Over the recent months, several neighborhoods in the capital city of Damascus have experienced a notable surge in house rents, reaching nearly ten million Syrian pounds, with increases ranging from 300% to 400%.
In the Mezzeh area and the Dummar project in Damascus, the rent for a furnished house varied between 5 and 10 million Syrian pounds, while unfurnished options ranged from 3 million to 500 thousand Syrian pounds and 4 million pounds. In the Shaalan area, a furnished house commanded 4 million pounds, while an unfurnished one was priced at two million and 500 thousand pounds, as reported by the pro-Sham FM radio.
According to the same source, a furnished house in Masaken Barzeh had a rent between 3 and 4 million Syrian pounds, while an unfurnished house in the same area ranged from 1.5 to 2 million Syrian pounds. In Mezze, the rent for a furnished house was between 86 and 800,000 pounds, and for an unfurnished one, it ranged around 500,000 Syrian pounds.
Moving to rural Damascus, the rent for a furnished house in the suburb of Qudsaya was 2 million Syrian pounds, and for an unfurnished one, it was one million Syrian pounds. In Adra, a furnished house commanded a rent of 800,000 Syrian pounds, while an unfurnished one ranged between 400,000 and 500,000 Syrian pounds. In Jaramana, the rent for a furnished house reached one million Syrian pounds, and for an unfurnished one, it was around 250,000 Syrian pounds.
The pro-regime Thawra newspaper highlighted that lease contracts are typically registered in municipalities or through real estate offices. However, it noted that when registered in the municipality, house owners often do not disclose the actual rent amount in an attempt to evade taxes.
Some real estate office owners attributed the surge in house rents to “waves of inflation and increase,” which they see as an extension of the ongoing crisis in previous years.
A resident from the al-Tadamon neighborhood shared her experience from last October, stating that she had previously rented a house in the new Zahira area. However, within four months, the rent skyrocketed from 300,000 Syrian pounds to 800,000 Syrian pounds, leading her to return to her partially destroyed home after being unable to afford the increased rent.
In informal settlements in Damascus, prices in August for an unfurnished apartment measuring 70 meters ranged between 500,000 and 400,000 per month, while the rent for a one-room apartment with a very small kitchen and bathroom was 200,000 Syrian pounds per month.
