Prices of house rentals in Damascus have recorded a new increase, which President Bashar al-Assad's regime media described as “record.”
The price of an unfurnished apartment rental in the Al-Mezzeh 86 area (one of Damascus' slums) has reached 150,000 Syrian pounds per month, while the price of an apartment in Ashrafiyet Sahnaya on the Syrian capital’s outskirts has reached 125,000 pounds per month.
This continuous increase has caused a growing burden for Syrians who live in rented homes in Damascus, amid a deteriorating economic situation where the average income for residents is about 25,000 Syrian pounds.
The problem faced by Syrians is not limited to an increase in monthly rental prices, but landlords of some homes have started requiring renters to pay rent for a full year ahead of time, in addition to paying 200,000 Syrian pounds as a security deposit for any damage to the apartment or its furnishings.
Damascus has witnessed a housing crisis since 2012, when residents from the countryside began to be displaced to it after the regime began military operations there when the Syrian opposition took control over a number of areas nearby.
These operations, which were accompanied by bombardment with all types of heavy weapons, led to the destruction of a major part of the infrastructure in the Damascus countryside and tens of thousands of Syrians losing their homes.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
