Lessees, tenants pushed to streets after co-op bank attaches propety

BENGALURU: People living in leased or rented houses are increasingly becoming unwitting victims of tussles between banks and property owners in the city. Despite all the necessary paperwork, they are left in the lurch as banks initiate action to recover dues by seizing properties.

About three weeks ago, a private co-operative bank seized five leased houses and locked three shops for not paying loan by house owner in Basaveshwaranagar. Now the families, who were living in the leased houses have come to the streets for no fault of theirs . The families are not even able to get access to their own household items and the owner of the building is not returning their money. The families allege that their current plight is due to the fault of the house owner and are demanding justice.

Krishna, who lives in a leased house, says he has all documents, but the bank officials seized the house when they were not at home.

Krishna, who had taken a house on lease, said, “I came to this house in 2018 by paying Rs 11 lakh as lease amount. The bank officials came to our house when we were not at home and seized everything. They threatened of filing a case against us if we touched any of our own household items. We have registered a complaint at the police station and brought it to the notice of local MLA. I have all the legal documents, but it’s been of no use. Now we are taking shelter in a small shed”.

Uma, who got cheated by the owner claimed that ‘we did not know about their bank business’.

Another resident, Uma, said, “We are living here from 2016 and paid Rs 4.75 lakh. We did not aware of their bank transaction. We kept asking the owner to return the lease amount for last four years, but he is not ready to return it. The house owner is now threatening us. Now we do not have money to pay advance for another house. After this, I do not want to live in Bengaluru”.

The owner of the apartment Gangavenkataiah says that he will repay all the lease amounts taken from tenants.

The building owner Gangavenkataiah had taken Rs 30 lakh from five families towards lease and Rs 6 lakh towards deposit for three shops. He claimed that he was in trouble due to some family issues and that his wife too died. He promised to return the money soon, but could not give a timeline. He also claimed that he had repaid Rs 75 lakh to the bank.

In another such instance more recently, several families and women residents of an apartment and paying guest accommodation at Shivanahalli on Chord Road were literally pushed to the streets by bank officials who had come to seize the property.

The residents were forced out with their belongings and the houses locked by the bank officials following a court order to seize the properties over non-repayment of loan. Many were living in rented accommodations while some had even taken the houses on lease.

However, the issued was sorted by the end of the day when the property owner filed a plea against the attachment in the Karnataka High Court.