<aside> 💡 You're here. Which means you're either trying to move to Bangalore/move houses within, or are just curious. In any case, here are a few steps that might help! If you’re looking for a list of things to get once you move, you can find it here instead: A checklist of things to buy/rent when moving homes! Have fun ❤️
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Figure out the following before you commence house hunting:
Since Bangalore traffic can get unpredictable, it's always better to live closer to your place of work/study, unless there's a compelling reason otherwise. A 5km radius is a good average.
The rents will differ depending on the area, whether you're looking to move in to a house with flatmates or get an entire one by yourself, size, furnishings, amenities etc. Be sure to have a range that you're comfortable with. Communicate that range to any brokers that you might talk to including the maintenance amount, to ensure that you don't waste your time looking at houses beyond your budget. Sometimes, even the landlords are willing to negotiate on the rent, no harm in trying. 🙂
Bangalore deposits are known to be slightly on the higher side. That's not to say that there isn't room to negotiate, but for a good place in a decent locality, anywhere upwards of 50-60K+ is very common. **A good idea here would be to communicate an absolute number you're comfortable with rather than going down the path of 3/4/5/nX the monthly rent.
Yes, it's a Tier 1 city. Yes it has electricity/water issues. Make sure you look for places with power backup or be ready to get one yourself if the landlord does not provide it. Cauvery water/bore well is always a good idea, and also check if the water charges are a part of maintenance or not.
Bangalore has great weather all year around but can also get cloudy/gloomy, so preferably look for houses with good cross-ventilation and light. A security in case of standalone buildings is a good idea. Keep a (realistic) list of any other features you might be looking for handy when you start searching for places.
There are multiple ways of going about this:
Go over the usual rental websites like Magicbricks, Housing, 99 Acres, Commonfloor and Nobroker. Look for listings with pictures and all details specified beforehand, whether it's an owner or a broker listing, and ask to visit in person both during day and night if possible to get a feel of the place/locality before finalising. Even a generalTwitter/IG search won't hurt.