Ra Chezhian’s To Let
Complexities involved in seeking an adequate and affordable rental house for a low-income family in a metropolitan city
November 21, 2021
- By Hirokjyoti Kaushik, UnATHI Fellow - Assam, IHF and
Rahul Bansode, UnATHI Fellow - Maharashtra, IHF
Introduction
To Let, a Tamil-language biographical film was first screened at several film festivals in 2017 and 2018. At the 65th National Film Awards in 2017, it won in the category of Best Feature Film in Tamil. The film was theatrically released on 21 February 2019 and is currently available on Amazon’s Prime Video. To Let features the story of a low-income family of three — Ilango (Santhosh Sreeram), an aspiring filmmaker, Amudha (Sheela Rajkumar), his wife, and Siddharth (Dharun Bala), their son — as they search for a house to rent after being ordered to vacate by the landlady (Aadhira Pandilakshmi). The film is set around 2007 during the time when the IT boom in Chennai resulted in the creation of an upwardly mobile IT-employees class that could afford to spend more which in turn, led to a sharp increase in real estate prices and the rent payable. However, the low-income households engaged in the informal sector did not experience a parallel growth in their income. For low-income households their ability to afford higher rent for a decent house continued to be limited.
The film highlights the turmoil of vacating a house and how the process of finding a rental house is influenced by a number of factors. The following points state key observations from the movie relevant to the housing sector in India.
IT industry boom and implications on rental housing in Chennai
Movie - The movie starts with setting its context during the information technology (IT) industry boom in Chennai from early 2000s onwards when the arrival of several multinational companies, led to the “sudden and disproportionate rise in rents” due to transformed housing needs of the IT personnel with increased incomes. Amidst this IT boom, the working class were most affected. In the movie, during a conversation between Illango and a senior at his workplace, Illango shares that he hasn’t been able to find a new house yet since landlords often dismiss him because he works in the cinema industry. The senior gives Ilango a visiting card of his cousin's company and tells him that he should show such a visiting card and tell landlords that he is an IT professional. Such experiences of Ilango in the movie depicted the difficulty of working class people in accessing affordable rental housing in a metropolitan city like Chennai.
Real world - Chennai rose to prominence as a result of its strategic location and connectivity to other regions through ports. A report by Anarock, titled ‘Chennai - Driven by Diversified Economic Base: Reinforcing the Future’ published in September 2019 remarks that several textile enterprises had been widely established in the city prior to the 1950s. From 1950 to 1991, the economy of Chennai transitioned to largely manufacturing and automobile business. From 1991 onwards, the economy has further evolved and new employment opportunities in the information technology (IT) and information technology enabled services (ITES) sector are redefining the contours and boundaries of the city. The city’s IT industry has been continuously growing, owing to the low cost of doing business and the availability of a suitable talent pool. With the help of its well-connected infrastructure, the city has achieved significant progress in its economic development.
There are limited empirical research studies on the impact of IT boom on housing in Chennai but it is a widely acknowledged fact that a change in economy impacts housing conditions in the city. The rise in the income levels of the majority of people is likely to have inflated the rents and the expectations of the landlords. Whereas, the incomes of the working class would not have increased at that scale resulting in newer issues for them, as showcased in the film.
Chezhian Ra’s To Let features Ilango (Santhosh Sreeram), an aspiring filmmaker, Amudha (Sheela Rajkumar), his wife, and Siddharth (Dharun Bala), their son.
(Photo Courtesy: IMDb)
Lack of adequate and affordable rental housing
Movie - The movie realistically throws light on the inadequate rental housing conditions that the low-income households face in metropolitan cities like Chennai, especially in regard to lack of access to basic amenities such as clean toilet, bathroom and electricity. Irregular supply of water, clogged toilet and difficulty in drying clothes have been repetitive issues for Ilango’s family. Even though they pay the rent timely, the landlord doesn't take care of the bare minimum facilities that are to be provided to the tenant. Additionally, Ilango and his family are too financially constrained to maintain the house from their end.
Ilango’s hunt for a new rental house shows the difficult conditions of the tenants where they have to share a common toilet and have to wait for long hours in queues to access them. The broker tells Ilango that given his low budget, he will have make some compromises. In another house, Ilango notices a lack of ventilation and daylight. The landlord justifies that because the house is surrounded by tall buildings, natural light barely comes in. The landlord counterbalances this by saying that the rent is low, implying that expectations should not be much. Throughout the movie, several instances of inadequate housing conditions are brought forth in the family’s current rented house and the other houses that they look at.
