Tenants march to Turkish Parliament to voice their problems

Members of the Tenants’ Solidarity Platform in Turkey’s Mediterranean Antalya province have started their march to the Parliament in Ankara to propose solutions to their problems such as excessive rent increases, and precarity in cases of evacuation.

Tuesday November 14 2023 11:16 pm

Ceren Deniz / Gazete Duvar

The Tenants’ Solidarity Platform in the Mediterranean Antalya province of Turkey on Nov. 14 started a march to the capital Ankara to voice their problems. Members of the platform are walking to the Turkish Parliament to propose solutions to the tenants' crisis, such as the exorbitant rent increases, the eviction notice practice, and high entry-level rents.

The platform was formed two years ago in response to the housing crisis in Antalya. After several press statements and local marches did not yield results, members have decided to take their grievances directly to the Parliament.

The members stated that the measures against the tenants’ crisis taken by the government such as the 25% rent increase cap or the arbitration arrangement were insufficient.

Some of the members stated that they faced eviction after their homeowners sued them for rejecting their 600% rent increase proposals.

The platform members plan to deliver the 15,000 signatures they collected through an online petition and their 36-point list of suggestions.

The group will deliberate with party representatives as well as Antalya deputies in the Turkish National Assembly (TBBM). They will demand lawmakers implement severe and lasting precautions for the housing crisis that persists in Antalya as well as many big cities in Turkey.

The platform’s founder Cengiz Kul stated that tourist facilities suffered as the average rent in Antalya surpassed the minimum wage because hotels were having difficulties finding seasonal workers.

Kul underscored the impact of the foreign resident influx to Antalya on the rent bubble. “Opportunistic landlords and realtors are torturing the local population. We are marching to the Parliament to heal this gangrened wound,” Kul added.

The housing and overall cost-of-life crisis in Antalya started to affect the foreign residents as well, who have settled heavily in the province over the past years. 17,000 foreigners with resident permits have decided to leave the tourism hub due to rising rents in the last four months of 2023, reported the economy news outlet Ekonomim.

(English version by Ayşenaz Toptaş)