Who to target (and who to approach with caution)
Preferred tenants
- Corporate employees — salaried, company-verified, less likely to cause issues with neighbours, easier to verify income.
- Small families — stable, lower turnover, tend to maintain the flat better.
- Professionals (doctors, engineers, teachers, bankers) — regular income, verifiable references.
Approach with caution
- Business owners and self-employed individuals — income can be irregular and is harder to verify. Not a dealbreaker, but ask for more documentation: GST registration, bank statements, or IT returns.
- Anyone vague about their work or who deflects document questions.
- Anyone who pushes hard to negotiate the deposit down before you've even agreed on rent.
- Tenants who want to move in within 2–3 days. Genuine tenants plan ahead.
Documents to collect before handing over keys
- Government photo ID — Aadhaar card, Passport, or Driving Licence.
- Employment proof — company offer letter, employee ID, or last 3 months' salary slips.
- For self-employed tenants — GST registration certificate or latest IT return.
- Previous landlord reference — a 5-minute phone call reveals more than any document.
- Police verification form — mandatory under Maharashtra law (covered in Chapter 5).
Note
Collect all documents before you sign the agreement, not after. Once they've moved in, your leverage disappears.
Trust your gut too
If something feels off in the first conversation — evasiveness, irritation at basic questions, unusual urgency — pay attention to that instinct.
The red flags checklist
Walk away if you observe any of these:
- Refuses to provide documents, or keeps saying "I'll give them later."
- Wants to move in within 2–3 days with no clear reason.
- Wants to bring undisclosed occupants ("My cousin might stay sometimes").
- Gets aggressive or dismissive when asked basic questions.
- Tries to negotiate rent, deposit, and lock-in period all at once from the very first call.
- Refuses a registered agreement ("Why do we need all that trouble?" is a serious red flag).
- Cannot or will not provide a contact number for their current employer.