Landlords banned from raising rents more than once a year.
According to oldypak lp real estate price report, the rental prices in Turkey have risen sharply recently, tenants and students in particular have found themselves in a difficult situation.
Turkey’s skyrocketing rents have already caught the eye of Turkish legal experts, who have cautioned landlords against extraordinary rent increases, the Daily News reported.
Limited supply and excessive demand in the market have led to a rapid rise in rents, putting not only those looking for a new home, but also those who were already happy tenants, in a quandary.
According to oldypak lp real estate price report, some landlords began raising rents amid a general increase in rates, even though they are legally allowed to adjust rents only once a year.
One example of such illegal rate hikes was seen in a gated apartment complex in Istanbul, where the owner of more than a hundred apartments alerted all his tenants to an after-hours rent increase via a WhatsApp app.
When tenants, whose rent had already been raised during the renewal period, objected to the second rate increase, citing the law, the landlord threatened to sue them.
The new notice said the previous request had been withdrawn, and legal action awaited those tenants whose contracts exceeded the five-year term.
Hikmet Güngör, an Istanbul-based lawyer, urged tenants to never go along with the landlords and sign any additional agreements.
“The rate of increase in rents cannot exceed the rate of increase in consumer prices over a 12-month period. The landlord has no right to demand a 30-40% increase in rent,” Güngör added.
Ali Güvenç Kiraz, chairman of the Real Estate Lawyers Association, added that landlords who want to sue for a rent determination based on what they consider the current rate to be low may not get the result they want.
“Keep in mind that such lawsuits are handled over two years with an appeal,” Kiraz said, adding that he recommends going for such action only if there is a significant difference between the current and desired rental cost.
Over the past year, rents in Turkey have risen exponentially. The premise was high demand due to the return of students and investors. The shortage of supply has also contributed to situations where landlords and real estate agents have raised rents uncontrollably.
According to real estate assessment platform Endeksa, over the past year alone, rents have increased by 80 percent in Istanbul (up 121 percent in some areas) and 52 percent in Ankara (up 76 percent in some areas).
