Looking for veg families only
Finding a home to rent in India’s bustling metro cities is already a tough task but for many, the challenge doesn’t stop at affordability or location. Dietary preferences, it turns out, can be a major deal-breaker.
Looking for veg families only
This was recently highlighted by Prashanth Rangaswamy, a Chennai resident, who took to social media platform X to share a curious (and frustrating) message he received from a potential landlord. The message simply read: “Sorry sir. Looking at veg families only.” With a hint of dry humour, Prashanth captioned it: “Eating non-veg is injurious to finding flats for rent in Chennai.”
Looking for veg families only
The post quickly went viral, igniting a broader conversation around the unspoken and often discriminatory rules that govern India’s rental market.
Many online users expressed outrage, calling out the blatant food-based bias. One comment summed it up bluntly: “Some landlords reject tenants based on caste or religion too. For example, if you’re a Muslim, they just say: sorry, we don’t rent to Muslims.” The food issue, they argued, is just one more layer of exclusion.
Looking for veg families only
But not everyone agreed. Some users backed the landlord’s right to decide who lives in their property. “His house, his rules,” wrote one. “Buy your own and rent it to whoever you want. Simple.”
Others offered a more balanced take. One user explained that their vegetarian friends genuinely felt nauseated by the smell of meat cooking nearby. “I get it. If it makes someone physically ill, it’s not just about preference anymore.”
Looking for veg families only
Another commenter made a finer distinction: “Don’t lump food preferences with caste or religious discrimination. Those are entirely different issues.”
Looking for veg families only
The debate shows how seemingly small preferences like what’s on your plate can reflect bigger societal divisions. And in the world of Indian rentals, what you eat might just determine where you live.
