15 Thousand Rental Housing Units Coming to Istanbul

Murat Kurum announced that a project for 15 thousand rental housing units will be launched on the Anatolian and European sides of Istanbul, with the first deliveries to be made in September.

Scraper SystemJune 04, 2026, 09:34 PM

Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum said, "We will launch a project for 15 thousand rental housing units on the Anatolian and European sides of Istanbul, and we will make the first deliveries from our rental housing projects this September." Minister Kurum answered questions about the agenda and made evaluations. He explained that they always work with a political understanding that is on the streets, considering the demands and needs of the citizens, and said that they have implemented the 500 Thousand Social Housing Project to realize a concrete will regarding the increase in housing and rental prices in metropolitan areas. Emphasizing that with the construction of more than 500 thousand houses in the earthquake zone, 1 million new houses have been introduced to the market, Kurum said, "Then we saw this: today, you can find rental houses for 5-6 thousand liras in the earthquake zone. After the earthquake, it was 20 thousand, 30 thousand liras there. When you look at the effect on inflation, you can clearly see the decrease again. To keep this determination stronger, especially in metropolises, we are also implementing rental housing applications, and within this scope, we will launch a project for 15 thousand rental housing units on the Anatolian and European sides of Istanbul, and we will make the first deliveries from our rental housing projects this September." "Citizens will be able to live in these houses for 3 years" Kurum stated that applications will be accepted for the 15 thousand social rental housing project to be implemented in Istanbul, and they want to manage this process transparently, fairly, and justly as in the social housing project. He mentioned that there will be various criteria and quotas for applications and continued: We will allocate quotas for our low-income citizens and those receiving social assistance. We will allocate quotas for citizens who are in or want to enter urban transformation and have difficulty finding rental houses. There will be retirees and civil servants. Citizens will apply with these quotas, and we will rent these places at prices well below market rates. Citizens will be able to live in these houses for 3 years, and after 3 years, we expect the project to end. We will rent it to another citizen under the same conditions. Our goal is to reduce rental and housing prices. We are conducting this process both for regulation and to support our citizens with low income. There is also an earthquake risk in Istanbul. We are building 100 thousand social houses within the scope of the 500 Thousand Social Housing Project. We are also building 15 thousand rental houses. So, with this project alone, we are building 115 thousand houses in Istanbul. This is a significant number. We are providing this opportunity to 16 million citizens living in Istanbul. If you calculate 4 people per 115 thousand houses, nearly 500 thousand citizens will continue their lives here. Therefore, it is a model that will affect both housing and rental prices. Emphasizing that the project is being implemented for the first time in Istanbul, Kurum stated that they will continue to develop projects according to the needs of cities in other metropolises such as Izmir, Kocaeli, Ankara, and Antalya based on the results to be obtained. "Life has restarted in the earthquake zone" Regarding the latest situation in the earthquake zone, Kurum said, "I can proudly say that life has restarted in the earthquake zone." Recalling that these cities were in ruins on the morning of February 6, 2023, Kurum said, "We are talking about a process where hope was lost, joy turned into sorrow, and there was a tear in every house. Today, life has restarted. Shops have started to reopen. Children have started to smile again in the streets of 11 provinces. You can hear children's laughter there. They can walk on the coast. They can shop in the bazaars. Tradesmen can now open their shutters and serve. This is truly a great happiness for us." Kurum said that he goes to the 11 provinces regularly every week to follow up on the reconstruction and the process, and that he is a fellow citizen of these 11 provinces, proud of it, and that it is the most important legacy he will leave to his children. Kurum stated that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also showed a very important determination on this issue, and that when they met in the earthquake zone on the morning of February 6, they consulted with President Erdoğan about the construction of houses. Kurum said he never forgot that conversation with President Erdoğan, who said, "Murat, we will build these houses the same way we have done so far." We rolled up our sleeves; it was not an easy job. There were those who said, 'They can't finish it on time, they