A clean room and working Wi-Fi are not enough. Look past the interiors and inspect the structure, exits and surrounding construction to avoid serious safety risks.
A paying guest (PG) accommodation can look perfectly fine during the first visit. The room is clean, the bed is already there, Wi-Fi works and the metro station may be just a short walk away. That is usually enough to make a person want to pay the booking amount and move in.
But there is another side to the property that is easy to miss. The condition of the building, its exits, any construction work and even the way the space has been altered over time can tell a different story. The recent building collapse in Delhi’s Satyam Enclave in August 2026, which took four lives, is a stark reminder that structural safety cannot be taken for granted.
What happened
A four-storey building in Delhi’s Satyam Enclave collapsed in August 2026, killing four people and injuring several others. The structure came down suddenly, raising immediate questions about illegal construction, weak foundations and poor maintenance of older buildings in dense urban pockets. Many paying guest accommodations operate out of similar residential buildings that have undergone multiple unauthorised modifications over the years.
Why it matters
PGs are often located in older, densely built neighbourhoods where independent houses have been converted into shared rentals. Floors are added without permission, walls are knocked down or repositioned to carve out more rooms and heavy partitions are built to maximise occupancies. Over time, this puts dangerous stress on the original structure. The Delhi collapse is not an isolated incident. Every year during the monsoon, incidents of building failures rise, and most of them involve properties that appeared normal until the moment they failed.
Expert view
Building safety experts say renters should trust what they see, not just what they are told. A fresh coat of paint can hide deep cracks. A newly built false ceiling can mask a sagging slab. Look for exposed reinforcement bars, damp patches on walls, sloping floors, widened gaps around window frames and doors that suddenly jam or do not close fully. These are signs that the building is under structural movement. Also note the condition of the staircase: if it is cracked, too narrow or has no railing, that is an immediate risk during an emergency. The presence of unauthorised rooftop extensions or balconies enclosed with brickwork is another strong warning signal.
What buyers should check
Before paying the deposit, walk around the entire building, not just the room. Note the following seven red flags:
- Fresh cracks in beams, columns or staircases.
- Damp or discoloured patches on ceilings and walls.