Istanbul apartment illegally subleased into 27-bed daily rental

ISTANBUL

In a unique scenario, a landlord has discovered that his apartment in Istanbul has been transformed into a 27-bed daily rental through illicit subleasing arrangements.

Rented to a foreigner with a Turkish residence permit through an allegedly unauthorized real estate agent, the three-room apartment in Avcılar district was subsequently subleased to another individual.

This second tenant purportedly transformed the property by placing beds in each room and some even on the balcony, before renting them out for short periods at high prices.

With complaints mounting from neighbors, the situation further escalated when a fire broke out in the apartment downstairs after electrical wiring short-circuited, adding to existing issues of water leakage and noise disturbances.

Arzu Pul, a representative from the Istanbul Chamber of Realtors, shared that 27 foreign nationals with no ID cards were found residing in the apartment, prompting an urgent call to the police.

However, law enforcement’s intervention yielded no action, as the occupants had vacated the premises upon their arrival. According to the law, the illegal occupants had to be identified on the spot in order to take action.

Pul shed light on similar occurrences, particularly in Avcılar, where disputes between tenants and landlords, often instigated by foreign real estate agents, are all too common.

She stated that foreign tenants engage in further subleasing activities under their names despite it being illegal, asking for sums of up to 3,000 Turkish Liras ($95) per bed.

Pointing out the peculiarity of this case, Pul said that this exploitative practice usually occurs in abandoned buildings.