Faking shaadi for a flat!

If you are a single guy looking for a rented flat in Noida, you would have had your share of struggles, with landlords turning you away, because 'guys are rowdy, loud, and a nuisance to neighbours'.
But Noida’s youngsters are not deterred by such 'character assassination' – they have their own ways to ensure they get into the good books of the landlord and strike a deal with the broker.Bachelors looking for accommodation in the city are convincing their female friends and colleagues to pose as their wife or fiance so that they can get a flat in posh societies. It’s a win-win situation for both guys and girls who stay together posing as a couple – the guys don’t have to bhatko anymore and the girls have a guy roomie to run errands and take care of their safety, without the hang-ups of a boyfriend! Here’s a look at Noida’s 'convenience roomies'.
NO MORE HASSLES FOR GUYS AND A SAFE LIVING SPACE FOR GIRLS
For the guys, this puts an end to the long list of rejections from landlords due to their bachelor status.
Afzal, who lives with a female friend in Sector 26, says, "Initially, I thought I’d move in with my girlfriend, but we had only been dating for a month and I felt it was too early for that. So, I moved in with an office friend. Yes, we do have to pretend to be a couple, but thankfully, I now have a flat in a posh area in the city. Otherwise, you’ll be frowned upon if you say that you are a bachelor. Landlords just go, ‘ladkon ko ghar nai dena, they are a nuisance’. I was sick of this generalization, and asked my colleague to help. Now, it works for both of us.” Girls say they feel safer living with male roommates, who come in handy when it comes to running errands or dealing with plumbers or electricians.
Avantika Singh, a management trainee, says, “In a city like Noida, safety is a big concern. In the two months that I have been living with a guy, I realized that it is safer and much more convenient. My roommie does all the laborious tasks, like moving the furniture, and whenever there is an issue with the wiring or plumbing, he talks to the technicians. I deal with the maid and keep a check on the grocery. All this without the hang-ups of a boyfriend. There, you have to put up with your guy’s tantrums and annoying habits. With a friend roomie, everything is much more organized.”
FROM FAKE PHOTOGRAPHS TO FAKE FAMILY VISITS, They do it all TO SELL THE ‘MARRIAGE’
However, maintaining the facade of being in a relationship involves a lot of hard work, say the ‘couples’.
Nitin Arora, a journalist, says, "I had a professional photographer do a photo shoot with my roommate and me, kind of like a pre-wedding shoot. We have those pictures in the living room so that when the landlord visits, it looks like the house of a married couple. My parents know that I live with a female friend, but they don’t know about this ‘fake marriage’ stuff. So, whenever they come over, the pictures are hidden."
Preeti Ansal, who lives in Greater Noida, says, "I have been living with a guy friend for six months now. Initially, we couldn’t find a flat when we told the brokers we are just friends. Then, we had to pose as a married couple to convince the landlord. Now, we host a ‘family dinner’ where we call over friends pretending to be cousins and uncles every month."
CAUSES OF CONCERN: JEALOUS GIRLFRIENDS AND CONCERNED PARENTS
But the roadblocks do not end after getting the accommodation. Noida’s fake couples say that the problems persist, in the form of nosy parents and jealous girlfriends.
Ankit Tomar, an IT consultant, says, "I share a flat with a female colleague in Sector 19. We had told the landlord that we are engaged to be married because nobody was willing to rent an apartment to bachelors. But the issue now is that my parents want to visit Delhi and stay over at our place. I’m trying to figure out how to navigate that and how to stop them from talking to the landlord."
Riya Sharma, who is sharing a flat with a college friend, says, "Getting the flat wasn’t very difficult, but the problems began with my roommate’s girlfriend. She was a little sceptical about her boyfriend living with another girl, and that too pretending to be a couple. Even today, she lands up unannounced to check on us. She visits us so much that we had to tell the landlord that she is my sister."
RENT ON TIME AND NO HUNGAMA, WHY SHOULD WE OBJECT: LANDLORDS AND BROKERS
The landlords say that guys do not maintain the place and sooner or later, neighbours begin complaining about loud music and late-night parties. Couples don’t create a ruckus.
Renu Gupta, a broker, says, "Boys are hard to handle as tenants. They don’t maintain the house well, and you can’t really go and fight with them every time they are late in paying rent. They don’t care if the landlord creates a scene. That’s not the case with girls though. So, I feel it’s better to rent out a house to couples because they are more responsible. In fact, many times we don’t enquire if a couple is married or just living together. What matters is that they look decent."
Vivek Kumar, a property dealer, says, "There’s a general perception that girls are tidier and more particular about giving rent on time as compared to guys. So landlords avoid giving their flats to single guys. In case of couples, such problems never occur. A lot of youngsters come to us asking for a flat, claiming they are married, but I’m sure there are several who aren’t actually couples. But landlords don’t ask for a marriage certificate as long as the couple comes across as decent. And if they don’t get complaints from other residents in the society, they don’t go around snooping on the tenants."
Atul Singh, who has let out two of his apartments to couples, says, "People are supposed to give their documents, including their ID proof and salary statement, when they take an apartment for rent. So, we don’t crosscheck whether a couple is actually married or not. Uske baad as long as the rent is on time, why should we ask if they are pretending or are genuinely a couple? We don’t interfere in their personal lives as long they don’t create any nuisance."