Living in a Transit Flat During Redevelopment: Vastu for the In-Between Years

Yes, Vastu matters in a transit flat because your family will sleep, cook and study there every day for two to four years while the society is rebuilt.

Redevelopment is now common across Mumbai's older societies. Our guide to redevelopment flats in Mumbai societies covers the drawing stage, allotment and moving back; this article is about the years in between. The method is the same as for any rented flat: nothing permanent, nothing expensive, everything portable. The aim is not a perfect layout but a calm, steady home until you return.

If you have a choice, prefer the flat with a clear North-East, no toilet in the centre and good morning light, then weigh it against the commute and school, which matter just as much for a temporary home.

Place every bed so the sleeper's head points South or East, even if that means an unusual arrangement in a small room. Sleep direction costs nothing to change.

Transit flats are often a bedroom short, so rooms get shared. Give the head of the family the room nearest the South-West if there is one, and settle elders close to a toilet with no loose wires on the way. Children sharing a room can sleep along the South or West wall, leaving the floor open for play. Keep beds and heavy cupboards out of the ब्रह्मस्थान (Brahmasthan, the centre), even if it is only a small square of the hall.

Set up the kitchen so the stove sits in the South-East part of the platform and the cook faces East wherever possible; if neither works, keep the stove clean, the platform well lit and the fire a little away from the sink. You will not move a kitchen in a rented flat, and you should not try.

A kitchen in the North or North-East is common in Mumbai buildings. Balance it with a warm-toned mat, a bright light over the platform and no heavy cartons in the loft above. Our note on gas stove direction explains the stove in more detail. Unpack the kitchen on the first day: a family that can cook a proper meal settles faster.

Keep packed boxes, spare furniture and anything you will not open until the move back along the South and West walls, or in a loft in those zones, and keep the North-East free of storage. Label every carton by room and season, and once a year, perhaps before Diwali, let go of what you clearly will not need in the new flat.

Keep the daily anchors of the old home exactly as they were, such as meal times, the evening lamp, prayer and study hours, because routine is what makes an unfamiliar flat feel like home.

Give children their own study corner from day one, facing East or North, and tell them plainly that this is home for now, not a loss; our article on a safe space for children going through change has more gentle ideas. For elders, recreate one familiar corner with their chair, photographs and prayer book.

Check every revised plan the developer shares for the position of your unit's main door, kitchen, toilets and master bedroom against a clearly marked North arrow, because layouts can change between the first drawings and final approval.

Ask the committee or project consultant to circulate the typical floor plan with North marked each time it is revised, and keep each version in one folder. If a toilet moves into the North-East or a lift core lands in the centre of your unit, raise it in writing early. The points to look for are in our guide to under-construction flat plans. Meanwhile, mark on paper where the bed, mandir, stove and wardrobes will go, so your carpenter starts with the directions already decided.

Crystals, activated pyramids, removable metal strips, salt bowls, brass items and lamps can all be carried back, but cleanse them and reposition them for the new flat's directions rather than copying the transit layout.

When you hand the flat back, leave it clean and thank the space for sheltering you, a small gesture of शांति (shanti, peace) that closes the chapter well. Save the full गृह प्रवेश (Griha Pravesh, the housewarming ceremony) for the day you move home.

Consult a Vastu expert when you move into the transit flat if the family is finding it hard to settle, and again when the developer shares near-final plans, because that second review can still shape your new home.

Dr. Kimaya Parikh-Ambekar of VastuKimaya reviews transit flats and redevelopment plans from floor plans and photographs through a distant consultation, and visits on-site across Mumbai from her Andheri East office. Remedies are non-structural and portable. Read more on moving into a new or redeveloped flat.