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UHey guys I need urgent help!
My girlfriend rents one bedroom in a 3BHK in Navi Mumbai with two other female tenants.
When we first viewed the flat in December 2025, the landlady told us that the two other tenants (who had already booked the larger upstairs rooms, but had not yet moved in) were each paying ₹20,000/month. Based on that representation, we negotiated her rent down from ₹20,000 to ₹18,000/month, since her room was smaller and less desirable.
The landlady was also initially reluctant to share the other tenants’ contact details until after my girlfriend moved in, which seemed odd at the time.
Fast forward to May 2026: my girlfriend happened to speak to one of the roommates and discovered that both of the other tenants are actually paying only ₹15,000/month each for significantly larger and better rooms.
So it appears the landlady lied during negotiations to make my girlfriend believe ₹18,000 was a discounted/fair rate, when in reality she has been paying ₹3,000 more per month than the other tenants for the smallest room.
Over 5 months, that works out to ₹15,000 in excess rent. (Assuming she were to pay the SAME amount as the better rooms- it’s even more if you count the fact that she should be paying less for this room.)
To make matters worse, my girlfriend also paid a ₹60,000 security deposit, while the other tenants paid only ₹50,000 each.
She has already given notice and plans to move out next month. This month’s rent (her final month) has not yet been paid.
Today, she called the landlady and recorded the conversation. She pretended to ask how much the upstairs room would cost if she wanted to move there after the current tenant left. The landlady claimed:
* The upstairs room is currently rented for ₹20,000/month
* It would be increased to ₹22,500/month for a new tenantThis is false, because we now know the current tenant is actually paying ₹15,000/month. The recording therefore captures the landlady repeating the same misrepresentation.
My questions are:
1. Is it illegal for a landlord to knowingly lie about what other tenants are paying in order to induce someone to agree to a higher rent?
2. If my girlfriend withholds this month’s rent and confronts the landlady, can the landlady legally deduct the amount from her security deposit or refuse to return the deposit?
3. Does my girlfriend have any realistic legal remedy to recover the excess rent and extra ₹10,000 security deposit?
4. Would the recorded phone call be useful evidence if this escalates?This was a deliberate, weird and repeated misrepresentation, and we’d like to know what practical options are available before she pays the final month’s rent. Any and all help is appreciated thank you!
**TL;DR:** Landlady told my girlfriend in December that the other two tenants were paying ₹20k each, which led her to agree to ₹18k for the smallest room. She has now discovered both tenants actually pay only ₹15k each for larger, better rooms. She also paid a ₹60k deposit while they paid ₹50k.
She has a recorded phone call from the landlady repeating the false claim that the upstairs room rents for ₹20k. She is moving out next month and has not yet paid her final month’s rent. Want to know whether this misrepresentation is illegal, whether she can safely withhold the last month’s rent, and whether she has any way to recover the excess rent and deposit.
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DIs there an agreement signed ? If not this is all about negotiation skills. The owner may keep different rent for different rooms legally.
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