Muğla MP Özcan: “Muğla is among provinces with highest rent prices”

Speaking in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM), Muğla MP Gizem Özcan said, “According to research, the provinces with the highest rent prices are Muğla, Istanbul, Izmir, and Çanakkale.” Özcan made the following remarks regarding rents:

“THE GOVERNMENT HAS THROWN RETIREES INTO THE GRIP OF ABSOLUTE POVERTY”

Özcan stated: “We are in a process where the government has thrown retirees into the grip of absolute poverty by keeping the incomes of the working people below inflation. The housing crisis is one of the most painful outcomes of this process. The government deemed an interim raise to the minimum wage too much and condemned retirees to survive on 12,500 TL, which is below the hunger threshold. Students’ KYK loans barely cover food expenses, and as a result, we face a housing crisis, a food crisis, and ultimately a survival crisis.”

“MUĞLA IS AMONG THE PROVINCES WITH THE HIGHEST RENT PRICES”

Özcan further added: “According to index data, the provinces with the highest rent prices are Muğla, Istanbul, Izmir, and Çanakkale. While the national average rent per square meter is 166 TL, this figure is 227 TL in Muğla, 225 TL in Istanbul, and 198 TL in Izmir.

In Muğla, the average rent per square meter, which is 227 TL today, was only 41 TL at the beginning of 2021. In other words, rents have increased five and a half times. This is proof of how irrational policies, driven by the understanding that ‘interest is the cause, inflation is the result,’ have impoverished all of us. Private dormitories and houses were already expensive; even students who froze their studies and returned home couldn’t escape this.

Today, we are facing an economic crisis that is as shocking as the pandemic. Housing is the biggest expense for students, especially in big cities. Families are also struggling with deposits, realtor fees, and maintenance costs. It doesn’t end with rent; utility bills are added to this, and when students rent houses far from the university to save money, transportation costs are also added. Student life, which should be enriched with science, culture, and art, is spent working in uninsured jobs as cheap labor.”