Renting out your home in New Delhi

Our advice for New Delhi

Delhi is not one rental market but several, stitched together by the Metro. A flat in Aerocity or Mahipalpur lives on flight schedules; a floor in Defence Colony or Greater Kailash lives on families, consultants and long weekends; a room near Paharganj or Karol Bagh lives on budget travellers heading out on the Golden Triangle. Before you furnish anything, decide which of these guests you are building for, because they want very different things.

Who actually books in the capital

• Transit and airport guests — late arrivals and early departures around Indira Gandhi International Airport, who value a quick drive, blackout curtains and a self check-in that works at 3 a.m.
• Business and event visitors — trade fairs at Bharat Mandapam in Pragati Maidan and Yashobhoomi in Dwarka bring waves of exhibitors who need a desk, reliable Wi-Fi and ironing facilities.
• Patients' families — relatives accompanying treatment at the large hospitals of South Delhi often stay for weeks and prize a kitchen, a washing machine and quiet.
• Wedding guests — the winter wedding season fills whole colonies with relatives from abroad, including many NRI families, who book several units at once.

What we would set up in your flat

An independent builder floor with its own entrance usually works better than a unit deep inside a gated complex. Plan for an inverter or generator backup, air purifiers for the smoggy weeks of late autumn, efficient air-conditioning for May and June, and a geyser that copes with January mornings. A dedicated parking slot is a real selling point in colonies where cars line every lane. Keep the décor simple and hard-wearing; Delhi guests notice cleanliness and hot water long before they notice cushions.