“900,000” Empty Homes in Iran Belong to Government Institutions

The Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development says that out of 2.3 million residential units identified as vacant so far, 900,000 units belong to legal entities.

Mahmoud Mahmoudzadeh said on Thursday, December 9, that due to the varied locations of the identified vacant units, it is currently unclear how much tax should be collected.

The report further states that legal entities refer to banks, government institutions, organizations, and public bodies that typically purchase or construct residential and commercial properties to increase capital or protect it against inflation.

According to this report, empty homes should be subject to taxation, but for months the implementation of this has been delayed by the need to create an interface system between the Ministry of Roads and the Tax Administration Organization, which should be established by the Ministry of Communications. However, according to the Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development, this connection has not yet been established.

The acquisition of 900,000 residential units by government institutions comes at a time when, based on official statistics from the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, approximately one-third of Iranian households are tenants, and rental rates in the country have increased significantly.

The Central Bank of Iran announced on November 29 that rental prices had grown by 50 to 55 percent in Tehran and its suburbs.

According to this report, rents in Tehran during November of this year increased by 51.6 percent compared to the same month last year, and in all urban areas increased by approximately 54.9 percent.

Source: Radio Farda