‘Is it legal in India to stay on a boat?’: Man ‘unable’ to afford house in Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad asks | Trending

Frustrated with skyrocketing housing costs in Indian cities, a Reddit user has sparked a viral discussion online asking if living full-time on a houseboat is legal. He claimed that he wants to opt for a floating home as an alternative to ‘unaffordable’ apartments in metros like Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad. A man said he wants to live on a boat as houses are too expensive to buy (representative image). (Unsplash/alexblock) “Is it legal on India to stay in a boat?” the Reddit user wrote, adding, “I am unable to afford flats in any of the Indian cities—Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad. I am already aged out, so I won’t be in workable age for EMIs.” “Is it legal for me to hire or buy a small boat, have a kitchen, bath, and two rooms built into the room? All the cities have few lakes, can I park these boats on the lakes or sea shore and live there. I am frustrated with the prices. This is a serious question. House boat costs from 15 to 30 lakhs. Moreover if floods come, I will still be floating,” the Reddit user continued. What did social media suggest?People had a lot to say about the man’s idea, with most discouraging him from staying on a boat. Some social media users suggested he buy a house in rural areas. An individual remarked, “Can’t you just buy a home on the outskirts of a city? It won’t be fun like a boat, but at least it will be more practical.” Another expressed, “I guess you’ll face issues with address-related matters like having no permanent address for identity proofs, getting stuff delivered to you, etc.” A third commented, “Have you considered buying a house in a rural village area? Just an example, in a village near the city of Patan, Gujarat, you can get an independent house of about 800-900 sqft with land of about 10-12 lacs; India would have thousands of these kinds of villages. You can’t get online deliveries and perks of tier 1/2/3 cities as much if the cost of the house is only a concern. The only thing lacking I can think of is healthcare here, which is not as good as major cities.” A fourth wrote, “You can buy houses in cities like Pune with that budget. If you put together 5-10 more lakhs, you can get yourself a 1BHK here in the city. If you go to the outskirts, then you may also be able to get a 2BHK with a view.”