And I am a victim of that.

When I decided to move out of the house I stay on rent in Green Park, New Delhi - I wanted to check out property options in both Dwarka and South Delhi. Dwarka, because I like the atmosphere there - it is quite a bit like Sanpada, Navi Mumbai. Trees lining good roads, apartments, not too crowded. South Delhi, because old South Delhi houses are spacious, well-built, airy… and you are in South Delhi with easy access to all parts of Delhi.

So I started house-hunting in both Dwarka and South Delhi simultaneously.

And that is when I came face to face with the monster called Company Lease.

It seems every landlord wants only tenants with company lease. No one is willing to give a house to you on rent, if you are self-employed, as I am.

Reasons varied. To begin with, people are comfortable with someone who has a steady job. They understand each other, what they do, they know these people can pay the rent. It might be possible to convince them that I am a safe peaceful Southie who will sit at home and work away at the computer.

But for that, you have to meet the landlord first. Landlords have told the real estate agents that they are looking only at company leases. That means your first obstruction if the real estate agent, both in Dwarka and in South Delhi. When put through that filter, you will find that 90 % or more of houses are available to you on rent. You are stuck with the remaining 10 per cent, most of which you don’t like doe to some problem or the other.

Sometimes, the landlord lives in the same house. Recipe for disaster if it is an interfering landlord. Or even if it is a happy landlord who wants to treat you as a surrogate family.

The landlords we met in both Dwarka and South Delhi had their own issues. Their sons told them not to give it to anyone on personal lease.

The real estate agents were not able to explain what we did for a living to the landlords. This was a bigger problem in Dwarka - it is more a middle class place, and the brokers barely understand the word ‘internet’. They tell the landlord that “this couple is working in the media”. The landlord thinks its some newspaper, and when he finds that it is not, backs out.

Anyway finally we settle on Dwarka. We meet several real estate agents who show us around the rental properties available in Dwarka.

After meeting several brokers who just could not understand the quality of construction, interior and society we were looking for, we met one real estate agent - an English-speaking one - who showed us a flat in Sector 6, Dwarka. It was the second - best we had seen so far. But it had an airy and spacious living room, 4 balconies - and that is what we settled on.

Here, the landlord was supremely unconcerned about us. He was some who was happy to trust the real estate agent with the entire business. He was quite powerful in the society, so obviously, knew we poor southies are not going to be a problem for him if he wanted to get rid of us, or we become a pain. True.

So we move to Dwarka. Hopefully, I will get some partner to play some badminton in the mornings.

So here’s is to the Dwarka life. Further reports after I settle down there!