Improvised rental housing to make cities COVID safe in India.

•COVID-19 necessitates relook at existing living conditions in the developing countries, with Indian cities as case study•With 3935 persons per hectare, Dharavi is one of the most crowded slums in the world, with 80% households on rent•Living conditions-socio-economics, neighbourhood circumstances and household crowding significantly abet the pandemic•As COVID recovery, Indian government on July 8, initiated affordable rental housing complexes for urban poor and migrants.•We recommend land monetization, real estate trusts, progressive designs, digital lease management, and tax on second house.