Real world - For individuals and families working in both formal and informal sectors, rental accommodation is a common and feasible alternative to ownership housing. Rental housing is especially important for citizens in metropolitan regions when their stay in the city is temporary or they are unable to purchase a house due to financial limitations. In an article about how migrant renters experience informal rentals in Gurgaon’s urban villages, Mukta Naik (2019) points that while informal rentals are effective at increasing housing supply across a range of price levels, access to basic amenities are often low because those areas are under-serviced and there are constant issues of water shortage and sanitation networks. It is also widely acknowledged that proliferation of slums has taken place due to lack of adequate and affordable rental housing in large cities. After independence, certain rent control regulations provided various safeguards for landlords and tenants but they also imposed additional limits such as poor rental yields which disincentivised landlords and resulted in lack of sufficient upkeep of rental accomodations.
Thus, newer rental policies such as the Model Tenancy Act (MTA) 2021, encourages state governments to frame their specific rental housing policies or acts which achieve a balance between the landlord’s and tenant’s rights as per a written rental agreement. The agreement should specify the rent, period of tenancy and operations and maintenance of the premises. Regulating rental housing falls within the purview of state governments. Government of Tamil Nadu regulates the rental housing stock in the state through the Tamil Nadu Regulation of Rights and Responsibilities of Landlord and Tenants Act, 2017 which is based on the earlier draft of the Model Tenancy Act. Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHCs) scheme launched by the Government of India in 2020 aims to encompass the need for affordable rental housing for the urban poor and migrant workers near their workplace.
Variations in informal and oral rental agreements
Movie - There was clearly no formal rental agreement between the landlady and Ilango’s family. The landlady arbitrarily increased the rent often. The landlady, with the intention of driving away Ilango and his family out of the house soon after her ultimatum, became more intrusive and abusive day by day. She would bring prospective tenants into the house at any time of the day or would invade the house any time to inquire when they were vacating despite giving a month’s notice to vacate.
Another challenge that Ilango and his family faced while looking for a house was that the potential terms of agreement were not uniform across the city. Every landlord quoted variable rent, security or advance, monthly cleaning charges, maintenance dues, electricity and water supply charges, etc. as per their individual requirements and reasons. In their search for a new house, one landlord asked for an advance of two month’s rent while another asked for ten month’s rent. Also, in their current house, the rent had been increased arbitrarily since the past five years. The whole negotiation and decision making process of these charges are solely dependent on the landlord. This indicated the role of disproportionate power dynamics that placed the tenant at a more vulnerable position. In a supply deficient rental housing market, the landlord being the owner of the property has a superior position and tends to exercise their arbitrary say.
Real world - The movie aptly portrays real life situations where landlords can make arbitrary decisions and invade the privacy of households. Often there is a lack of written or formal contracts between landlords and tenants and the agreement is based on mutual trust. Some scholars have suggested that these oral agreements also include a sense of violent repercussions to deter any default on rent. Naik (2019) based on her study in urban villages of Gurgaon, states that the oral contract becomes a de-facto law in informal rental housing and is influenced by identity of gender, caste and migration status.
The new MTA is a suggestive framework that acknowledges the interests of both parties. The guidelines under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban (PMAY-U), mention a mandatory reform that state governments shall amend the existing rental laws on the lines of the MTA. One of the provisions under MTA regulates the entry of the landlord or the property manager into the premises let out on rent. It states that landlords can enter the premises only after informing the tenant about the time and reason for visit at least twenty four hours before.
While seeking houses, the family looks into a house where an elderly couple stays.
(Photo Courtesy:IMDb)
Complexities involved in the process of seeking a house
Movie - The movie portrays a realistic picture of the difficulties in finding a new home to rent. At first, Ilango visits a property where the rent is stated as Rs. 4,000 and the advance is Rs 40,000 with extra monthly charges for electricity, cleaning and maintenance. At another place, the rent is stated as Rs 3,500 but the house is located among a number of small rental units in a building with a common toilet. Eventually, he looks at properties for a rent of Rs 6,000, but was not able to secure the deal due to several issues.
Lastly, as advised by one of his seniors, Ilango buys a local newspaper with classified advertisements about properties available on rent. Amudha would go over the advertisements and identify the properties suitable for them. Ilango and Amudha visited several houses but were not able to find any place suitable to their requirements, especially within the budget. Eventually, Ilango decides to impersonate an IT professional to get a suitable place. He gets close to renting a house but loses it when the prospective landlord finds out that he is not an IT employee.
