Tenants propose astronomical figures for eviction payout

ISTANBUL

Evictions have become a tedious process for landlords with lengthy court cases and opportunistic tenants demanding astronomical figures to move out.

Increasing landlord-tenant disputes have added to the burden on the judicial system, as the eviction process can take up to three years if the parties go to court.

Taking advantage of the situation, some tenants demand payment to leave the house, but the requested prices in some cases are astronomically high and do not justify the cost of moving out.

"My client, who owns a house in the central district of Istanbul, wants his tenant to leave to move into his own house. The tenant asked for 4 million Turkish Liras to get out of the property. Moreover, he prepared a tariff according to the date. He demanded 4 million liras to leave immediately, 2.5 million liras to leave in November 2024, and 300,000 liras to leave in November 2025. This is called eviction opportunism," real estate law expert Hikmet Güngör said.

Pointing out that there is no legal obstacle in making a payment if the parties agree, Güngör said, "The tenant will pay moving expenses for an unplanned eviction, real estate agent commission for the new house, and deposit payment. Therefore, it is usual to demand a price. But the figures discussed today are far beyond this. Tenants are experiencing difficulties due to exorbitant increases and unfair evictions, but in such cases, landlords are victimized."

Landlords may want tenants to move out for different reasons, including personal or family needs, to rent the house to a new tenant for a higher price, to leave it empty due to low rent and rent increase limit, or to sell the house. The houses with tenants are harder to sell, and their value often remains low.

On the tenant side, moving may add up to a hefty amount. If they move out, they will likely be charged two to three times the rent they currently pay. For this reason, they prefer to stay in the same house with a legal rent increase limit of 25 percent.