (Best
to ask another tenant about this.) In the dry,
hot summer water is at a premium in many
places. Some low-lying areas get
flooded during the monsoons.
Check the
suitability of layout and design, which is
sometimes very unusual. Watch out for
airshafts for the kitchen and bathrooms that run
down through the building to the parking
garage. These echo with noise from
cars below and other apartments
above. Buildings are usually concrete
construction and noise can echo down hallways or
carry through the walls. The less
people living in a building, the less potential
noise problems there are.
Many places are
built with a small puja room (for worship) in an
auspicious place. It would not be
disrespectful to turn it into a closet or study
if you prefer. Lastly, look for solid
structure in the building. A group of
apartments balanced on thin pillars over a
parking garage may not be that structurally
sound.
Airiness is important in
India. Look for places with high
ceilings and large windows that have some
protection from direct sun. Good flow
through of air is crucial. Being at
ground level in a crowded neighbourhood may be a
bit suffocating.
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The neighbourhood
The neighbourhood
is another consideration. Look around
the area. A smelly canal or river
nearby could be a liability. So could
a smoke belching factory or proximity to a busy
road. (Traffic may go all night.) A
large open field nearby may get swampy in the
rains and breed mosquitos, as well as serve as a
local latrine. Lots of trees in a
quiet residential area is a plus. It
is good to have a place that is easy to find,
and not to far from the center of things, yet
not to close. Some neighbourhoods
will have a more upscale image (and tend to be
more expensive) but many other areas will also
have nice accommodation - at better
rates. Your decision will rest on
many factors, including where you work
. Spend a day driving around parts of
the city and see how different areas strike
you.
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Rental Costs
Rents vary from
city to city, and within areas of
cities. In part, it depends on local
market conditions. Bangalore had a
boom and now prices are
dropping. Madras, apparently, is
rising, and presumably so is Hyderabad now that
Microsoft has announced it is setting up
here. Try not to pay too
much. It messes up the rental market
and makes it hard for locals to get affordable
housing. Just because it sounds
reasonable in dollars doesn't mean it's a
deal. The huge increases in Bangalore
are partly due to expats moving
in. Many apartments are actually
empty because landlords are waiting for "the big
score" to show up. If you can get a
reasonable rent you earn the respect of the
locals if.(Many people will ask.)
It is
hard to get accurate data on rental prices, but
based on a limited survey we would guess that
the cost for a decent two or three bedroom
apartment or a house to run as follows (based on
prices in early 1998)
- In Bangalore you would we
looking at Rs 15,000 to 30,000 if you were
conveniently located in the Cantonment
area. Detached houses would be Rs
50,000 to 100,000. The real kicker is
the 10 months deposit most people want. It is
not a cheap place to live.
- In Hyderabad/Secunderabad you
could get similar apartments for Rs. 5,000 to
10,000 and detached houses would be running Rs
10,000 to 30,000. Deposits are in the range of 2
or 3 months rent.
-
Other places are
harder to call.
Madras is probably less than Bangalore
but rising. Smaller cities would usually be cheaper.
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