Student Flatmates in India
Most students end up in whatever PG had a bed left in July. There's a better version: find the people first, pool your budgets, and take a flat together. It usually costs less than the PG and you get an actual room.
Find your squad →The maths nobody does
A PG bed looks cheaper than a flat because you're comparing one bed to a whole flat. Compare per person and it flips.
| Option | Per person / month | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| PG bed, shared room | ₹6,000 – ₹12,000 | A bed, meals, house rules, usually a gate timing |
| PG, single room | ₹9,000 – ₹16,000 | Your own room, meals, still the rules |
| 2BHK split two ways | ₹7,000 – ₹14,000 | Your own room, a kitchen, no curfew |
| 3BHK split three ways | ₹5,500 – ₹11,000 | Your own room, a kitchen, no curfew, lower per head |
The 3BHK split three ways is almost always the cheapest per person and the most freedom. The catch is you need two other people — which is the part Squad Mode is for.
Squad Mode: find people before you find a flat
Switch on Squad Mode and you see other students looking in the same area at the same time. Match with one or two, agree a budget, then go looking as a group. Landlords take a formed group far more seriously than three individuals.
It also means you've met your flatmates before signing, rather than discovering them.
Start earlier than you think
Every student housing market in India moves in the same wave, and it's sharper than people expect.
| When | What's happening |
|---|---|
| March – April | Quiet. You can view properly and negotiate. Almost nobody is looking. |
| May – June | Results land. The good stock near campus starts going. |
| Late June – July | The crush. Walkable rooms are gone within two to three weeks. |
| August onwards | You're choosing from what's left, usually further out. |
Delhi University's North Campus is the most extreme — Hudson Lane and Kamla Nagar clear within weeks of the first cut-off list.
What to check before you pay anything
- Is the rate per bed or per room, and how many share? Four to six per room is common at the cheap end.
- Are meals included, and how many? "With food" varies from one meal to three.
- Is there a gate timing, and is it enforced? This is the most common reason students move out mid-year.
- What's the non-veg policy? Get it in writing.
- Is the deposit refundable, and on what timeline? Get it on the receipt, not verbally.
- Is the room available for the full academic year, or only until a returning tenant comes back?
Our deposit guide covers what's normal by city and what to document.
What to ask on the first call
Ten minutes on a call saves you a year of regret. These are the questions worth asking before you agree to view anything, and the answers tell you more than the flat will.
- Who else lives here, and how long have they been here? High turnover in a flatshare is a signal.
- Why is the room free? Someone moved cities is fine. Someone left suddenly is worth a follow-up question.
- What's the guest policy in practice? Not what's allowed — what actually happens on a Saturday.
- Who cleans, and how often? Is there help, who pays, and what's expected of you.
- What's the total monthly number? Rent plus maintenance plus water plus electricity plus internet. Get all of it.
- What's the deposit and when do I get it back? Ask for the refund terms in writing before you pay anything.
- Is there a gate timing or a landlord living downstairs? Both change how the place actually feels.
- How do I get home at 10pm? The walk from the metro or the auto stand, and whether it's lit.
If someone is evasive on the money questions or pushes you to pay before viewing, that's your answer. Walk.
Living with people you didn't grow up with
For a lot of students this is the first time sharing space with someone who isn't family. A few things nobody tells you:
- Agree the money rules in week one. Who pays which bill, by when, and what happens if someone's late. Doing this early is boring; doing it in month four is a fight.
- Split by room, not by head, if the rooms are different. The person in the box room shouldn't pay the same as the person with the balcony.
- Guests need a rule before they need a conversation. Every flatshare argument about guests started with no rule.
- Cleaning rotas fail; paying for help works. Split ₹1,500 a month three ways and the single biggest source of resentment disappears.
- One person's name on the agreement is a risk for that person. If it has to be that way, everyone else should sign something acknowledging their share.
The rent split calculator handles the unequal-rooms problem, and the agreement template covers what to write down.
Campus pages
We've written up the belt around each major campus — walking distances, real rents, when the wave hits and what to check.
Christ University, PES, RV College, MS Ramaiah, Jain University
MIT-WPU, Symbiosis, COEP, Savitribai Phule Pune University
DU North Campus, DU South Campus, IIT Delhi, Amity Noida
IIIT-H, Osmania, JNTU, University of Hyderabad
IIT Bombay, NMIMS and the Vile Parle cluster
Graphic Era, UPES, DIT, Uttaranchal, SGRR, ICFAI, DSB Nainital
All of them are linked from the city pages.
How the matching actually works
You set what matters to you, then swipe. Nothing happens until you both swipe right, and chat opens only on a mutual match. Your phone number stays private until you choose to share it.
- Sign up. Phone number, OTP, a photo, your area. Under a minute.
- Set your filters. Sleep schedule, cleanliness, social battery, guests, food, smoking, and your one real dealbreaker.
- Swipe. You see people looking near you who fit what you asked for.
- Match and chat. Mutual right swipe opens a chat inside the app.
- Meet before you commit. Somewhere public first, then the flat.
Every profile is phone-verified, you can block anyone instantly, and reports stay anonymous. The safety guide covers what to check on a first meet.
Common questions
Is a flatshare cheaper than a PG for students?
Split three ways, usually yes — and you get your own room, a kitchen and no curfew. A PG bed is cheaper on its own but you're comparing a bed to a flat.
How do I find flatmates if I don't know anyone in the city?
Squad Mode. It shows you other students looking in the same area at the same time, so you can form a group before you start viewing flats.
When should I start looking?
April, for a June or July start. By late June the good stock near campus is taken and you're choosing from leftovers.
Will landlords rent to students?
Many will, though some prefer families or working tenants. Going in as a formed group with documentation ready makes a real difference.
Does Bunkd charge students anything?
No. It's free, and there's no brokerage.