Research Findings

The research examines the economic, social and institutional dimensions of the rental housing crisis through six work packages. The work packages and the early findings obtained so far are summarised below.

These are early findings and will be updated as the project progresses.

Secondary Qualitative Data Analysis

Work Carried Out: Reports of national and international organisations, public policy documents, academic studies, legal regulations and the rental housing policies of different countries were reviewed.
Early Findings: Housing policies have long given priority to measures that encourage homeownership, while affordable rental housing has remained secondary. International experience indicates that interventions against the rental housing crisis need to consider public regulation, social housing policies and tenant protection together.

Secondary Quantitative Data Analysis

Work Carried Out: Using data from TurkStat, the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye, the OECD and other sources, the development of housing and rent prices, the structure of the housing market and households’ housing costs were examined.
Early Findings: Increases in housing and rent prices in Türkiye have made access to housing considerably harder. Household data show that the effects of housing costs are distributed unevenly across income and age groups.

Focus Group Discussions

7focus group discussions
36tenant participants

Work Carried Out: A total of 7 focus group discussions with 36 tenants were held in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, and the discussions were analysed thematically.
Early Findings: Rent increases, eviction pressure and relocation costs directly affect tenants’ housing security and daily lives. The discussions show that tenants develop various economic and individual strategies to stay in their homes, but that these strategies do not remove housing insecurity.

Tenant Survey

608tenants surveyed
12districts

Work Carried Out: A survey was carried out with a total of 608 tenants in 12 districts of Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, and the data were analysed comparatively by city, income and age group.
Early Findings: Beyond the pressure of rent on household budgets, difficulties in moving, landlord–tenant disputes and housing insecurity stand out. The findings indicate that the economic and social effects of the rental housing crisis are not experienced to the same degree across income and age groups.

Expert Interviews with Stakeholders

Work Carried Out: In semi-structured interviews with different actors in the housing market, the functioning of the rental housing sector, existing regulations and possible policy interventions were assessed.
Early Findings: The expert interviews show that the rental housing crisis cannot be explained through housing supply and price movements alone, and must be considered together with the institutional structure of the market, regulatory mechanisms and the expectations of different actors.