Landlord-tenant dispute cases increase drastically

ISTANBUL

With rental prices rising exorbitantly, the number of lawsuits filed due to conflict between landlords and tenants in Istanbul has witnessed a significant increase in the first quarter of 2023.

Recently, there has been a density in the courts due to disputes between tenants and landlords. In the first quarter of 2023, it is stated that approximately 65 percent of the cases filed in Istanbul consist of disputes between landlords and tenants.

While a minor court had to deal with around 2,300 case files in 2022, the number of files in the first quarter of 2023 exceeded half of this number. Lawyers also emphasize that the number of dispute cases has increased significantly.

In line with a law adopted in the parliament last March, the requirement for applying to a mediator before filing a lawsuit was introduced for disputes between the tenant and the landlord. Lawyers think that this law, which will enter into force on Sept. 1, will alleviate the burden of the courts to some extent.

Lawyer Abdullah Üsame Ceran said that as the cases about rents increase, they have started to receive a lot of questions about the rent problem.

“The main reason for this is the 25 percent limitation on rent increase. Although this protects tenants, we see that there is no practical equivalent, and there are still many disputes. For this reason, we see that the courts give a hearing date one year later from now.”

Stating that the burden of the courthouses will ease with the introduction of the mediator system, Lawyer Iyaz Çimen said, however, the solution here should be to adapt the existing laws a little more to the present day rather than just apply to mediators.