Finding Tenant

Yes, the task is no less arduous than Finding Nemo. Well, Walt Disney Co. produced the movie, made millions, and moved on. I am still stuck at square one.

First I tapped internal sources - Commonfloor, ADDA, Hike, and word of mouth. No luck. Take heart.  It’s never thus far and no further, and ever ‘Vijayam vare Samaram Cheyyum,” the Kerala trade-mark procession-slogan: “Will fight till victory.” So I took to portals - Magicbricks, 99 acres… They offer their services for free. You click the Submit button to register your ad for free and, lo, you get instantly a spate of phone calls, emails, and messages. It is rewarding after all, you pat yourself. Hold your breath. These are not from prospective tenants, but from these very portals - systematically unleashing their business models - Plan A, B, C.. to convert you to paid ads.

“Sir, thanks for registering your property for rent. There are 431 persons looking for an apartment in your area. (Thankfully they didn’t say 431-1/2 with one person is still in two minds). We could in fact dedicate a Relationships Manager exclusively for your property  at a nominal fee of Rs .…., and get you a tenant within a month,”. “Certainly,” tell, “if only you can assure me with a money-back guarantee that you will get me one within a month”. He didn’t relish such direct confrontation. “Or, sir, we can insert this as a paid ad in our exclusive site that ensures better visibility. It costs only Rs….” If you don’t buy that too, he deploys a few other methods before he releases the last straw. “Okay sir. As you know this free ad will be removed after X days.”  (These said, I confess, I got my first tenant only through one of these free ads.)

The sifting process is all the more difficult, given that you belong to the old school of thought, looking for a custom-built tenant. He should be an executive in the corporate sector, the family should consist of young children so that he contemplates no move till children’s twelfth grade - short of prescribing a dress code, height and weight. 

Customer A arrives accompanied by an elderly person, donning a neatly pressed panchagachham and a liberal coat of vibhuti that carries a guarantee to last till late evening. Even before I could explain the features of my son’s apartment, which I can now recite like a poem, the two head towards the balcony to open the Compass App from their mobile. They are closeted in a whisper-conversation before coming out with their unanimous verdict, “Sir it is not built at straight East, but slightly slanting - North-East. In fact, Chandrababu Naidu, the Andhra Chief Minister, is the only one who is cutting plots in Amaravati that look straight at East.”  “But I thought you were looking for something in Bangalore, Sir.” I reminded him. “Yes, yes, but I am just telling you.” My further efforts to conduct him through the rooms proved futile. He had made up his mind.

Customer B and his wife are retired childless couple. Both were working, but now live on their savings. They have a 60x40 house in a prime layout close by. They want to try out apartment-life for a year or so, before taking a call on whether to sell their independent house and buy an apartment. In other words I will be on the same hunt this time next year. Customer C, around 45, decided to call it a day in Europe, and move to India. He has young children. He too plans to manage the rest of his life with his savings. Does that fit your bill, you ask yourself, confused as ever. Then there is a young music troupe keen to move in, and another group of three young men and a woman… I still look forward to someone from the normal category. Or, am I expecting too much?

The door-bell rings. It is my present tenant and his wife, set to vacate on 15 Sept. “Uncle, is it possible we stay till early 2018?” “Why not?” I reassure them. When they leave I announce to the lady of the house, “I think I can now start a Property Management Service,”  “You can, certainly. But be clear, you played no role in the present tenancy-continuance arrangement. They chose so. Thus if and when you find a tenant after they leave early next year, then I shall accord that recognition. Till then, just keep our dinner plates ready. My Naamkaran serial starts at 9.”

V V Sundaram

Maple 3195

08  Sept. 2017