HDP demands parliamentary inquiry into excessive increase in housing prices

Photo: AA

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Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) deputies have submitted a motion for a parliamentary inquiry into the recent increase in rent prices across the country, especially in greater cities.

"As an unchanging problem for a long time in Turkey, the issue of right to housing, which citizens should have for a decent life, has become especially painful in recent years," HDP Parliamentary Group Deputy Chairs Meral Danış-Beştaş and Saruhan Oluç stated.

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"While practices carried out under the name of urban transformation have displaced many citizens, wrong housing planning has made cities unlivable and made cheap and reliable housing impossible for the low-income segments of the public.

"So much so, Turkey has become the country with the highest increase in housing prices, according to the latest data of the European Statistics Office (Eurostat).

"According to Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) data, housing and rents have had the highest share in the household income for years.

"According to research carried out by professional organizations, real estate companies and many research organizations based on their own data and data from online sales and rental platforms, the increase in rental platforms has reached 200 percent in some places, especially in greater cities.

"The already high rent prices in many cities have increased excessively and there are no rental houses left especially after the opening of the universities, according to the data of the mentioned organizations. The grievances of students and their families have increased massively.

"The problem of access to safe, cheap and convenient housing in our country has increased exponentially with the policies of the current government. The cheap and humane housing conditions that the state should provide to citizens have not occurred because of the rent-seeking perspective, and, as a result, a huge housing problem has arisen." (DŞ/VK)