Virus fear skyrockets daily rental prices of summerhouses

MUĞLA / AYDIN – Demirören News Agency

As COVID-19 curbs are easing across the country, rental summerhouses are drawing attention as vacationers prefer them for isolated holidays over hotels.

But daily rental prices skyrocketed in the Kuşadası resort district of Aydın province and the Marmaris district of Muğla province, real estate experts said on July 21.

A daily rent of a house with its own pool in Kuşadası, which was 1,200 Liras ($175) last year has doubled to 2,500 liras ($364) this summer.

A daily villa rent in Marmaris was 800-1,000 Liras ($116-145) last summer, while today it differs from 1,500 to 6,000 Liras ($218-875) due to its location.

“Vacationers do not want crowded places like hotels anymore. It is nearly impossible to find a villa with a pool until the end of August in Kuşadası for holiday,” said Atakan Altaş, a real estate consultant in Aydın.

“Especially those who are married with children prefer summer houses. We have 40 daily rentals that are all reserved,” added Mehmet Ekici, a site administrator in the famous Kadınlar Beach area in Kuşadası.

Figen Elif Çelik, another real estate consultant, said the villas get disinfected before the arrival and after the departure of vacationers.

The situation is no different in Marmaris, where 98 percent of the summerhouses in the district is full, according to Adem Batmaz, the owner of an online renting site.

“In previous years, the houses were more often rented by the residents of Istanbul, Ankara or Bursa. But this summer, we have a huge demand from southeastern provinces,” added Batmaz.