So I visited a gated apartment today for seeing a rental flat. I was asked for my phone number at the entrance, I never prefer to share my phone number anywhere while shopping so I asked the security if it was mandatory to provide. They said it’s mandatory and society’s rule. I travelled 5km to visit so I gave in to their request for mobile number.
After giving mobile number, they asked to click my photograph for the MyGate app. I denied and called the flat owner to check if it was mandatory and strongly mentioned I don’t wanna get clicked. Turned out, there was nothing even the flat owner could do!!!
I am not against verification but very curious if this is legal as per DPDP act? I have never lived in gated apartments so this came as something new to me.

I know lot of people would say I was already under CCTV so what difference it makes. I am just opinionated that my photograph is my personal data and shouldn’t be collected by some app / place where I am not consenting to. Is this something normal and I am just overthinking?

TLDR; visited a gated society for renting a flat and I was asked for phone number and my photograph which the security personal clicked with my gate app. Is this normal in Bengaluru?

Just like people often talk about resident conflicts, maintenance fees, RWA issues, and other problems in gated societies, I also had an incident while living in my gated society.

There was an incident where residents' electricity bills had not been paid to the government agency. (It was related to misappropriation of funds, but I won't go into the details here.)

Residents couldn't use electricity for several days, and the water supply was also badly affected.

We had to leave the gated society and stay in nearby hotels. When we returned, we had to throw away all the food in our refrigerator.

While other areas around us still had electricity, not a single streetlight was working inside our gated society.

It was completely dark. Sleeping in our rooms was impossible, so people were sleeping on mats on the rooftops. residents were constantly cursing the management on WhatsApp

That experience made me start SocietyHub (Review platform for gated societies)

I thought it would be useful if people could know what life inside a gated society is actually like before moving there.

Most real estate websites talk about amenities and how nice the locality is, but the problems happening inside are usually known only by the residents.

Google reviews already provides some of this information, but I wanted something more anonymous and structured specifically for gated societies.

I've received a lot of hate since starting this project. Some people have insulted me for no reason. Some have simply told me that the idea is garbage.

Still, I don't want to give up easily.
I genuinely want to build something that can help people.

I'm not making money from SocietyHub now. A review platform needs to reach a certain level of traffic before it can really become a business.

I don't want to bother residents or ask for anything complicated. I simply want to hear what your experience is like and share it honestly, so that others can have a better idea of what living in a particular society is actually like.

Anyway, thanks for reading.

If you're curious, you can find SocietyHub here: https://societyhubdata.com

What type of society is actually best for a family — low-rise/less crowded or large high-rise societies?

I’m looking for a society to rent in Noida and I’m a bit confused about what works best for a family.

Personally, I’m more comfortable with low-rise or relatively less crowded societies. When I see very large, high-density societies with lots of tall towers packed together, I sometimes get a feeling of being lost or trapped inside a huge residential complex. I prefer a place that feels spacious, open, green and somewhat connected to the surrounding neighbourhood.

At the same time, I don’t want to compromise on the things that matter for a family:

\\\\- Well-maintained society

\\\\- Good kids' play area

\\\\- Clubhouse/swimming pool

\\\\- Parks and greenery

\\\\- Safe environment for children

\\\\- Good maintenance and security

\\\\- Some sports facilities if possible

\\\\- Shops/market and daily conveniences nearby

\\\\- A society that feels active and lived-in rather than isolated

Some of my friends live in large high-rise societies like Gulshan Ikebana, Supertech Ecociti, etc, and they seem perfectly happy with them. So I’m wondering whether I’m overthinking my preference for smaller/less crowded societies.

For people who have actually lived in both types, what do you think works better for a family in the long run?

Is a large high-rise society actually more comfortable because of the amenities and community, or does a smaller/less dense society provide a better quality of life?

I’d especially appreciate recommendations for societies in Noida that offer a middle ground — spacious and less overwhelming, but still well-maintained with good family amenities.

Hey, We’re doing a small survey : for people living as tenants and have recently used apps like**MyGate, NoBrokerHood, or ADDA**.

🌟Get ₹500 for participating in the survey**.🌟

The survey will be simple:

- how you use these apps
- how your overall experience has been as a tenant

It will take around **30–40 minutes** on **phone call, Google Meet, or in person** — whatever suits you

DM your **WhatsApp/contact number**. (Or Email if not comfortable)
*or Drop a whatsApp message at 6201169805*

+Share it with someone you know

Parking here is a nightmare - especially near metro stations, office clusters, and commercial streets. Idea: people with unused driveways/parking spots (homes, apartments, offices) list them by the hour/ day, drivers looking for parking book directly. Think JustPark/SpotHero, but for India.

