Homeowner kills tenant following rent increase dispute in İstanbul

*Photos: AA

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A renter who was shot by the homeowner in Gaziosmanpaşa, İstanbul after quarreling over rent increase lost his life yesterday evening (July 18).

Anadolu Agency reported that E.D.Ö, the homeowner, called Hüseyin Asar, his renter for 15 years in Barbaros Hayrettinpaşa neighborhood, and requested a rent increase. There was a heated debate between the two during the telephone conversation.

Following the conversation, E.D.Ö went to the house where Asar lived and shot him down. Asar was heavily injured in the shooting while the homeowner ran away.

Security camera recordings

Police came on the spot, informed by the citizens who witnessed the event, together with the medical teams. Asar who was taken to the hospital after the first intervention on the spot, could not be saved.

The police started an investigation and it was found that the images of the suspect were recorded by a security camera where he is running away and demanding help from the people around.

The average rent in İstanbul is 16 thousand lira

İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Deputy General Secretary Dr. Buğra Gökçe announced that the average rent increase measured in 15 districts of İstanbul in the last five years was 654 percent.

According to the index of the widely used renting portal, Sahibinden.com, the average rent in İstanbul in May 2,019 was 1963 lira. The same rised to 2,133 lira n January 2,020, 2,448 lira in January 2021, 5413 lira in January 2022, and 12,648 lra in January 2023.

The average rent for a flat in İstanbul as of May 2023 has increased to 15,847 lira.

The minimum wage was 2,324 lira in 2020,2,825 lira in 2021,4,253 lira in January 2022, 5,500 lira in July 2022, and 8,506 lira in January 2023.

In other words, the average rent in İstanbul which was below the minimum wage until January 2022, is now over that wage, which was increased to 11,402 lira as of July 2023.

(TY/PE)