Broker is threatening me after I rented a flat directly with the owner
TLDR: Booked a flat directly with owner, no brokerage agreement signed. Broker found out, threatened me. How do I handle this?
I found a flat in Bangalore through a broker who showed me the property once. Later I managed to connect with the owner directly through a reference and we closed the deal ourselves — no broker involved, no brokerage agreement signed at any point, written or verbal.
The broker found out and things got ugly:
• Has been calling repeatedly, I haven't picked up
• Messaged me saying I booked the flat
• Called and threatened he will "do anything" after I move in
• Is now claiming one full month's brokerage from me
• Had also inflated the deposit amount when showing me the flat — the owner confirmed a lower figure
I responded on the call that I had recorded everything and he can do what he wants. Haven't replied since.
Additional complication — the society's security and property manager are also in his commission network, so I can't rely on them.
The owner (based abroad) has now forwarded the broker's complaint(Property manager has informed about the situation) to me and asked me to sort it out directly with him and he clearly told me that he wont getting involved and its up to me. I have told the owner from beginning that I got the lead from Broker but got the contact through a reference and dont want to involve brokers.
My questions:
Should I involve police proactively or wait for him to escalate?
Has anyone dealt with broker threats in Bangalore — what actually happened?