Finding and living in a rented place is nightmare for youngsters in India. Why? The problem is at two levels:

1. Social

Families don’t like bachelors (and bachelorettes too!) Bachelors - Oh horror, those beasts! They play loud music, they bring girls into the place, they get drunk all the all time and cause havoc, they’re into drugs, they don’t pay rent on time, they’re not sanskaari enough, who would want them! This of course is a perception problem and an issue of generalisation. The above assertions apply to but a very small fraction of the young populace. However due to a horribly negative perception, even a small infraction is seen in the light of a larger menace.  Not just families but other elements of society love vilifying young folk.
Cops love milking youngsters for having parties or playing music. They happily show up at your doorstep and then drag kids to the police station and harass them till they fork out a couple of thousand bucks People are giving interviews in Bombay to pay money and live in a apartment. The ridicule involved in being a rental house seeker is going sky high.

2. Structural

We don’t want all this bullshit. Hi everyone, its 2014. We’re the plug and play generation. We choose Uber because it just works, we want to do everything digitally, using technology to the hilt to make our lives easier.  We order everything from groceries to lingerie online, we don’t want to navigate a maze of maids, laundry guys and whatever be it. We’re willing to pay even more for that convenience. Yes, i just basically described a hotel with a ninja butlers who magically pick up my laundry and then proceed to pay my electricity, internet and other bills.  Most buildings are designed to be swanky, where you pay obscene amounts to obtain a sense of ownership and enjoy a permanent place to rest your behind. We don’t want your swankiness, we dont want to feel your great sense of ownership (after forking a decade of my precious earnings). All we ask is “Does it just work?” or “When can i move in?”. The kind of situation i am describing is partially addressed by many hostels but most of have the same issues. No drinking this, no eating that, can’t have a friend over for a night, blah, blah, blah.  When will this bullshit end?