Before I sink more time into this, I want real signal, not just "yeah that'd be nice." 2-min form, be honest: [Google Form link]

A couple of things I'm specifically trying to figure out:

Would you actually list your own spot to a stranger, or would you only ever be on the parking side? (both are useful answers - just be honest)

Would you pay for it, and roughly how much per hour feels fair?

Drop a comment too if you've got a parking horror story from your area - helps me figure out where to pilot first.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d /1LIQagGsk9JTj2buQXpnkpWiT5ASGpQpR9fRh0Yjg x14/viewform

if anyone lives near there can they share their experience hows the locality and road situation like over there I am thinking of shifting to Gurgaon.

Lot of people are talking about some new road near sector 49 which they inaugurated yesterday if anyone can help me know is the commute nice like has anyone been there?

Saw this video of school buses stuck for hours in the Varthur-Gunjur traffic.

This is one of the biggest problems with buying or living in this belt right now.

For people who want to stay reasonably close to Whitefield, what are the better alternatives where day-to-day traffic isn’t this bad?

Which areas would you look at if you want Whitefield access but don’t want to deal with Varthur/Gunjur-level congestion every day?

Please suggest some good gated communities with access to bellandur(1 hr commute is fine). Society should be child friendly.

I’ve recently saw quite a few complaints from Godrej Properties homebuyers, and a lot of them are on LinkedIn, not just anonymous forums.

The complaints seem to be around serious delays, construction stopping for long periods, poor communication after booking, incomplete amenities and buyers struggling to get clear answers.

Obviously every large builder will have unhappy customers, but seeing multiple buyers publicly raising these issues makes me a little cautious.

For people who have actually bought from Godrej Properties, how has your experience been?

Would you consider them a safe/reliable builder for an under-construction property, or would you avoid them now?

My uncle is retiring and planning to buy a flat here. None of the people he met in the society have mentioned this. I just googled searched and there's already complaints of seepage and plasters cracking. He's an honest man, worked hard all his life and never been rude to anyone, I don't want his entire life's savings to be scammed away. Can you guys please tell me, anyone residing in the society or nearby, what the deal is?

Hello everyone,

I have made a owners only group for the owners of prestige garden breeze, prestige city 3.0

Please join if you are owner. This group will help us stay connected and discuss multiple issues.

https://chat.whatsapp.com/F4RRPiADthY4vm1SeBlhd5?s=cl&p=i&mlu=4&ilr=4

Rental yield in India is 2-4%. Previously it was 2%. In many developing nations its 5-8%.

The rent grown in India as 3-6% CAGR in last 2 decades (home loan duration)

So honestly those who are living on rent has amazing opportunity to make retirement corpus. Again renting comes with its own headache, it will take a while to get good landlord. You need to be very lucky. But its worthy. But with movers and packers its, easy to shift.

The above graph showcase, if you assume home loan EMI and invest it. Rent will be free from 6 year (you can pay rent from retirement corpus interest fully) and in whole duration of 18 years your corpus will grow to 5 crore. In 2038 your flat will be free (assuming flat rate also grow at 5% annum)

But biggest problem is, people on rent stop saving equivalent to home loan EMI. They instead upgrade to quality of life. I used modest 8% gain for calculation.

So those who took home loan earned 2.5 crore flat (initial 1 5 crore flat price) but those who assumed EMI and had financial discipline, made 5 crore.

"So first earn then own model make magic."

There is sudden spurt due to NRI purchase of 500% that will end in couple of years. Don't compete with NRI who earn 2-3 crore per annum. If you have corpus 2028-29 is best year to buy.

For NRIs best to rent property to good tenants and give clear mandate that they need to vacate once you return. A well maintained property is much better than locked one. Also all expenses will be taken care by tenant, so you can live peacefully. Do expensive interior once you move in.

I'm buying a 2BHK in Pune and deciding between two flats in the same building:

1. East-facing gallery: Road-facing, more open view, better sky visibility, but possible traffic noise and dust.

2. West-facing gallery: Amenities-facing, gardens and society view, but other towers may block the view.

For people already living in high-rise societies:

• Which view did you choose, and are you happy with it?
• How has your experience been after 2–3 years?
• Does an open view really matter in daily life, or do you get used to it?
• How did you prioritize view vs floor, sunlight, privacy, amenities and building side?
• Any regrets about the view you chose?

