• Main door opens inward, into a clean, well-lit foyer.
• Natural light reaches at least the living area and one bedroom.
• Kitchen is not directly opposite the main door or the bathroom.
• Bathroom doors close fully and aren't inside the master bedroom's north-east corner.
• Bedrooms are quiet, with space to place the bed against a solid wall.

Traditional Vastu Shastra maps each of the eight directions to an element and a planetary influence. As a tenant you can't rotate the flat, but you can decide which room does what and where you sit, sleep and cook. That's usually enough.

• North & East — best for the entrance, living room, study and pooja space. Keep these zones light, uncluttered and airy.
• South-East — ruled by Agni. Ideal for the kitchen or a gas stove. Warm colours (yellow, orange, terracotta) work here.
• South-West — heaviest, most grounding zone. Put the master bed, heavy cupboards and lockers here.
• North-West — good for a guest room, children's room or the washing machine.

This is one of the most searched questions from Indian tenants, so it deserves a direct answer. A south-east facing flat (the main door opens toward the south-east) isn't the classical first choice — that honour goes to north and east. But it is very common in Indian apartments, and usually workable.

What helps:

• Keep the entrance brightly lit — a warm LED lamp switched on every evening does more than most remedies.
• Place the kitchen or at least the cooking stove in this south-east zone if the layout allows.
• Add a wooden threshold (chowkat) or a small brass strip at the doorway to mark the boundary.
• Avoid a shoe rack, dustbin or broken items right at the entrance.
• Hang a small wind chime or a pair of healthy green plants (money plant, tulsi) near the door.

Don't reject a good rental just because it faces south-east. Location, safety, water supply and your commute matter far more day to day than the compass reading of the front door.

Living room. Keep the sofa against a south or west wall so you face north or east while sitting. Store the TV and heavy electronics in the south-east corner.

Bedroom. Sleep with your head pointing south or west (never north). Keep the bed away from the direct line of the door. Put a lamp on the south-west side of the room.

Kitchen. Cook facing east if possible. Store grains and staples in the south-west cupboards. Keep the sink and stove on different counters — the fire (stove) and water (sink) shouldn't be side by side.

Study / work-from-home desk. Sit facing east or north. Keep a solid wall behind your chair — no window right behind your back.

Bathrooms. Always keep the door closed. Fix any leaking taps within a few days of moving in — a slow leak is considered the single biggest drain on prosperity in Vastu.

Pooja / meditation corner. Ideally in the north-east. Even a small wooden shelf with a soft light and one deity picture is enough — don't crowd it.

• Rock salt in a small bowl in the bathroom — replace every 15 days.
• Camphor lit once a week in the evening to reset the energy of the flat.
• Mirrors on the north or east walls to visually "extend" those directions.
• Warm, layered lighting instead of a single harsh tubelight in the living area.
• Indoor plants — money plant, tulsi, areca palm, snake plant — placed in the north or east.
• Declutter every Saturday: shoes, courier boxes, empty bottles, dead plants.
• Wooden or brass nameplate on the outside of the front door.

"A south-facing flat is unlucky." Not true. A south-facing flat with a proper entrance, good ventilation and a well-placed bedroom is perfectly fine to rent.

"You have to break a wall for real Vastu." No. Tenants are specifically expected to work with placement, colour and light — not construction.

"Vastu and daily comfort are opposite." They're not. Most Vastu prescriptions — a bright entrance, a dry bathroom, a decluttered bedroom, a well-lit kitchen — are also just good living.