Renting a room by landlords who place hundreds of ads in almost every province of Turkey, especially in Istanbul, has moved to a new dimension.
In a 3+1 house, the landlords put bunk beds in the rooms and rent them out to an average of 8 people, 6, 4 and 2 people each, under the name of ’shared house‘.
In Istanbul, including electricity, water and natural gas costs, 3,500 TL per person for a room for 6 people, 4,000 TL for a room for 4 people and 5,000 TL per person for a room for two people.
He puts six bunk beds in one room, 4 bunk beds in another and 2 bunk beds in the other. As such, a total of 47 thousand TL is earned from an apartment, 21 thousand TL from a room for 6 people, 16 thousand TL from a room for 4 people, and 10 thousand TL from a room for two people.
In other metropolitan cities of Turkey such as Izmir and Ankara, illegal boarding houses have become widespread, with prices 30-40 percent lower than in Istanbul.
These houses, which do not have any operating license, are vulnerable to security vulnerabilities and tax evasion, are becoming more common every day.
Hundreds of ads are marketed under the title of ‘shared house’ on online advertisement platforms. The owner of a 2+1 house in Bakırköy said that it has rooms for 6, 4 and two people.
Stating that there are 6 bunk beds in the living room of the house, the owner said, “We have 4 bunk beds in the other room and two bunk beds in the small room. The price of our 6-person and 4-person room is 3,500 TL.” Explaining that he is the property owner, he said, “This is a family apartment building. Therefore, we do not want to have any problems. We will ask you for a criminal record at the entrance. Electricity, water and natural gas belong to us. Cleaning, cooking, etc. are yours.” When asked if there is a business here and if there is a business license, he said, “This is my house. For 6 years I have been renting it like this, it does not bind anyone. There is a very high demand this year. I am looking for a new house, I will rent it and give it this way.”.
Another person who rented a ‘shared house’ in Şirinevler stated that 6 people would live together in the house and said, “A single room is 5,000 TL, while our rooms for two and three people are 3,500 TL per person. Electricity, water, natural gas are ours, but if the natural gas exceeds 1,500 TL, we share it with the people in the house and collect it. We also charge a one-time fee of 3,500 TL for the use of belongings at the entrance. This is not a deposit, it is the cost of wearing out the furniture, so we do not return it to you at the exit.”.
When asked if he had a business license, he replied, “I rented this place. I told the landlord, ‘I can't pay the rent alone, I'll get a roommate.’ The people I let in here are nobody's business. We started this business last year. I work for a real estate agent. I have other houses like this one.”.