Bengaluru landlords turn away tenants without IIT, IIM degrees; netizens react

In a bizarre incident that can question the value of education in India, a landlord in the metropolitan city of Bengaluru refused to offer his house for rent to a candidate as the latter is not a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) or the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) and other colleges of that stature.

The tenant, Priyansh Jain, a software engineer by profession is finding hard to find a home for himself as he, ‘unfortunately’, is not an IIT/IIM graduate.

Jain currently works in Atlassian and is a graduate of Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), one of the many reputed engineering colleges in India, especially, in southern India.  

The screenshot of the Whatsapp conversation between Jain and his broker (Photo: Twitter)

Jain was looking for a single occupancy flat in Indiranagar, Domlur or HAL area. While preference to a particular religion, caste, food habits and lifestyle has been normalised, lending a home based on one’s educational qualification is new.

Jain recently shared a screenshot of his conversation with the broker who told him that the house owner is not interested, due to his educational qualification, despite Jain stressing that he is a vegetarian.

The agent then turns him down saying, “Sorry, your profile does not fit.”

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“Out of curiosity, what does the owner expect?” Jain asks, to which the agent says, “IIT, IIM, CA ISB graduates.”

Not to be taken down by this, Jain tweeted about the incident sharing the screenshot of the conversation with his broker. “#Bangalore flat owners, why do you do this?? P.S looking for a single vacancy (preferably vegetarian) near EGL (Indiranagar, Domlur, HAL). Flexible budget based on how good the flat is Bonus: I can also teach house-party/campfire guitar @BangaloreRoomi @FindFlatmate @twitrbnb,” Jain tweeted.

The screenshot has evoked a flurry of reaction with many leaving them in splits while some are furious and calling it blatant discrimination.

Ok. This is absurd. Is there any roadmap to clear this tenant interview. Getting out of hand now. @peakbengaluru @BangaloreRoomi pic.twitter.com/PjxWtYM0el

— Amit (@streotypdBihari) November 17, 2022

Ask him are you looking for rentals or son in low😂

— Harish (@MrHarishrajput) November 17, 2022

3. The municipality garbage collector and sanitation department doesn't show up for duty for 3 months, will your IIT/IIM grads take care of you?
4. Can you please stop describing yourself as human being, you are insulting the rest of us?
5. Define "Discrimination"?

— Rajarshi Sanjukta Sengupta (@RainRajarshi) November 26, 2022

I feel the owner was searching a permanent roommate for his daughter

— vishveshnk (@wish_ways) November 26, 2022

IIT ke bahar hostel kyu nahi khol lete ye logg

— dearVader (@Zircoz) November 19, 2022

What the fuck!! Are they offering their flat or their daughters instead.

— Akansha (@Akanshagupta95) November 25, 2022

Purity of food?? poor presumptions.. it's a simple preference and as humans we all have our own preferences. What's the point of subjecting yourself to live with something you don't prefer? For the landlord on the other hand, what does it matter where i graduated from smh

— Priyansh Jain (@Presto412) November 25, 2022

Terrible. These people are creating a new reservation called IIT-IIM. Soon, we'll have https://t.co/qTkVtyh8WB the way we have for shaadi and jobs. Can degree guarantee a good tenant who would maintain the flat the way owner wishes to keep? Their notion degree=status🤦

— Anshul Mittal (@anshulmittal232) November 26, 2022

I remember one of the owners asked me for my payslip even before letting me look the flat 🤦🏻

— Soumik Das Choudhury (@dcsoumik) November 26, 2022

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