Is this enough for south Delhi?

nsheth17

Hi all,

I'm an American journalist (though of Indian descent) and I'll soon be starting work in Delhi for a US newspaper. Just got here yesterday and in the hunt for a place to stay.

I'm looking mostly in South Delhi neighborhoods- GK1, GK2, Defence Colony, New Friends Colony, Sunder Nagar. Looking to spend at most 30000 INR pm for a 1-2 br flat (incl. utilities, internet, washing, cooking and cleaning). Does that sound reasonable or should I up my expectations a bit? What's the best way to go about finding a flat?

Also if you know any rooms free in apartments with other foreigners, let me know! Would love to stay with other people from out of India like myself.

Thanks,
Raj

Tapestry

My first impression is that Rs.30,000/mo sounds low for those neighborhoods, especially if you want all those things included. Maybe you could find a flat for that price, but it wouldn't have the amenities and services that you mention. I'll let others come along and fill in some more feedback on those neighborhoods specifically, but it sounds a bit low.

nsheth17

Thanks for the input Tapestry. I don't mind spending extra on the utilities/services if it's not a whole lot more (5000 or 6000 INR/month). So I guess the real question is can I get a 1-2 BR flat in those neighborhoods for 30000? If not, what should I expect to shell out?

PeakXV

Try Delhi Craigslist to get a feel for the going rates - although they may be a bit high. There are some good Indian sites with listings too - somebody may be along soon to provide their links - which escape me at this time.

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Tapestry

One thing to consider is will this be a lease for an individual or will it be a company lease? If you're on a company lease you can prob expect to pay more. If you are obviously American, though of Indian descent, you might also get higher prices. Anyway, I looked at a few places in the GK1/GK2 areas with a friend and we saw a couple of places for Rs.35,000/mo but they were totally unfurnished and actually quite crappy. You might get lucky, but the range of Rs.35,000-40,000 would get you a nicer place in those south delhi areas. Again, someone who lives in those neighborhoods specifically will be able to give you a better idea.

brownboy66

I'm inclined to agree with Tapestry re the rent expectations. Prices in Delhi in general, let alone Sth Delhi, are nuts. Most of the places we looked at when we moved here were way beyond out budget for a family - but thankfully it was being paid for by the company who agreed to up the budget. Even then - there were no utilities included (those are all extra).

Landlords don't need to worry about including utilities, purifiers, aircon, etc - as part of the rent because if you don't like it and don't take the place - there will be a dozen other people coming through the place that day who will be more than willing to take it - as is.

In terms of finding a place - our company used an agent who was given a set of requirements and then drew up a list of about 30 places that fit the description which we hit over 2 days. None of them were suitable (in terms of size, location, etc) - and some of them were quite dangerous (exposed wiring, opens sewers, etc - not good for kids). It took 3 weeks of searching and in the end the place we found wasn't on any of the agent lists, it turned up suddenly (we saw it before it got listed), was in a great location - so we took it.

Hopefully Shanshank will see this thread as he will probably have a few ideas of good locations for your budget.

Goodluck - oh and welcome to IM

wtv

Also check out;

www.delhiexpat.com

They have a forum for housing.

I'm in the press too, still a couple of months before we arrive though.

Cheers, Tom

patrickgill

30k is completely possible for all those neighbourhoods besides perhaps sunder nagar. maybe not sprawling apartments, maybe fairly dowdy kitchen and maybe only on the top floor -- but completely possible. I have friend who recently moved into top floor 1-bed in Def Col with a huge semi-shaded terrace for about 15k, and I know plenty of other people with similar arrangements. if it's feasible, try get a dilliwalla to come help decide -- much less likely to get ripped off that way.
good luck.

brwwk

Thanks for the advice. What is a dilliwalla?

shashank.aggarwal

Dilliwala means a Citizen of Delhi...Delhiite...

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