Bangalore landlord refusing to return my full ₹75,000 security deposit after we decided to move

Hi everyone,

I need some advice from people who have experience renting houses in Bangalore, Karnataka.

We moved into a rented house recently, but unfortunately, after moving in, we started noticing several problems that we hadn’t expected before moving. The bathroom has issues, the equipment and fittings are very old, and there are ventilation problems as well. Overall, we’re not comfortable living here, so we’ve decided to move to another house.

We paid the landlord ₹75,000 as an advance/security deposit, but he still hasn’t provided us with a rental agreement despite me asking multiple times. He keeps saying that he will get it done, but nothing has happened so far.

Now, when I informed him that we’re planning to vacate, he’s refusing to return the full deposit. He says he will deduct ₹15,000 for damages, wear and tear, and maintenance. We had already discussed this ₹15,000 deduction earlier, but the problem is that we haven’t damaged anything in the house. The condition is the same as when we moved in, and I have videos showing the condition of the property.

On top of that, he’s saying he will deduct another ₹5,000 because we’re leaving early. That means he plans to deduct ₹20,000 from our ₹75,000 deposit, even though we haven’t caused any damage.

I understand that we’re leaving within a month, and I know there may be reasonable terms regarding early vacating. However, I’m confused about whether the landlord can simply deduct these amounts, especially when there’s no rental agreement provided to us.

I’m feeling stressed because ₹75,000 is a significant amount of money for us, and I don’t want to lose money unfairly.

I’d really appreciate advice on these questions:

1. Can a landlord in Bangalore deduct ₹15,000 for damages or wear and tear when the tenant has