Ankara TOKİ Housing Lists Released
The acceptance and rejection lists for Ankara's TOKİ affordable housing applications have been published, determining who is eligible for the upcoming lottery. The government-backed initiative aims to address housing shortages in the capital, though the date for the final draw has not yet been announced.
This Ankara housing lottery is part of the largest social housing initiative in the Turkish Republic's history, branded "İlk Evim, İlk İş Yerim" (My First Home, My First Workplace). The nationwide project aims to construct 500,000 social housing units, 1 million residential plots, and 50,000 workplaces between 2023 and 2028. For Ankara specifically, 18,300 new residences are planned across 14 districts, in addition to 36,000 land plots. The initiative targets low- and middle-income families who do not own a property. It unfolds against a backdrop of a severe housing crisis in Turkey, which has seen the homeownership rate fall from over 61% to 56% in the last decade. Concurrently, rents have surged by an astonishing 1,457.7% between 2015 and 2025, a figure that dramatically outpaces the OECD average of 48.9% for the same period. This housing push is a key component of the government's economic strategy, as the construction and real estate sectors contribute significantly to Turkey's GDP, accounting for roughly 8-10%. The Mass Housing Development Administration (TOKİ), founded in 1984, is the state agency executing these projects. Since 2002, TOKİ has started the production of over 1 million housing units, with 86% classified as social housing. However, the economic environment presents significant headwinds. Turkey's construction cost index has seen sharp increases, with annual rises of over 22% reported in 2025, driven by surging material and labor costs. High inflation has also led to increased interest rates, making mortgage financing more expensive and reducing purchasing power for many potential buyers. This economic pressure has transformed housing from a basic need into a luxury for many, a problem these social housing projects aim to alleviate.
