Pune: In the ongoing clash between students and landlords in the educational hub of Maharashtra, the court has observed that the residential society has no power to ban a particular person or group of persons from being tenants in its building.
According to the reports, both landlords and students in the city have accepted the cooperative court order staying a resolution by the residential cooperative housing society. This also makes it binding on flat owners to seek written permission from the society management before renting out their flats to students.
Residents of Pune City Say:
Sunil Koloti, a resident of an upscale residential society in Undri-Mohammadwadi, said, “Societies must adhere to the applicable by-laws, and imposing restrictions on renting out flats to students without valid legal grounds is deemed illegal. It is crucial to establish clear rules and guidelines for renting out apartments to students or any other individuals, ensuring that both the rights of the property owners and of the tenants are respected. Pune, being a city of knowledge, should support students seeking education by providing accommodation options, without compromising the principles of co-operative living or jeopardising the safety of the society’s residents. Societies should look at the other side as well, as students come to the city for studying, and rent places and there are so many opportunities opening up from a business perspective.”
Following that, Nitin Bokey, a resident of the Ganga Florentina Society, said that hooliganism by students in societies must also be taken into account. “The judge has called Pune ‘the Oxford of India’ and students must be given flats on a rental basis. Outstation students need residential accommodation which has to be given to them but nobody would take responsibility for hooliganism which is the main reason for societies discouraging landlords from renting out flats to students," Bokey said.
A student activist Mohammad Saif spoke about bad treatment and outright denial of renting flats. He said "The students come from different corners of the city and stepmotherly treatment is given to them by denying them rental flats outright. The court has rightly ordered that the resolution banning students from housing societies in Pune is ‘illegal’ but at the same time, we must ensure that students also follow the society laws and respect the sentiments of the society by avoiding late-night parties leading to hooliganism."