Real world - Looking for a new house that matches all requirements can be a stressful and emotionally taxing process. For low-income households or new migrant workers coming into the city, it can be particularly difficult to find an affordable place. However, there have been certain initiatives like the Housing Resource Centres (HRCs) and Griha Pravesh undertaken by Saath Charitable Trust, a not-for-profit organisation based in Ahmedabad, working at different stages of the low-income housing continuum among its other interventions. The HRCs have information on a range of housing facilities available in the city suitable across income levels. The Griha Pravesh initiative identified some key stakeholders such as — the affordable housing developers, housing finance companies and the households who want to buy affordable formal housing.
In addition to the aforementioned example, an organisation named Bandhu also works to connect migrant workers with suitable jobs and housing. Its origin is rooted in Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT’s) robust entrepreneurial ecosystem. Bandhu is currently operational in Ahmedabad and it provides a mobile application platform for migrant workers, employers, landlords and middlemen to leverage a digital marketplace, driven by large sets of useful data.
If such initiatives can be adopted and scaled-up further by local governments, the information asymmetry in finding a suitable house can be reduced and the process of finding a house can be made more efficient.
Discriminatory practices in renting out
Movie - The movie showcases the issue of discriminatory practices in renting out houses on the basis of religion, caste, class, occupation and eating habits of the tenants. When Ilango looks for houses, multiple times he is asked by landlords whether he belongs to muslim community, eats non-vegetarian food, holds faith in God, occupation he follows and his caste. The film brings out these various discriminatory practices against certain sections of society despite India being a diverse country.
Real world - Discrimination on the basis of caste and religion is persistent in India. In a research paper titled, ‘Urban Rental Housing Market: Caste and Religion Matters in Access’ (2015) the authors identify the forms of discrimination experienced by dalits and muslims in the rental housing market in five metropolitan areas of the national capital region of Delhi. The study also reveals that dalits and muslims who managed to get homes had to agree to unfair terms. Several other works of research have captured housing segregation in our cities and discrimination in rental housing.
The MTA also does not mention any clause to protect tenants from discrimination experienced by various groups such as - bachelors, unmarried couples, non-vegetarians, dalits, religious minorities and sexual minorities. Such discrimination hinders the creation of a socially inclusive housing market (Naik and Manish, 2021).
A moment where their son, Siddharth (Dharun Bala) releases his balloon in the air and the family looks up and smiles at its freedom.
(Photo Courtesy: IMDb)
Role of the middlemen in enabling house-seeking
Movie - Ilango often takes the help of a broker to find a house. The broker tried to give false information about Ilango so as to secure the transaction. When the landlord asked Ilango about his caste, the broker tried to observe the landlord’s house and answered with a suitable caste which the landlord would prefer. Even if a house is secured this sort of wrong information may lead to a difficult situation in future in case the landlord finds out the truth.
Real world - A broker acts as an intermediary in the rental housing market both formally and informally. They connect the tenant and the landlord and bring them to common ground to confirm the house and the rent. In common practice, the brokerage for finding a house is around 15 days’ to 2 months’ rent. Tenants often contact brokers based on recommendations by acquaintances or by noticing their advertisements. However, there is no legislative regulation for their scope, dues and responsibilities.
Roles and Responsibilities of the Tenants
Movie - The upkeep of the house remains a constant challenge. While the landlady does not take any responsibility of maintenance, Ilango’s family also don’t seem to assume responsibility for its upkeep. Their son, Siddharth often scribbles on the walls and pastes papers on them, which further spoils the walls. Given that the size of the house is small, Amudha makes use of the limited space available. She organises clothes and other items of the house in cupboards and shelves but they are often kept in a disorderly fashion. Lack of maintenance in the house is also depicted through rodents coming in. Due to discriminatory practices observed in renting out, at points Ilango chose to not disclose his employment and caste. While it is none of the business of the landlord to know personal information beyond a point, sometimes lack of full disclosure can create a problem in future and lead one nowhere.
Real world - Some cities in India have the process of police verification of tenants. While this is not common in Chennai, this option is available and exercised in some cities. In Delhi, landlords can register information of the tenant with the nearest police station. Sometimes when landlords are wary about the antecedents of the tenants, police verification is deemed to be one of the measures to overcome it. The police verification helps the landlord to confirm the background of personal and professional details of the tenant. This may include assessing the payment capacity of the tenant while also ensuring that the tenant will not cause any legal inconvenience.
Scene from the film where the landlady (Aadhira Pandilakshmi) reiterates her ultimatum of vacating the house.
