With the arrival of Karabakh Armenians, rent in Yerevan rises dramatically
Rent in Yerevan rising
Almost all residents of unrecognized NKR have already moved to Armenia, more than 100 thousand people. People started moving on September 24, when Azerbaijan, after a 10-month blockade, opened the Lachin corridor and allowed movement through it towards Armenia. On the same day, the Armenian Prime Minister said that the homeland “will accept with all care our brothers and sisters leaving NK”.
Places for accommodation were prepared for them in advance. According to the latest data, out of 100,625 arrivals, more than 59,000 people have used the free housing provided by the government. The rest intend to resolve the issue on their own.
JAMnews looked at the situation on the ground by interviewing the new arrivals.
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“The main thing is that I managed to move to Armenia”
Liana, 25, is one of thousands who have moved to Armenia. She says that during the hostilities, they could not even hope to get to Armenia alive:
“All hope was on Askeran airport, near which we gathered with the whole family – in my grandfather’s house. We decided to be in one place so that in case of any problems, we could overcome them together.”
The excitement when Azerbaijan opened the Lachin corridor faded with the realization that they had only one car for several families and would not be able to leave together.
“Then our friends offered to take some of our relatives in their car. Since I was with my child, we decided that we should take us out first.”
On the night of September 24, she was in Armenia and checked in at the checkpoint near the village of Kornidzor.
“To the Red Cross staff asking about our needs, I told them what I needed for my one-year-old baby. I refused the free housing provided by the government. There are people in a more difficult situation, they have no relatives in Armenia. Let them have it,” says Liana, who is still staying with relatives in a village in Syunik region.
Most people prefer to settle in Yerevan
Now Liana and her husband are actively looking for an apartment in Yerevan.
“Every day, from morning till evening, we look through social networks, websites, call a lot of people, but we cannot find an apartment at an affordable price.
They ask for 300 thousand drams ($715) for a one-room apartment. Plus prepayment, plus interest for brokerage services. This is too much for people who left everything and moved out. We left two apartments in the center of the capital, and here we can’t find one for rent,” she says.
The young family decided to move to Yerevan, expecting to find a highly paid job.
“My husband is a specialist in logistics, he also has experience as a manager in a restaurant. And I am a historian. I think it will be easier for us to find work in the capital,” she explains.
Rent in Yerevan rising
Demand is several times greater than supply
“With the influx of a large number of people from NK, the real estate market has become chaotic. In Yerevan and surrounding areas, demand exceeds supply several times over. In the first two days alone, rents on the real estate market increased by 30-40 percent,” economist Suren Parsyan says
“From the moment they announced the relocation of Artsakh residents to Armenia, in front of our eyes, apartment owners began to raise the prices of apartments on electronic sales platforms every half an hour. As a result, an apartment rent of 150,000 drams ($350) has doubled or more in a matter of hours,” Andranik Harutyunov, director of the Silver Rea real estate agency, says.
Along with this, finding an apartment in Yerevan has become almost impossible, he said:
“There is no vacant housing in Yerevan now to rent out. I have many friends from Artsakh who have asked me to find them an apartment, but I can’t find anything.”
Parsyan says that this is the second sharp jump in prices on the real estate market for the last three years. And now it has affected insolvent Karabakh residents.
“In 2022, when the Russian-Ukrainian war started, the rent for apartments doubled. Over the past 5-6 months, along with the departure of Russians and the increase in the supply of apartments in new buildings, prices have decreased, and a certain stabilization has already been observed in the real estate market.”
Andranik Arutyunov, who worked with Russian renters, says:
“Apartment rental prices were affordable for most Russians who moved to Armenia. These were mostly highly paid IT specialists. But for the exhausted Artsakh people, who lived in a blockade for 10 months without a salary, it is very difficult to pay 300 thousand drams or more per month.”
Rent in Yerevan rising
Why do many people refuse government-provided housing?
Economist Suren Parsyan:
“Some of them do not want to be in the regions bordering Azerbaijan, they consider it dangerous. Some of them definitely want to live in Yerevan – their child needs to get an education, or they want to work in the capital. Some of them are simply unaware of various support programs, offers of housing in the regions. Some of them are simply tired, exhausted and do not want to wait in lines for hours to officially register and get something from the government.”
He says many people headed to Yerevan with their families immediately after entering Armenia, not assuming that they would not even find a place to sleep:
“I think we need to work with people, raise their awareness. It is necessary to explain the risks of not having official registration and refusing offers of accommodation. At least for a short while, one should take the opportunity to settle in the places offered by the state, have a rest, take care of the priority needs of the family, and then look for a job and housing near the place of work.”
Rent in Yerevan rising
Free housing offers
In parallel with the increase in rents, more and more offers of free housing appear every day, especially in the villages. As in the days of the Karabakh war in 2020, individual residents of Armenia, groups of people, and businessmen are trying to support their compatriots on their own efforts.
Groups have been created on various social media platforms to collect offers of vacant apartments and houses in cities and villages.
Separate platforms have appeared to provide the newcomers with jobs, additional humanitarian aid, household necessities and furniture.
Work is underway to resettle Karabakh students with Yerevan families who are ready to provide them with a room in their apartments without payment.
Parsyan participates in the programs supporting students from Nagorno Karabakh. He says that many families have expressed readiness to host young people in their homes, which will allow them to adapt faster and resume their studies in Yerevan universities.
The economist considers charitable projects undertaken by individuals and organizations important, but sees the need to coordinate the work:
“The government, individuals and organizations should be aware of each other’s actions, so that the result would be more visible and the work would be more effective.”
People need assurances of safety
What percentage of the displaced people will stay?
“I can’t say how long we will stay in Armenia. These are such times now that you don’t know what will happen in an hour. I was playing with my child at home when the bombing started in Artsakh, everything changed in a second. I don’t know what will happen in an hour or a day, where we will end up,” Liana says.
According to Parsyan, Armenia should make every effort to ensure that people arriving from NK do not leave:
“The Armenian government should integrate Artsakh people by providing them with housing, land, education, jobs and, most importantly, a sense of security. Many of them are displaced for the second time and are tired.
Armenia should give them security guarantees so that they see their future here. Everything should be done so that the Artsakh people stay, not leave. They are smart, strong, active people. The state should strive to increase the intellectual potential of the country and the number of population.”
Rent in Yerevan rising
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Rent in Yerevan rising
