Express press service

KOCHI: Elizabeth Thomas, a freelance journalist and content writer based in Kochi, has been looking for an apartment for three months. She personally went to check out nearly 10 apartments, and the homeowners/residents associations of all told her “no,” because she was single. Some have suggested that if she could bring her elderly parents here in the early days and ‘establish’ that she is a family woman, they could take her in, but on the condition that the parents visit her occasionally.

“I am a 33 year old working woman. I earn money and I pay for housing. So isn’t it my right to stay celibate or celibate? I totally agree with the owners demanding not to sublet the apartment or properly maintain the building. It is the owner’s right. But how can they decide who should visit us or stay with us? As long as the privacy of the neighbors is not disturbed, why do they care about the marital status of the tenants? ” she asked.

Recently, many young people, preferring to remain single, have complained that associations reject them solely on the basis of their marital status, regardless of the sex to which they belong. Vishal J Mohan, a technician working at Infopark in Kochi, said the problem is serious within the city limits and not in the Kakkanad region.

“Landlords in Kakkanad and surrounding areas are not shy about renting their houses/apartments to single men or women, perhaps because of the impact of the Infopark campus here. However, my friends, who are from Kaloor, Kadavanthra and Elamakkara areas, have complained that landlords are unwilling to rent their houses to singles, even in groups,” he added.

Common problem
The case is not specific to one city, says writer and activist J Devika, who lives in Thiruvananthapuram. Although single men are acceptable in groups, young women living together are often shunned for their style of dress and their time of arrival in the building. She added that the eyes of the “conventional moral police” always follow them and make nasty remarks.

“Recently, at a well-known residential property in Vazhuthacaud, young women had to deal with a series of incidents where older men were poking their noses into their lives. All of them were IT professionals and some of them were born and raised overseas. Thus, their dress style was unconventional and they held parties. When some neighbors objected to loud parties, they agreed. But interfering in their lives is not acceptable,” Devika said.

Generation gap
However, she also added that the new generation should be nice to security staff and other building staff and accept them as human beings. “These young people lived outside and did not have the opportunity to interact with people from another class. Once they start accepting them like other human beings, at least some friction can be avoided,” she added. Not all single women are rejected, says a Kochi-based single mother who wanted to keep her identity private.

“Perhaps those who seem to follow the so-called conventional lifestyles are spared. I often live alone or with my child. My parents or other family members often visit me and stay here. I am therefore nowhere considered an outcast. I have lived in various parts of the city like Kaloor, Kalamassery and Vyttila and nowhere have I faced any form of moral policing or ostracism from landlords or neighbours,” he said. she stated.

Avoid headaches
Residents’ associations said they do not encourage single men or women in their buildings to “avoid the headaches” they create. “Previously, there was no such discretion as singles or married people to rent apartments here. physical assault and bloodshed and ultimately resulted in a police case. They come in here as singles, bring their boyfriends or girlfriends and stay back. We don’t know the story of the guests and can’t control them,” said one of the leaders of a residents’ association in Kochi. However, when asked if they would stop families from staying there even if they created trouble, he did not. there was no response.

Another problem that single men and women face is that they may not stay in one place longer than families, who have to stick to a particular place, given where the spouse or the education of children. So if they don’t complete the agreed 11 months at the same location, the commission paid to the broker is deducted from their three months of rent deposited at the start.

Invalid social exclusion
Lawyers pointed out that preventing people from taking houses/apartments to rent based on their marital status is not acceptable, and is nothing short of social exclusion. According to lawyer Sapna PP, one of the founding members of Punarjani, which gives free legal advice to women in need, regulations that exclude a particular group of people in a community are invalid. “It is unacceptable for the bylaws of a residents’ association to state that members cannot let unmarried people into their buildings. It has no legal value and can be challenged in court,” she said.