Enab Baladi – Zeinab Dawwa
“Finding a house for rent in Tartus is nearly impossible, and there are no homes available for less than 800,000 Syrian pounds. I earn a million pounds a month; how am I supposed to afford food and drink until the end of the month while paying rent?” This is what Mohammed Dayoub, an employee at a private company in Tartus, told Enab Baladi.
Dayoub added that “landlords have no mercy, and if a house is found at a price of 800,000, the landlord might ask to increase the rent after three months.”
Rental prices for properties along the Syrian coast, especially in Tartus governorate, have seen increases despite a stagnation in buying and selling properties and an economy in recession.
Despite a noticeable decrease in the exchange rate of the dollar, Syrians have felt an increase in prices, particularly in rental properties, which have never decreased, amid a lack of regulations preventing brokers from manipulating prices or establishing a system that imposes reasonable rental rates.
At a time when Tartus is suffering from a poor service and economic reality, the crisis of rising rents for residential apartments has exacerbated the suffering of residents in the coastal area and its countryside.
No guarantees
Hala Suleiman, an employee in the public sector, explained to Enab Baladi that many landlords do not sign contracts with tenants, taking advantage of people’s urgent need for housing, especially in cases of forced exits from their homes and starting their search for another place.
She noted that rental prices in the Syrian coast strain families with limited incomes, saying that most coastal residents belong to the poor class and are forced to work extra to meet their monthly needs. The highest salary one can earn in the private sector is one and a half million Syrian pounds, while in the public sector it does not exceed 300,000 Syrian pounds.
Suleiman is not alone in this struggle, as Abu Mohammad, who works in street cleaning, struggles to secure the rent for his family of five, describing the living conditions as worsening, and he demands the government to take measures to establish reasonable rental prices.
Majid Issa shares Abu Mohammad’s plight; after being dismissed from his job, he rented a commercial shop on al-Thawra Street, for which the owner was charging him one and a half million pounds a month. Now, just three and a half months later, he is asking for two million pounds.
Who is responsible?
Hussein al-Khalil, a property office owner in Tartus, blames the homeowners, who are the ones asking for high prices, then presenting the house for rent through the office, which in turn charges a commission equivalent to the first month’s rent.
Al-Khalil, told Enab Baladi that many homeowners require tenants to “pay in advance” for several months before moving into the house or commercial shop.
He added that many landlords rely on the principle of “trust” between the landlord and tenant, and after the “trust period,” which is usually three months, the landlord raises the rent on the tenant.
Summer is considered a season when rents rise, as property owners exploit the tourism movement and significantly increase rents, according to the property office owner.
He mentioned that the price of rent has increased by 20%, which varies between rural and urban areas, as well as depending on the location and size of the house. There is no house in the city that rents for less than 800,000 pounds and no room available for less than 400,000 pounds, while rent in the countryside, for example, in Sheikh Badr area, reaches 500,000 pounds.
According to his information, expatriates abroad have an intention to buy homes in Tartus, especially those from Tartus who travel for work at sea and expatriates with high purchasing capabilities. This is a significant reason for the rise in property and rental prices.
What are the reasons?
Dr. Ammar Youssef, a specialist in real estate laws, told Enab Baladi that the primary reason for the rise in rents is the decline in the purchasing power of the Syrian pound and the increase in demand relative to supply.
He continued that the rise in rents, especially along the Syrian coast, results from the return of a large segment of the population that had been present in Damascus and the rest of Syria to their homes or renting in their governorate, which increased the demand for houses and caused unprecedented rent increases.
Youssef clarified that it is impossible for the government to take direct measures to mitigate rent increases due to a simple reason: rental contracts are based on the principle of “contract law,” meaning that nothing obliges the owner to rent out their property unless regulations on rental pricing are established.
He believes that, in the long term, government initiatives to create housing units to rent to citizens at studied prices could help regulate the real estate market and increase supply, which would reduce rent increases.
Lowering taxes on imported construction materials does not lead to a decrease in rental prices because it does not significantly contribute to the rise in property prices. The price of properties is linked to location and the services included, and the increase is due to a lack of investment and stagnation currently plaguing the property market, according to Youssef.
As for property prices in Tartus, other factors linked to the reality of the province as a tourist city play a role, such as the proximity of properties to the coast or their location within the city or countryside. Additionally, other factors related to investment and economic conditions, like prevailing buying and selling prices, land prices, construction material prices, inflation, and the value of the local currency, as well as the monthly and yearly rental prices in the area influence the pricing of apartments.
The lack of liquidity among people and fluctuations in the dollar exchange rate have affected property prices since the fall of the Syrian regime on December 8, 2024, as the financial value of any property is determined by these factors.
Rental prices for homes in Syria, especially in major cities, continue to rise driven by a host of economic and living factors.
Despite the relative improvement in the exchange rate of the Syrian pound against the dollar and a decline in the prices of some goods in the market, the rental sector continues its upward trend.
This increase is attributed to several main factors, most notably the growing demand for housing due to the return of some Syrians after the fall of the Syrian regime, the shortage of available apartments, and the inability of many residents to buy properties, according to what has been reported by Enab Baladi, which has pushed them to rely on rentals despite the high costs.
Rental prices vary between neighborhoods within major cities, with factors like geographic location and the availability of essential services and proximity to the city center playing a decisive role in determining rents.
The real estate market in other regions and provinces, such as Damascus and its suburbs, is experiencing stagnation in the buying and selling of residential units, especially after the fall of the Assad regime and the suspension of government departments that process registration, termination of property rights, and property ownership transfers since December 8, 2024.
Tartus: Unprecedented rise in rent prices Enab Baladi.
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