How do I find a flat in Mumbai without brokerage?

Take over a room somebody is leaving. The agreement carries on, the deposit transfers between the two tenants, and there is no agent to pay. FlatHunt lists exactly these handovers across Andheri, Powai and Bandra and the rest of Mumbai.

How much deposit is normal in Mumbai?

Typically up to ten months of rent for a shared flat, though it is negotiable and a replacement usually means taking over the outgoing tenant's deposit rather than paying a fresh one.

Can I find flatmates in Mumbai rather than a whole flat?

Yes. The Flatmates side of the app is people in Mumbai looking to team up and hunt together, which is the harder half of the problem — a flat is findable in a week, three people who can live together is not.

How do I know a listing in Mumbai is genuine?

Posters can verify through LinkedIn, so a tick means LinkedIn confirming who somebody is rather than the app taking their word. Phone numbers are never shown in a listing, and anyone can be reported or blocked.

Flats, PGs and flatmates in Mumbai — without a broker.

Rooms in shared flats, whole flats and PG beds in Mumbai — posted by the tenant leaving, the owner letting it, or the PG running it. Never by a broker, and never with a brokerage fee.

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Why flat hunting in Mumbai works like this

Mumbai rents are high enough that sharing is not a phase, it is the plan. Deposits run to several months, which is exactly why taking over somebody's room — with the deposit and agreement already in place — beats starting a fresh one.

A replacement is the cheapest way that handover can happen. The rent agreement carries on, the deposit transfers between the two of you, and nobody pays a month's rent to an agent for an introduction. What is hard is not the paperwork — it is finding the person at the moment the room comes free, which is what the app is for.

Areas covered in Mumbai

Rooms, flats and PG beds across 10 areas of Mumbai, filterable by the Western and Central lines, and the Metro lines feeding Andheri and Powai, by what the room actually costs all-in, and by who you would be living with.

Andheri
Bandra
Powai
Goregaon
Malad
Thane
Chembur
Dadar
Borivali
Navi Mumbai

What you can filter by

Commute time, not distance. Set where you have to get to and filter to rooms within 20, 30, 45 or 60 minutes of it. Eight kilometres in Mumbai can be fifteen minutes or fifty, and no locality name tells you which.
The all-in monthly figure — rent plus maintenance, utilities and the rest, so two rooms are comparable before you message anybody.
The one-time setup cost, itemised. The number that ambushes people on the day they move in.
Who already lives there — how many, house rules on food, smoking and guests, and whether the flat is quiet or social.
Verified posters. A tick means the account signed in through LinkedIn, so it is LinkedIn confirming who somebody is.

Common questions about flats in Mumbai

How do I find a flat in Mumbai without brokerage?: Take over a room somebody is leaving. The agreement carries on, the deposit transfers between the two tenants, and there is no agent to pay. FlatHunt lists exactly these handovers across Andheri, Powai and Bandra and the rest of Mumbai.
How much deposit is normal in Mumbai?: Typically up to ten months of rent for a shared flat, though it is negotiable and a replacement usually means taking over the outgoing tenant's deposit rather than paying a fresh one.
Can I find flatmates in Mumbai rather than a whole flat?: Yes. The Flatmates side of the app is people in Mumbai looking to team up and hunt together, which is the harder half of the problem — a flat is findable in a week, three people who can live together is not.
How do I know a listing in Mumbai is genuine?: Posters can verify through LinkedIn, so a tick means LinkedIn confirming who somebody is rather than the app taking their word. Phone numbers are never shown in a listing, and anyone can be reported or blocked.

Looking for flatmates rather than a flat in Mumbai?

If you have nobody to share with yet, the Flatmates side of the app is people looking to team up and hunt together — post what you are after, or answer somebody who already has. That is the harder half of the problem in Mumbai: a flat is findable in a week, three people who can actually live together is not.