New apartment madness

There's a saying here - "Welcome to India."

Here’s my entire situation. I moved in this past Saturday, and it was a huge relief to finally have a permanent home. I took a long, hot shower – with good water pressure – which is impossible to find in India. I started unpacking my bags. On Sunday the phone company came and set up my phone and internet. Things were looking up.

Sunday I found out that my buddy Jamie’s lease was up on the 1st, and he was having a hard time finding a place. I offered to let him stay until he found a new place. I’ve got four bedrooms, so why not? We talked about a few weeks. Nothing concrete, mind you, but not forever. The way this apartment is set up (2 floors), we’d probably barely bump into each other.

Yesterday Jamie moved in, and I got a call from my landlord. He was livid. Over the next 24 hours he sent rude e-mails and chewed out my real estate agent. He said that he felt “taken advantage of.” I couldn’t understand why. He insisted that we meet at 10:30 the next morning (today), and so we did.

Now I get it. The landlord wants a copy of a passport and visa for all expats that visit me, regardless of duration. He wants to have approval over who visits me and for how long. All guests must provide their full name and phone number. Native resident Indians are not allowed to spend the night. Dogs may visit, interestingly enough, but may not spend the night. And Jamie’s girlfriend is from an important agricultural family, and since the landlord generally doesn’t approve of a girl from that family dating a white expat, she can never come back. My driver, Murthi, is not allowed upstairs. All of my (and Jamie’s) movements are being monitored. The doorman, the maids, and some of the other tenants (the landlord owns the building) are logging our every move. The landlord informed me that Jamie left this morning at 10:15; I cross-checked that with Jamie, and it’s true. The landlord calls this policy, “constant vigilance.”

This has nothing to do with business in India. This is a unique form of madness. My real estate agent was present for the entire 2 ½ hour diatribe and said later that in 10 years of business he had never encountered a landlord like this. I just got lucky – a one-in-a-million shot. It’s unfortunate that Jamie dropping in has triggered all of this. On the other hand, I’m glad that I learned the “hidden details” about the property early on.

So what next? I spoke to Jamie, and he laughed about the whole situation, and will be out in the morning. I’ve given the landlord a copy of my passport and visa. I think those actions have bought me a lot of goodwill. The landlord clearly likes me personally, and wants to play golf with me. My real estate agent has advised me to buddy up to the landlord over the next month – while simultaneously looking for a new apartment – and then claim that I’ve been suddenly recalled to the US as soon as I find a place. I would be surprised if we have trouble getting the deposit back, but you never know. In even my best case we’re out 60 days rent (you need to give that much written notice).