will be trapped under this rubble, they won't be able to complete it, now they have finished.' We closed our ears and eyes. We were sad, but we tried not to show our sadness and sorrow. We lived it within ourselves with all my friends. May God be pleased with all of them. Together, hand in hand, we carried out these works, and today, thank God, we can proudly say this in 11 provinces." Kurum drew attention to the fact that hundreds of thousands of people can stroll on the Iskenderun Coast in Hatay, and that the call to prayer can now be heard again at Habibi Neccar, the first mosque of Anatolia in Antakya. He said that Kurtuluş Street has been illuminated again and environmental arrangements are being carried out along the Asi River. Kurum announced that the works in the Covered Bazaar in Kahramanmaraş have been completed and it will be opened for service, adding, "Then the Blacksmiths' Bazaar, Butchers' Bazaar, and the Governor's Square, where there are very beautiful stories, will follow. In Kahramanmaraş, there is Trabzon Street and Azerbaijan Neighborhood. You can see that brotherhood in every city. They have stood up again. In Malatya city center, the Governor's Office, the Square, the Jewelers' Bazaar, and the area called Şire Market were in a terrible state. After the earthquake, you couldn't walk among the rubble. But now, our tradesmen have started to serve." Kurum stated that comprehensive projects have been implemented in Adıyaman, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Hatay, and other earthquake provinces, and that they are now looking at how production can be revitalized and employment increased. Emphasizing that with the reconstruction of the earthquake zone, people are returning to the cities, Kurum said, "86 million citizens embraced our earthquake-affected brothers and sisters. This was very important. No state, country, or nation in the world can do this. We shared our homes, jobs, and livelihoods. Now, those citizens have returned to their homes and will start to return. Therefore, there will be relief in 81 provinces. There will be relief in housing and rental prices. There is also a 500 thousand new social housing project. These 1 million houses will visibly reduce rental prices." "Approximately 335 thousand housing transformations have been carried out in Istanbul" Regarding the "Half from Us" campaign conducted to support the transformation of risky buildings and urban transformation in Istanbul, Kurum said that they take the earthquake issue seriously, never politicize it, and have open doors to everyone. He recalled that they stated they would support the demand coming from 81 provinces regarding urban transformation and do everything necessary. Kurum added: Regardless of the party, we evaluate these meetings and demands and try to support within this framework. When our President announced this project to our nation in Istanbul in 2023, the opposition considered it an election project. They said, 'They will say but not do.' On the contrary, we said, 'We never gave what we said in the squares as a promise. We said what we could do.' Today, approximately 335 thousand housing transformations have been carried out within the scope of the Half from Us campaign in Istanbul, and 92 thousand have been completed. So, we are talking about 92 thousand independent units since 2023. This is a very important number, unprecedented in our history. And transformation works for 233 thousand independent units are ongoing. Within this scope, we have supported the transformation of nearly 980 thousand houses with Half from Us and urban transformation projects by making zoning plans. This is also a very important number. We are talking about 2.2 million in Turkey and about 980 thousand in Istanbul. Kurum stated that with the "Half from Us" campaign, they provided citizens with 875 thousand lira grants, 875 thousand lira loans, and 125 thousand lira moving assistance, emphasizing that the project can be seen in every neighborhood of Istanbul's 39 districts. "10 thousand citizens applied" Regarding the new urban transformation loan provided for the transformation of risky buildings in Istanbul, Kurum gave the following information: We announced a new project with the World Bank. We offered a loan opportunity with a 0.69 interest rate up to 3 million lira with 2 years of grace period. 10 thousand citizens applied for this. We are now evaluating the applications. We will carry out this project decisively. We also discussed with the World Bank whether we could get extra support if there is demand for these projects. They said, 'We would gladly provide this support.' Therefore, this project will also increase decisively. Currently, we are implementing it in Istanbul, Izmir, Kocaeli, and Sakarya. Then in Manisa and Tekirdağ, construction will begin.

15 Thousand Rental Housing Units Coming to Istanbul

Murat Kurum announced that a project for 15 thousand rental housing units will be launched on the Anatolian and European sides of Istanbul, with the first deliveries to be made in September.