Bengaluru Tenant Fights Back Against Landlord's Parking Space Scam

A Bengaluru tenant has taken to social media to highlight a growing issue in the city's rental market: landlords backtracking on promised amenities. The tenant, who moved to Bangalore in February, found a decent house in Bellandur with a covered car parking space. However, despite paying a premium for the parking slot, the landlord has reassigned it to someone else, claiming the tenant has not yet taken delivery of his car.

The tenant wrote in a Reddit post, “I moved to Bangalore in February this year and found a decent house in Bellandur with a covered car parking, although my car is yet to be delivered to me. However, now that it's been 2 months without my car, the landlord has decided to give away my car parking to someone else.”

He added, “He has clearly mentioned in the rental agreement that a car parking will be provided, for which he is also charging me a premium over the rent. Now he's backtracking, stating that since I don't have my car yet, he can't provide the parking to me anymore, and I have to make my own arrangements. Whereas the rent will remain the same.”

Several users responding to the post suggested that the tenant should seek a rent reduction equivalent to the market value of a parking slot in the area. “Inform him that you will be cutting ₹3,000-₹5,000 from the rent for car parking, especially since it is mentioned in the agreement and he is not honouring it,” one of the Redditors wrote.

Another user advised the tenant to benchmark the deduction against what neighbours pay to rent parking slots in the building. “Your landlord wants to double-dip his parking space. Tell him you will rent it out to someone else. Legally, he doesn’t have any rights to rent it out to somebody else and charge you rent. If the landlord says you can’t do anything about it, say this - ok sir, I can’t do anything about this, but police can,” the Redditor wrote.

Some users also suggested escalating the matter to the apartment association or local police if the issue remained unresolved. “Create a scene in the building, take the matter with the resident welfare association, or else some other incharge. You should have kept your bike in the parking from the starting. Gone are those days when people were simple,” another Redditor said.

Parking disputes have become a recurring pain point in Bengaluru’s rental market, particularly in high-density neighbourhoods such as Bellandur, where demand for both housing and parking remains high. Tenants wrote that amenities such as parking, maintenance, power backup, and clubhouse access are often bundled into rent without clear pricing, making disputes harder to resolve later.

One user shared a similar experience with a landlord, saying an agreement stated the owner would handle garbage collection but the owner failed to do so. “I started deducting whatever a private garbage collection service cost and paid him the rest of the rent. I did that for two months, and it was resolved,” the user wrote.

Advocate Vittal BR said that if car parking is included in the rent, the landlord cannot arbitrarily withdraw the facility after handing over possession to the tenant. He said the tenant can first issue a written communication to the landlord stating that the parking space formed part of the rental agreement and has now been allotted to someone else. In such a case, the landlord may be liable to proportionately reduce the rent until the promised parking facility is restored.

“If the landlord still does not agree, the tenant can send a legal notice seeking either restoration of the parking space or a reduction in rent,” Vittal said. He added that in cities such as Bengaluru, landlords often ask prospective tenants whether they own a vehicle and parking is informally agreed upon during negotiations. However, he cautioned that oral understandings frequently lead to disputes later. To avoid conflicts, tenants should ensure the rental agreement specifically mentions whether a dedicated car parking space is included, along with any related charges or usage terms.

(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)