3 house calls, late-night visits to meet residents of locked houses for census data

Pune: Locked houses will not be skipped during the ongoing house-listing and housing census and enumerators have been instructed to make as many as three, including late-night visits, before classifying a unit as ‘locked' or ‘vacant'.

A census official said, "Even if a house is locked or temporarily unoccupied, its existence and condition will be recorded. The purpose is to document all housing units, not just the currently inhabited ones."





Enumerators will revisit during different times of day or night to meet occupants, especially in urban areas where residents may be away at work. Basic information may be gathered from neighbours to identify the structure.

Digital tracking apps are being used to monitor the status of locked houses, ensuring none are overlooked. Special efforts will be made in apartment complexes and gated communities where access is restricted.

For residents staying abroad, family members or caretakers present at the residence can provide details during the enumerator's visit. If no one is available despite multiple visits, the house will be recorded as locked with whatever information can be gathered from neighbours or building records.

A member of a family currently based in Thailand with a house in Pune said that she will tell her relative to be in the house. "We cannot log in from abroad, but our relative will share our details when the enumerator visits our place,'' she told TOI.

A comprehensive approach

It ensures accurate data on housing conditions and ownership, even for properties not functioning as primary residences

The process helps capture the complete housing stock across the state, including second homes, investment properties, and temporarily vacant units

Inmates of hostels will be recorded as part of that institutional household, census officials said