Apartment maintenance fees have surpassed rents: Which province has the highest fees?

While rising home prices and rents have been on the agenda recently, apartment and residential complex maintenance fees continue to increase as well.

In the first 6 months of 2024, residential maintenance fees increased by 89 percent, while rents rose by an average of 42.5 percent.

While the 25 percent ceiling on residential rent increases has relatively limited rent hikes, inflation and increases in the minimum wage have caused the expenses of apartment and housing complex managements to exceed rent increases.

Apsiyon has released its dues data for across Turkey. Although dues rose more than rents in the first 6 months of 2024, the rate of increase slowed compared to last year.

While the annual increase rate for residential complex maintenance fees was 97 percent in the transition from 2022 to 2023, this rate was 89 percent in 2024.

According to information provided by Apsiyon Co-founder and CEO Kudret Türk, in the first 6 months of 2024, the province with the highest average monthly apartment maintenance fee (aidat) was Istanbul, at 3,950 TL. Muğla, which had the highest average maintenance fee in 2023, fell to second place this year after Istanbul.

The leader of the dues list was the Sarıyer district of Istanbul, with an average monthly due of 7 thousand 389 TL. Sarıyer was followed by Beykoz, Beşiktaş, Şişli, and Zeytinburnu.

Kudret Türk described the situation in other metropolitan cities as follows:

“The highest average monthly maintenance fee in Ankara was recorded in the Çankaya district at 4,742 TL. Çankaya was followed by Gölbaşı, Akyurt, Yenimahalle, and Etimesgut, respectively, where fees ranged between 2,305 TL and 3,311 TL.

In İzmir, the highest average monthly maintenance fee was recorded in Çeşme at 5,974 TL. Çeşme was followed by Kemalpaşa, Urla, Narlıdere, and Bayraklı, respectively, where maintenance fees ranged between 4,452 TL and 5,316 TL. The province with the lowest average maintenance fee across Turkey was Kırklareli, at 310 TL.

Apsiyon Academy Director Ozan Özen stated that 63 percent of the expenses incurred by site management are for labor, 14 percent for energy costs, and 20 percent for other expenses, noting that minimum wage increases are the most significant reason for the rise in maintenance fees.

Özen stated, "In other words, 66 liras of a 100-lira maintenance fee are spent on the salaries, social security premiums, income taxes, uniforms, meals, and transportation expenses of the janitors and site staff, 14 liras on energy costs, and 20 liras on other expenses such as maintenance, repairs, and contractual costs."