Ayhan Karahan, Chairman of the Turkish Economic Enterprise and Business Ethics Association (İGIAD), made a written statement regarding the rent increases.
Expressing that exorbitant increases were experienced in housing rents as a result of the deterioration of the supply-demand balance in housing needs, inflation and increases in foreign exchange during the Covid-19 pandemic, Karahan claimed that the reason for the exorbitant rent increases was the lack of business ethics in the owners rather than economic reasons.
Karahan stated that the owners should not compare the rental income with the commercial and deposit income and should not consider the house as a means of rent.
"The landlord should see his tenant as the trustee of his property, and look at the rental income with the eye of abundance. Shelter is a basic need, exorbitant rent increases should be withdrawn. Rents in Istanbul can no longer be paid, they are unmanageable. In housing rents, the business has gone out of control. The exorbitant rent increases in housing prices in Istanbul do not comply with any account, book, measure or precedent, and there is an increase in rents far above the inflation and foreign exchange increase. Housing rents in Istanbul do not comply with the economic realities of Turkey, the income level of the tenants, the natural flow of life and living standards, and threaten social peace," he said.
“25 PERCENT HIKE DECISION IS NOT APPLIED BY THE OWNERS”
Karahan noted that the state's decision to increase rents by a maximum of 25 percent was not implemented by the owners.
"Owners, who turn their rental housing need into an opportunity, increase their rent at arbitrary rates without relying on any calculations or comparisons. Housing rent increases will not cause loss to the landlord, will not put the tenant in a difficult situation, should be kept at a reasonable level, rent increases above the reasonable level should never be allowed, legal sanctions and penal sanctions should be applied to the landlords who increase the rent above the reasonable level," he added.