Tenant facing eviction threatens to burn down house with family inside: 'I have become a refugee in my own country'
In Antalya, a tenant who allegedly refused an exorbitant rent increase demanded by the landlord and subsequently received an eviction order from the court reportedly had a breakdown upon seeing the lawyers. The man, who threatened to set fire to the house where his wife and young daughter were present, was persuaded with great difficulty by fire and police teams.
İHA
The incident occurred around 11:30 AM on the ground floor of an apartment building on Hamidiye Street in the Yıldız neighborhood of the Muratpaşa district. Allegedly, the landlord had obtained an eviction order through the court against Salih Kırgın due to a dispute over rent. In the morning, lawyers arrived at the residence to execute the eviction order. When they prepared to enter the home with a locksmith after being unable to reach the family by phone, Salih Kırgın's wife, Medine Kırgın, opened the door.
POLICE PERSUADED HIM
Medine Kırgın told the lawyers to wait for her husband. Shortly after, Salih Kırgın arrived and, enraged by the eviction order, threatened to burn down the house with himself, his wife, and his young daughter inside. Upon notification by the lawyers, fire and police teams were dispatched to the address. Kırgın abandoned his actions after more than an hour of persuasion by the teams, who promised to help him. Kırgın first handed his baby over to the police teams.
"I HAVE BECOME A REFUGEE IN MY OWN COUNTRY"
Stating that he paid his rent regularly but that the landlord wanted to increase the rent from 11,000 TL to 16,000 TL, that they ended up in court because he did not accept this, and that they had nowhere else to go, Kırgın said, "Landlords should think a little about the poor and the needy. I have become a refugee in my own country. What am I supposed to do? I have a 5-month-old baby, they are throwing us out, what will I do? I am currently looking for a place to go, I don't know if I can find a solution. Is this house worth 16,000?"
Mediha Kırgın, stating that the house is not worth the requested rent, said, "We have been having problems with the landlord since we arrived. He said he would do renovations, but he didn't. The condition of the house is not worth 16,000 TL. He is insisting on 16,000 from us." The family, having packed their belongings, vacated the residence in accordance with the court order.
"I WILL BURN THIS PLACE, I WILL TURN IT TO ASHES"
The landlord's lawyer, Furkan Zorlu, stated that they arrived at the address with enforcement officers in accordance with the eviction order obtained from the court, but encountered an unexpected reaction, saying, "We tried to reach them by phone beforehand. When we couldn't get an answer, we wanted to open the door with a locksmith, and the door opened. She said her husband would be here soon and asked us to wait. When Mr. Salih arrived, he was angry and acted a bit impulsively.
We are evicting the house, they also have a 5-month-old baby, it's not easy. Before proceeding with the eviction, we spoke through the police, but he slammed the door and went inside. He started pouring cologne on the floor, saying, 'I will burn this place, I will turn it to ashes.' He took his baby in his arms, or rather, took her hostage. He caused some difficulty, they made people anxious, but the police teams persuaded him. He has calmed down now, there is no problem," he said.