Turkey considering prison sentence to tackle excessive rent increases, says minister

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Turkey is considering applying sanctions to property owners who increase rent prices excessively, the justice minister has said.

A 25-percent increase cap implemented in mid-2022 will remain in place, and the government is working for additional measures to curb the increase in rent prices, Bekir Bozdağ told NTV in a live broadcast today (April 25).

"If someone is engaging in excessive rent increases without a just cause, in violation of market conditions, and solely for the purpose of unjust gain, this can be subject to a legal sanction," he said.

In addition to article 273 of the Turkish Penal Code, which prohibits such practices, the government is working on new legislation based on global examples, added Bozdağ.

"We have prepared three alternatives. There could be imprisonment, fines, or administrative fines," he remarked.

Bozdağ's remarks came after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's pledge for new legal arrangements to protect tenant from "opportunistic" landlords.

"We see that rents were increased significantly in greater cities. Inshallah, we'll deal with it after the elections," he said last week, referring to the dual polls on May 14.

Housing prices in Turkey have increased exorbitantly over the past couple of years, especially in metropolises. The average annual rent increase in the country was over 197 percent at the end of March, according to Endeksa, a real estate portal.

The excessive increase in rents affects a wide range of people, from students to urban poor and single working people.

In metropolises such as İstanbul, many people are engaged in subletting to be able to pay their rents and make additional income. (AÖ/VK)