Who lords over whom?
Aruti Nayar

A 26-year-old youth was allegedly thrown from the second floor of the Sector 20 house he was staying in, by his landlord’s son and a neighbour. He was admitted to Sector 32 Government Medical College Hospital with a fractured spinal cord and crushed heel bones.

THE relationship between a landlord and a tenant is a particularly volatile one. While the former cannot forget that the house belongs to him, even though it has been temporarily given to someone else, the latter feels since he is paying, he has every right to use it any which way and does not want to brook any interference. This ‘territorial’ dispute is often the root cause of many a conflict.

Whenever any tenant goes to look for a house to rent out, he has to contend with a string of dos and don'ts. Since the landlord knows he can set the terms and conditions, he does so with impunity and —much to the chagrin of the tenant— quite enjoys pushing the tenant against the wall.

One supposes it's all a question of demand and supply and an in-built inequality in the relationship. It is essentially a power relationship. Beginning with the endless rounds of house-hunting, inquisition and, of course, astronomical rents that hit the roof—the tenants are often confronted with a take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum. As Shina, a teacher who has moved house with her family three times, puts it : ‘’Basically all landlords are the same. After some time they start asserting themselves, though they might be sweet to begin with."

These acts of assertion can vary from objecting to children creating a ruckus to objecting to a gas cylinder being dragged for fear of the floor being damaged. Other restrictions include refusal to allow watering of the plants on the first floor. Often encountered is reprimanding of errant tenants after a party and the knock on the door to reduce the volume of music. Fussing about the parking of the tenants car\ scooter/ bike etc. near the landlord's gate is another potentially volatile issue as are matters concerning water supply and garbage disposal. What takes the cake, nay bakery, is the pressure to vacate the house at short notice and in case the tenants do not comply, day-to-day life becomes miserable. And of course the bias against renting out houses to lawyers, bachelors and businessmen remains.

As Gurpratap Singh a contractor says, recounting his tale of woe: "It was sheer hell. All our visitors were screened or quizzed, children reprimanded and the water supply subjected to the whims and fancies of the landlord." To the question as to why he did not move, a cynical laugh is the only answer. His wife clarifies, "What was the guarantee that we would not move into a place where we wouldn't be worse off? No wonder people yearn for a government house, it is such a relief."

Ravneet, a young executive who had a tough time trying to convince her landlord that being single did not automatically make her licentious and she did not have a liaison with any friend or colleague who chose to visit her. If young women are suspect, so are bachelors. Privacy is often a casualty and has to be sacrificed in the interests of a harmonious relationship with the owners of the house. As a matter of fact, a certain amount of tension is taken in one’s stride as far as this touchy bond is concerned. M.M Gupta, an engineer, feels "one has to put up with a lot for a little bit of comfort."

On their part, the landlords too have a long list of woes. As one of them put it:"I have only rented out my house, not sold it. I have a right to expect decent and civil behaviour from my tenants. Why put any dispute merely down to landlord-tenant rivalry?" Most landlords, especially the elderly ones, were of the opinion that besides the landlords anyone else in the same household too would object to music that can rupture the ear-drums. After all consideration and civil conduct is something one should expect if all human interaction is to be successful, why must landlords be exempt from this?

"What do you you say to deliberate effort to inconvenience the owners of the house? We had specified that we would not allow our house to be used for a commercial purpose, but though they agreed in principle at the time of renting out of the house, the tenants started coaching classes. If we do not like the constant stream of students walking through our premises at all odd hours, would you blame us? "

With the law so tedious and long-winded and muscle power more often more effective than rule of the law, would you blame the landlord who cannot stay in his own house because it is not being vacated for launching a tirade against tenants as a breed? V.K Sharma prefers to keep his first floor vacant, even though it does not make economic sense, because it was after a prolonged legal battle that his house was finally vacated.

Anyone whose house has not been vacated by a tenant and who has had to face an interminable legal wrangle is likely to mouth the well-known adage: Fools make houses and the wise men live in them.

Disputes between landlords and tenants can begin with verbal duels, go on to fisticuffs and even end with life-threatening brawls with each other, making the intervention of the police almost necessary.

However, if you do not lose perspective and are sensible and relate on a one-to-one basis, this relationship can be quite satisfying and an enduring one. There are also the lucky ones who have forged enduring bonds and tend to rely on each other so much that it is a joy to see them interact. Indu Khanna's children have settled in the USA, but her tenants are always there for her husband and her. As she says: "Be it in sickness or to share our joys, we always bank on our tenants, and they have never let us down. It should be a policy of give-and-take, the way it is with any other relationship. Just because you own the house is no reason to throw your weight around."

Since it is such an explosive relationship, there is the need to tread ever so cautiously.

TELL ME WHY!

Why do my tenants treat my first floor like a cricket ground?
— An incensed landlord

• We treat his house as we would treat ours. Most of the times we forget that the house does not belong to us. Ajay Sharma, 23, a student

• Kids will be kids. Rented house or your own house, they will always jump like this. Namrata Singh, 30, housewife

• When he cuts the water supply do we go and ask him— why does he treat us like aliens from Mars who do not need to bathe?" Sanjeev Kumar, 26, marketing executive

• If one pays him Rs 3000 a month for the small flat, treating it as a play ground is fully justified. Harbhajan Singh, 30, bank employee

• his is one of the ways to retaliate when he harasses us for increasing the rent. Vijay Kumar, 23, student

• Everyday he comes home with a new set of friends for his drinking bouts and then he blames us for being imposing. Amarjit Singh, 45, businessman

• I have rented my house to a couple of kids and they know how to make life hell for us. If we do not stop them from doing the things they do, God knows what all will they do. S. Sharma, 51, doctor

• People take the house on rent and then think they are the owners. Gaganpreet Singh, 35, Chandigarh Housing Board employee

• These tenants of mine think that by paying Rs 4000 a month, they have purchased our peace of mind. If I am allowed to have my own way, I will throw each one of them out of the window. Arjun Sood, 34, bank employee

• Since I am well organised and meticulous, I expect others also to maintain some kind of decorum. The boys upstairs just do not understand . They shout and scream. They make life hell for us. Rajdeep Sandhu, 45, property dealer.

• Why do patients view us with distrust?— An overworked doctor

• Why are doctors and nurses so callous and apathetic? — A distraught patient

(Responses are sought from patients and doctors on these questions, respectively. Mention your name, age and address.)

Send your queries and responses (word limit:50) to
Interface, c/o The Editor,
The Tribune, Chandigarh.