--- JOHN MONTEIRO <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > It is absolute disgrace that a sign can be mounted > outside a house for rent, or sale whereby the owner > who is renting or selling blatently specifies that > his or her house is for FOREIGNERS only. > > If this sign was put up in England, this would be > tantamount to breaking several laws, not least that > the owner is a blatent racist
--------------------------------- Dear John, I can tell by your outrage that you have not lived in Goa for a long time. Both Frederick and Rajan are misplaced in their outrage over this one. It can under normal circumstances be considered racism, but deeper examination of the facts will reveal it to be an ugly necessity. A Goan does not consider Delhiites, Punjabis or Maharashtrans to be "foreigners". To a Goan, a "foreigner" is white. So why does he not want to rent to his fellow countrymen? Well, if he rents to Goans, chances are they will not leave at the end of their lease. Given the laws favouring renters, the tenants can even lay stake on the house itself if the owners are away for a long time. What about fellow Indians? More likely than not, the property will be left in such a state that they will need twice their rent amount to resuscitate it back to life. Goans do prefer renting to "foreigners", because the rent will be deposited on time, the property will be kept in good condition and they will leave at the end of the specified time period. Of late, however, Goans have learnt that even renting to "foreigners" has its pitfalls. Often they get into vehicular accidents or drug-related problems and since the rental address is the one they give to authorities, this involvement by association becomes a problem for the Goan owners. Many Goans now leave their property vacant rather than lease it to someone, but this too is a dicey matter as this leaves it open to burglaries or vagrants squatting on it. I feel sorry for Goans. Die if you do, die if you don't. selma __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
