Moving into a PG or co-living in Bengaluru: the suitcase checklist

Key takeaways

Keep a government photo ID and your company or college ID ready; verification is quicker.
Pack clothes, toiletries, a towel, chargers and medicines — bedding and furniture are provided.
Confirm rent date, notice period, visitor rules and meal timings in writing before you move.
Install the resident app on day one; it is how rent, requests and notices work.

Before you book

Decide your sharing type by how you work: calls and late nights want a Single or XL private room; a Two Share · XL with TV is the sweet spot for most professionals; Three to Six Share are the value picks.
Ask for the exact rent, what it includes, the one-time advance and the notice period — in writing (a WhatsApp message counts).
Ask about visitors, quiet hours, smoking zones and alcohol. A good co-living has these written down; read them.
If you are a woman or moving as a couple, ask how rooms are allocated and whether the building has controlled entry and CCTV.

Keep ready for check-in

A government photo ID — Aadhaar, passport or driving licence.
Company or college ID, or an offer letter — it speeds up verification.
Your booking confirmation and advance receipt (at Vaikuntum, both arrive on WhatsApp).
An emergency contact number.
The resident app installed — rent, requests and notices run through it.

Pack this

Clothes and footwear for a fortnight, and a laundry bag.
Toiletries and a towel.
Laptop, phone and chargers; a small extension board never hurts.
Any regular medicines and a basic first-aid pouch.
A padlock for your cupboard if you like your own.

Leave this at home

Mattress, bedsheets, pillows, a cupboard, a fridge, a router, a bucket — at Vaikuntum Elite Co-Living the room comes with a premium 10-inch spring mattress, a storage bed, a private cupboard, a mattress protector and a bedsheet and pillow set; every floor has fridges, RO water and a self-cooking area; and 1 Gbps internet is already on. Heaters, induction stoves and other high-load appliances are not allowed in rooms for safety.

Your first week

Walk the building: dining hall, laundry, gym, theatre, lounge, terrace, smoking zone, where the manager sits.
Note the meal timings (breakfast 8–10, lunch 1–2:30, dinner 8–10 at Vaikuntum) and the weekly menu.
Set a reminder for your rent date — rent is due on your joining date each month; late fees are real.
Learn the visitor rule: friends are welcome in the common areas; other residents' rooms are off-limits.
Find your commute: at Hongasandra the metro is a short walk; try it once before your first office day.