In Kurdistan and Turkey, where the economic crisis is deepening and inflation is rising in parallel, the real estate sector is being affected more and more. Rents have increased hugely, while tenants are revolting. In Amed, the situation is as bad as everywhere else.

We asked real estate agents and tenants in Amed about house prices.

Estate agent Aziz Keleş said that he has been in the sector for years, and that there has been an increase in prices this year, as never before. Keleş added that the real estate sector and property owners had a share in this situation as well as the system.

Keleş continued: "People with low incomes do not have the opportunity to pay for a house. As you know, the region has a very populated family structure. That's why people have to move into working-class districts. Rental prices in these boroughs are between 800 and 1,500 Turkish liras (40 and 75 euros, but one has to consider that a monthly salary barely reached 150-200 euros). In addition to the rent, people have to pay bills and food, and the minimum wage doesn't cover all expenses. Recently, there has been an irresponsible rent-raising situation, which stems from society as well as the economic policies of the system. That's why we, real estate agents, need to be honest first. We need to determine the price by looking at the financial situation of a tenant and the location of the borough. It would be unfair to increase the rent of a house from 2,000 liras to 3 or 4,000 liras."

Prices affect trade as well

Tenant and tradesman Recep Özalp, underlined that even during the Covid-19 pandemic, tenants were victimized.

"Even during the pandemic, increases of up to 100 percent and 150 percent were made. For example, the shop and house rents here varied between 700-800 liras last year, to today’s 2,500 liras. Owners are removing old tenants and renting to new tenants to raise the price. These rises in prices affect us, the tradesmen, a lot. We are experiencing great difficulties. We are living in a time when even buying bread for our children will be enough for us. Now saving has become a dream for us. It is very difficult to live on the minimum wage."

My salary is not enough for anything

Hatun Güldalı said that she rents her house and that they have a hard time economically because of the increase in prices.

She said that the rent is between 2-3,000 liras now and added: “How much should the salary of a worker be so that he can rent a house? People get minimum wage. Should they give that money to rent, bills or food? The water bill is 150-200 liras. The electricity bill is 400 liras. We cannot pay them. That's why rent and billing fees need to go down. My old age pension goes to bills. There is nothing left for me."

Mekiye Bozkurt, who does not want rent and bills to go up, said: "We can't get anything because of the increase in prices. A kilo of cheese was 60-70 liras, a kilo of tomatoes was 10 liras, potatoes were 9 liras, 5 kilos of oil was 200 liras. That oil is not enough for even a month."

Bozkurt added: "Now we can't buy any fruit or anything else. I have four students. How can I afford to pay for them? There is no job for the unemployed anyway, and those working cannot even earn enough to fill their stomach. We are at a loss as to what to do."