I live in Bangalore.?
I have faced this twice in Bangalore. Once in JP Nagar and once in BTM. In both cases I fought hard and got the money. In the first case we took the agreement and stated the clauses and argued. We even lied that we have taken legal opinion. He relented after 23 hours and then agreed to give the money. In second case he simply dropped the bomb when we were vacating the house. So we also dropped a bomb saying that we will not vacate the house and not pay any rent also. He got scared as he had already signed on a new tenant. After these two incidents i make sure to read all agreement carefully and make sure to add or remove clauses whenever required instead of signing blankly. I also keep a mail thread with the owner about what we agreed on. I also drop a monthly mailer after paying rent. Always make sure to define the termination clauses clearly (within or after lock in). From what I have learnt, dont give up just because they say something. Take out the agreement and argue based on it. Bring your friends with you. Anything not mentioned in it is not to be considered. Keep at it and dont budge.