Tenants forced to stand in long ATM queues to pay rent

First week of the month doesn’t always bring the salary transfer message in your inbox and instead several people have to worry about paying their rents and buying articles of daily use. That means not everyone in the bank or ATM queues are lined up for themselves. Some, living in rented accommodations, are standing for their landlords who want money in cash. 

Zeeshan is preparing for his Civil Service  exams and has a rented flat in South-east Delhi’s Okhla Vihar area. He quietly raises his hand when this correspondent tries to find out if anyone in the ATM line is standing to pay the rent to the landlord. 

“I have to pay my flat rent and my landlord is not accepting a cheque. I am left with no other option than to stand in long ATM queues to get the new currency for him,” he says, waiting for his turn outside a bank in Jamia Millia University.

Zeeshan is not an isolated case. Saddam, an electrician, stands in the same queue. He says: “I suspect my landlord doesn’t know how to do net banking. He wants cash and I am standing in the queue for hours now. I have to pay the rent anyhow.” 

It has been learnt that many landlords in Delhi are asking for cash from their tenants. The online transaction requires a mandatory filed to be filled up that asks the “reason” for fund transfer. This is where the hesitation lies. Many landlords fear that if the tenants fill “rent” as the reason, their property would come under legal scanner. Hence, they coax their tenants to pay in cash. 

“It’s very difficult for us to pay the rent in cash. If we get the cash from the bank we want to use it for ourselves. However, the rent has to be paid,” says another tenant. 

A landlord adds: “Though I accepted the cheque from my tenant last month, I had to stand in long queues to get it deposited. I felt dizzy and became unwell. From next time, I am going to tell my tenant to pay in cash.”