(Photo Courtesy: Snapshot from the film)
Certain landlords are also financially constrained
Movie - The movie showcases an instance where the financial constraints of landlords are also validated. In the quest of finding a rental house, the family contacts an elderly couple who live together in a decent house. However, they share that they built the house by securing a loan so that they could stay together with their son but he is working abroad and currently the elderly couple is not even able to pay the equated monthly installment (EMI) themselves since the husband is a retired teacher and the pension is minimal. Thus, they are managing to sustain and pay the EMIs through the rent payment received from the tenants.
Real world - Within the informal rental housing market, often the landlords operate on a small scale and have socio-economic characteristics that are similar to the incoming tenant (UN-Habitat, 2003). Subsistence landlordism is a common form of rental housing in low-income neighbourhoods (Mukta, 2015). The ‘subsistence’ landlords rent out a part of their house and use that rent to supplement routine-based essential consumption.
Mukta (2015) remarks that Gurgaon’s urban villages have a few subsistence-type landlords but largely the area comprises ‘petty-bourgeoisie’ landlords who are not compelled to rent out due to financial constraints but choose to do so to supplement their existing income and make further improvements to their housing. The number of ‘petty-bourgeoisie’ landlords have increased in Gurgaon because some locals have had the opportunity to buy plots in recent years. However, often the rentals are a major source of income for landlords.
Access to adequate housing builds aspirations
Movie - The movie depicts how housing is closely connected with aspiration and economic mobility along with the overall societal status of the family. During the struggle of finding the house, Amudha expresses her plans for what she will do after shifting into a new house. She intends to find a job and potentially be a receptionist so that she can earn at least Rs 3000-4000 monthly. She also holds a vision for her son, Siddharth’s education. She further suggests buying a computer on EMI when feasible. When a house for rent gets confirmed, they are elated and hopeful. Siddharth also expresses a sense of responsibility in moving to a new house and says he will not scribble drawings on the walls of their new house.
Real world - While a sound housing sector has a significant impact on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and linkages to allied industries and job creation, housing is also a measure and an indicator of human development. Adequate and affordable housing can significantly improve quality of life and support aspirations. Its inter-connectedness with services and infrastructure has a potential of multiplier effects on health, education, social status and economic well-being of households.
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To Let brings forth a well captured reality of how several low-income households struggle to find affordable and adequate rental housing. Despite the constant efforts and mental agony experienced by Ilango’s family to locate a suitable house, the movie does not end on a hopeful or heartening note because they vacate their current house without having been able to find a new one. It brings out several nuances in the process of seeking a house and the stark complexities in the sector. It also substantiates the context of inequality in our cities where a part of the economy experienced an IT boom but the other part continued to toil hard as ever.
References
“‘Chennai - Driven by Diversified Economic Base: Reinforcing the Future.” 2019. Anarock, FICCI, (September). http://ficci.in/spdocument/23145/Chennai-City-Report-for-FICCI-RESA_LowRes.pdf.
Manish, and Mukta Naik. 2021. “4 challenges Model Tenancy Act must overcome to provide affordable housing.” The Print, June 17, 2021. https://theprint.in/opinion/4-challenges-model-tenancy-act-must-overcome-to-provide-affordable-housing/679338/.
Model Tenancy Act 2021, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) http://mohua.gov.in/upload/whatsnew/60b7acb90a086Model-Tenancy-Act-English-02.06.2021.pdf
Naik, Mukta. 2015. “Informal Rental Housing Typologies and Experiences of Low-income Migrant Renters in Gurgaon, India.” Environment and Urbanization ASIA 6, no. 2 (September): 154-175. DOI: 10.1177/0975425315591425
Naik, Mukta. 2019. “Negotiation, mediation and subjectivities: How migrant renters experience informal rentals in Gurgaon’s urban villages.” Radical Housing Journal 1, no. 2 (September): 45-62. https://radicalhousingjournal.org/2019/negotiation-mediation-and-subjectivities/.
“Rental housing: An essential option for the urban poor in developing countries.” 2003. United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN−HABITAT). https://unhabitat.org/rental-housing-an-essential-option-for-the-urban-poor-in-developing-countries.
Thorat, Sukhadeo, Anuradha Banerjee, Vinod K. Mishra, and Firdaus Rizvi. 2015. “Urban Rental Housing Market: Caste and Religion Matters in Access.” Economic and Political Weekly 26, no. 27 (June). https://www.epw.in/journal/2015/26-27/housing-discrimination/urban-rental-housing-market.html.