Housing costs deepen pressure on Kurdistan tenants
Shafaq News- Al-Sulaymaniyah
Tenants in the Kurdistan Region are striving to keep up with rising rents and living costs as delayed salary payments and soaring prices deepen pressure on families, the head of the Kurdistan Region Tenants Union told Shafaq News on Saturday.
Barham Qardaghi said many people are also struggling to cover basic living expenses, including electricity, water, and other daily costs, adding that some tenants have fallen behind on payments for up to three months.
Buyers are often required to pay large upfront sums before receiving housing units, while the remaining installments generate additional profits for investors after handover. Qardaghi described the pricing as unfair toward tenants and low-income citizens. “Construction costs are far lower than market prices, estimating that homes can be built for less than $200 per square meter, with organized residences costing between $20,000 and $30,000 to construct, yet being sold inside residential compounds for as much as $150,000 to $170,000.”
Read more: Soaring real estate prices deepen Iraq's housing crisis
According to Qardaghi, the growing number of tenants reflects the absence of effective government housing policies, and despite the issuance of more than 253 investment licenses for large residential projects, most low-income families cannot afford the units.
Iraq’s latest population census recorded more than 200,000 tenants across the Kurdistan Region, though union estimates suggest the actual figure may be even higher. Union figures, however, showed 27% of tenants in the Kurdistan Region are based in Erbil, 18% in Duhok, and 19.5% in Al-Sulaymaniyah, with the remaining percentages distributed across other areas.