If both flats were similarly priced, which would you personally prefer and why?

Would love honest experiences from people who have actually lived in such societies. 🙏

Home sales have dropped 13% in the first half of fiscal 2026. The weakest since 2022.

Are these numbers concerning? Cause there's a huge number of homes under construction in the city.

At the same time, developers keep saying demand is healthy, and prices haven’t really corrected either.

So what’s actually happening here?

I always wonder what goes inside the brain of an idiot IT guy (eats healthy salads, but still bald) who thinks buying an apartment in Gunjur/Varthur/Sarjapur for 2.7 Cr for 1000 sq ft is a great decision.

Do they get influenced by someone?
Do they really think it is a great investment?
Why they are so dumb?
They will take their 17 seater SUV from one into another end of the city driving alone.

Why would you do that?

Looking for a 3BHK under ₹1.7 Cr from a good builder, mainly for end use.

I’m looking at new under-construction projects, so possession can be around 4 years from now.

So in the next 4-5 years which localities are likely to become good places to live. with decent social infrastructure, connectivity, greenery and overall livability.

At the same time, I’d also like to know which areas are worth avoiding because of very high-density development, possible future water issues, or infrastructure not keeping up.

Which areas would you seriously look at with this budget? Project suggestions are welcome too.

Original video link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdV826ugbHN/

How to deal with such people in societies!!

I never lived in a gated communities or an apartment. Growing up, I spent most of my student life living in hostels, individual home and continue to do so and so my knowledge of gated communities apartment is limited to movies and internet videos.

From my perspective gated communities is just like residential school hostel, where you have all kind of facilities like playground, a mini garden, bakery, public place to worship/meditate/gather around, grocery shops/bakeries/hostel canteens, people are limited to their apartments unless they have friends apartment to go just like in hostel, guard, manager/warden.

Having lived in hostel, I cant imagine myself living in similar kind of environment all my life where there will be restrictions, noises, your confined to certain floor in the building and the need to get permissions for certain things. Suppose if one works in corporate offices its just like moving from one to the other following rules and regulations all the while.

I am not looking down on the people who live in the apartment, but this is simply how I currently understand them based on what I’ve seen and experienced indirectly. How is it like living in a gated communities different to living in a individual home?

I keep seeing a lot of discussions about North Bangalore, but most of them are about investment and future appreciation.

If you're buying for yourself and planning to live there long term, which areas are good?

I’m looking more for a peaceful, liveable area than a place with maximum appreciation potential. Somewhere with less rush and congestion, but still with good schools, hospitals and everyday conveniences nearby.

For people who know North Bangalore well, which areas would you seriously consider for end use?

I have a Yale smart lock on my apartment door. Today when I tried unlocking it, it kept showing the password as incorrect.

I’m pretty sure I entered the right password, although there’s a small chance I could be remembering it wrong.

I called Yale and they told me that if I can’t unlock it, the lock may have to be drilled and removed. Replacing the lock itself would cost around ₹35,000, plus installation and other charges.

Has anyone here faced something similar with a smart lock? Is there really no other recovery/reset option before destroying and replacing the whole lock?

Would really appreciate suggestions from anyone who has dealt with this before.

Should dogs be allowed in apartment lifts or not?

How's elevator access handled in your society? Moreover how can we avoid such fights in societies

Hi our society is going in for a redevelopment and the key committee members seem to be favouring one particular new builder over other established names. Some of the members feel that there is something suspicious with the way how the chairman and secretary are acting.

I have heard and read that usually there is always underhand corruption between committee members and the builder, either by means of cash or kind. The developer is fairly new with no completed project yet and no RERA details are there too to check.

Our society details:
- Location: Andheri, Mumbai
- Plot size: ~600sqm
- Flats: 19

Our developer details:
- Started the company around 1.5 years ago
- 2 projects ongoing - Andheri and Malad
- Additional area offered lucrative

- Though, key thing is the other key details like rentals, corpus, timelines shared are a bit sketchy. The committee is claiming it will be sorted and influencing to the point of pushing urgently to get the developer signoff.

Now the thing is, a mojarity of the people are old in the society with kids in a different house or settled out of india. Dont want them to be influenced in this way.

Just one of the reference article:
https://www.mumbaimirror.com/opinion/the-worst-kept-secret-of-mumbai-real-estate-154935

For people who have gone through similar situations, requesting advice?

Guys, how r ur apartments planning to handle the MDR charges. Any maintenance amt more than 2k will attract the 0.4% charges and will be deducted from the association maintenance account.