Abu Khaled’s family continues to stay in a shelter center in Suwayda (southern Syria), after failing to find a small apartment for rent following their displacement from al-Mazraa village in western Suwayda countryside during the events of July 2025.
Abu Khaled said all available homes have rents too high for him to afford, given his modest income from work and his pension, in addition to their scarcity.
Abu Khaled’s situation is no different from that of hundreds of families whose search for a home has become a daily challenge.
As the crisis escalates, WhatsApp groups and Facebook pages have become a primary channel for searching for an apartment or even a room to rent.
Although the housing crisis is not new in Suwayda governorate, it has worsened noticeably since the July events, especially in the city and nearby areas.
The wave of internal displacement from the western and northern countryside has placed heavy pressure on the rental market, causing prices to rise by about 25% and reducing the number of available homes, according to real estate agents who spoke to Enab Baladi.
Low Supply and Rising Demand Deepen the Search
According to several real estate office owners in Suwayda who spoke to Enab Baladi, demand for homes has risen clearly over the past months, while the number of houses offered for rent has declined.
Residents’ complaints have also increased over what they describe as exploitation by some real estate offices, through higher prices, requests for commissions and security deposits, and complicated housing conditions.
Samer Z., a tenant, said finding a home was “almost a miracle” after a search that lasted more than two months. He added that he avoided dealing with any broker because of the excessive conditions and sums they requested, describing them as “far from people’s reality and what they have been through, as if they were from another planet.”
A Living Burden
The effects of the crisis are not limited to the difficulty of finding a home, but extend to daily living burdens. A large part of many families’ income is now drained by rent, alongside rising living costs, fewer job and income opportunities, and delayed salaries, which is a major problem for people who rely only on salaries.
Lana A., who works at a real estate office, explained that the minimum rent previously stood at 400,000 Syrian pounds, about $35. Now, average rents range between 500,000 and 1.5 million Syrian pounds, exceeding $125 at the upper end. They may rise further depending on the area, the condition and estimated value of the home, and the services available in it, if it is unfurnished. If the house is furnished, its rent is no less than 2 million pounds per month.
She noted that some apartments are rented within a short period because of high demand and limited options, despite the high prices.
She added that some apartment owners ask for advance payments covering four or five months, often in dollars, in addition to security deposits. They justify this by saying some apartments were previously vandalized or that some tenants had refused to pay.
One woman who moved to Suwayda city after the events said she was forced to move with her family between relatives’ homes before finding an apartment that suited her means. She noted that some landlords refused to rent to her because of the number of family members and the presence of children.
The reason behind the lower number of rental homes is the growing number of properties offered for sale during the recent period, while purchase activity remains limited because of weak purchasing power and instability, reflecting a state of waiting and caution in the market.
As for homes offered for sale, prices start at about $7,000 at a minimum, with major differences depending on location and the condition of the finishing.
Individual Initiatives Amid a Worsening Crisis
In contrast, individual initiatives by some residents have emerged to ease the crisis, by renting out their homes at low prices or hosting families for free in consideration of humanitarian circumstances.
Amani Sh., an employee at the electricity company, said she stayed with her daughter for a considerable period in her family’s home because she faced great difficulty finding housing.
After weeks of searching and asking, one of her colleagues suggested that she clean one of his homes that had been burned, while he covered half the cost of its repair, so she could later live in it for free.
Amani told Enab Baladi about her friend’s family, which received an offer from an expatriate to live in his house without payment, a humanitarian initiative that reflects solidarity among residents.
In another neighborhood of the city, one resident, who preferred not to be named, rented his house to a displaced family for a symbolic price, stressing that “the current circumstances require people to cooperate with one another and appreciate each other’s conditions.”
Abu Majd, the owner of a chain of real estate offices, believes the current crisis is due to several factors, most notably population pressure after the July events, deteriorating economic conditions, and some owners’ decision to sell their homes instead of renting them because they need money to travel, in addition to the absence of an authority to regulate the rental market and set clear price controls.
Rehabilitation Continues, Fears Delay Residents’ Return
The government is carrying out restoration and rehabilitation work on damaged homes, infrastructure, and basic services in many villages in the western and northern countryside, as part of a plan to enable residents to return safely to their villages.
However, many families still fear returning to their areas amid continuing security concerns and “lack of trust,” as one resident described it, keeping pressure on Suwayda city and its rental market.
With no clear solutions, the housing crisis in Suwayda is likely to grow more complicated as prices continue to rise and living conditions remain difficult. This leaves many families with limited choices, between staying in shelters or relying on individual initiatives while awaiting more effective interventions that could restore balance to this vital sector.
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