Istanbulites take the goods to the warehouse and move into a solid house.

■ Hulya K. ORUÇOĞLU

earthquake Demand for warehouses increased as Istanbulites, leaving their flimsy houses, considered downsizing the house they lived in to make it safer. Those who have better economic conditions go to the cities of the Aegean with tiny houses (portable, small houses) to escape a possible earthquake. In Istanbul, where rents have reached unaffordable levels, fear of earthquakes has created new trends. After the great earthquake that almost destroyed 10 cities, the inhabitants of Istanbul began to move to areas with mainland. When demand from these regions exploded, rents also peaked. Istanbulites on a budget, on the other hand, have to make do with smaller residences keeping some of their belongings to meet the rents. Unemployed or low-income people prefer to leave the city and settle with their families. The growing demand was also reflected in the demand for warehouses and caravans. The demand for merchandise warehouses increased by almost 40 percent. Demands for tiny houses exceeded 100 percent. Ali Ayılmazdır, president of the Association of Home to Home Carriers (END), said that people whose residence in Istanbul has undergone urban transformation or who have moved from their earthquake-proof home contact them to store their belongings for short or long term. . “In this process, there was an increase of almost 40% in the demand for warehouses,” Ayılmazdır said. Ayılmazdır also emphasized that they expect the demand for warehouses located in different parts of the city to increase further in the coming days.

120 PERCENT INCREASE

Galip Ölmez, chairman of the board of directors of Yako Groups, which produces tiny houses, said that those who do not have land for the use of tiny houses applied after solving this problem. Assessing recent sales of tiny houses, Ölmez said: “People often want to locate a tiny house on land in the Aegean region when they get requests from Istanbul. The demand for tiny houses is increasing day by day. The demand after the earthquake showed a remarkable increase of 120 percent compared to the previous month.

From 500TL

Deposit Prices vary between 500 TL and 8 thousand TL in Istanbul. Second-hand caravan prices start from 150,000 TL. The prices of the tiny houses, very popular in the USA, also vary according to the size, the height or the products used. Prices for small houses, which can also be placed on unzoned land, start from 300 thousand TL. Rental rates vary between 60-100 thousand TL.

There was a 400% increase in the pandemic.

Crisis Yako Groups Chairman of the Board Galip Ölmez, who said there was an increase in demand for tiny houses during his term, said: “Those who have undeveloped land started to demand tiny houses, which is the only legal solution. We have experienced this before and during the pandemic period. In this context, there was a 400 percent increase in applications in 2020, 78 percent in 2021, and 56 percent in 2022. Crisis periods increase the demand for small houses.