A Trade Official: The Website 'Divar' Has Become the Reference for the Housing Market

The Vice President of the Real Estate Agents Union reported that 30% of real estate agencies in Tehran are operating 'illegally' and stated that the website 'Divar' has become the reference for pricing in the housing market. Davood Beiginejad mentioned that '30% of real estate agencies in Tehran do not have licenses' in an interview with the Tasnim news agency, adding, 'We do not have enmity with Divar, but we must tell the truth to the people.' According to him, there are 12,000 real estate consultants in Tehran, employing around 60,000 people. Beiginejad considers the important issue to be the 'organization of the virtual space' and stated that the website 'Divar' has become a reference point, with anyone wanting to make pricing decisions turning to Divar. The reference status of the 'Divar' website in the housing sector comes at a time when on September 10, a member of parliament also called for action against housing advertisements on 'Divar' and 'Sheypoor', stating that the ministries of 'Roads' and 'Industry, Mine and Trade' should prevent false advertisements in this area. Iqbal Shakri, a member of the Parliament's Civil Commission, stated that online buying and selling of housing needs to be 'organized'; he called for action against housing advertisements on 'Divar' and 'Sheypoor'. The state news agency IRNA also reported on September 10 against active websites in this field, including 'Divar', stating that the government's plan is to 'organize the status of platforms for publishing real estate advertisements' to 'control brokers' who, according to the government newspaper, intend to create turmoil in the housing market through various means. Mohammad Hossein Ghamari, head of the Committee for Monitoring Virtual Businesses at the Ministry of 'Industry, Mine and Trade', also stated that more than two months have passed since the emphasis and warning from the Committee for Monitoring Virtual Businesses and the notification of this law to these platforms, but they have not been willing to implement the technical infrastructure, citing a 'justification' of reduced advertisement statistics, and have 'effectively not executed the matter.' Over the past two years, the government has taken various actions to control the housing market, including setting limits on rent increases, but in practice, the housing market continues to face challenges, and housing and rent prices are still on the rise. Poor construction quality in Iran; a 7-magnitude earthquake would destroy 60% of buildings. A news agency's report on inflation and household economies; the livelihood basket for Tehran residents has exceeded 23 million tomans. No one is willing to accept the government's rent ceiling; the exorbitant prices in the rental market are overwhelming. Achieving 'dream' housing is becoming impossible; 70% of Tehran households are experiencing housing poverty. The government's unfulfilled promises; the rising 'fever' of rental costs.