If you are looking for an apartment and are sick of the brokers and their promises then social media is a solution. By Ganita
looking for a home in the new city is a tedious task, more so when the city is Delhi. Brokers, instead of smoothening the process, make the task more difficult by asking for a huge amount as brokerage. If the rent of the apartment is, say, Rs 8,000 per month, the broker will demand anything between Rs 4,000 or 8,000. Over and above, the landlord will also ask for security. In west, east and north Delhi, brokerage is half of one month rent while in south Delhi it is full rent. One has to pay thrice the rent for the first month, which is not a good deal for students or anyone for that matter. Everyone is looking for a way to find a flat in which the broker doesn’t come in between. There are mobile applications which help in finding homes away from home but people do not find them much useful.
Social networking sites are now taking a lead in helping people get flats. The groups and pages on the sites also help people in finding roommates. “The groups on social media have been really helpful for me. I have found a really good flat and two lovely roommates because of one social media group. I am really happy that I didn’t have to pay the brokerage,” says Saumya Sahai, 25.
We talked to the admins of such groups. Asked about the idea behind the network, Sachin lohia, who manages flats and flatmates, said, “One of my friends was looking for a flat. She had posted on many portals but all in vain. She asked me whether something can be done regarding this. I came up with the idea of making a social media group from there.” He continued, “I created the group in 2014 and it has gained popularity in a very short span of time.” Sachin is managing three to four groups in Delhi NCR and helping people get apartments.
Sherry Aggarwal, who manages a group named Rent a flat in Delhi without brokers, said, "I started the page in 2012 when I was working in Delhi. I had a very hard time finding a flat because the brokers think only of their own benefit. That’s when I made this group and started adding people in it. Today, the group has 23,000 members,” she said. Sherry, when living in Mumbai, saw such a group there and that inspired her when she came to Delhi.
As far as security is concerned, the flats are safe as group owners and admins visit the properties and verify all the on-site aspects by themselves. However, while finding a house this way, one has to be cautious. One has to measure his/her own safety. “I did not get the flat from social media groups. But I found my flatmate through one such group. Be careful to not exchange numbers with random people on the group. You may find spam on such groups. Just be a little cautious,” advises Rajkanya Mahapatra, 22. Rinki Roy who has recieved the flat with the help of social media says that she is thankful to the admins for making the groups and helping the homeless out.