HLP

In the past, many rural Syrian farmers lived with their extended families in large “Arab-style” houses. As societies evolved and cities expanded, independence became a need for every family. But the Syrian conflict has pushed again large families to live together to save on housing expenses. The return of this form of communal living has become a heavy burden on families who were used to independence and were forced to accept it reluctantly.

According to some shop owners in Souk Qastal Al-Hajjarin in the old city of Aleppo, the latest Aleppo City Council’s policy is an intentional move to evict the remaining souk occupants in favour of the Qaterji Development and Real Estate Investment Company. Some accuse the Qaterji company of influencing the governorate and city councils, pressuring them to force shop owners to leave.

After the widespread destruction caused by the February 6 earthquake, the Ministry of Local Administration and Services in the Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) in Idlib is working to subject new construction operations to the Syrian building code and its annex related to earthquakes, imposing strict administrative and technical oversight mechanisms and increasing fees and taxes on construction work.

The Damascus governorate announced, for the third time, a sealed public auction in early September in order to recycle debris from buildings in the Al-Tadhamon district south of the capital, as well as from buildings and public facilities in the Qaboun Industrial zone to the northeast. 

The residential real estate sector in Syria is grappling with a funding crisis, evident by the lack of financing companies capable of implementing housing projects and selling them to investors or potential homeowners. The complex terms imposed on state-owned banks also hinder their ability to grant real estate loans for individuals to finance home purchases.

Property expropriation is legitimate in Syria but it remains an administrative act that affects individual property rights. According to the law, any administrative authority, when expropriating for public benefit, must pay fair compensation to the owners of expropriated properties. This acts as a safeguard for property rights against uncompensated or free expropriation.

Hassan is trying to protect his family’s farmland after it was recently listed by the Directorate of Agriculture and Agricultural Reform in Aleppo governorate among properties offered for investment in public auctions. According to the Directorate, these lands in the southwest countryside of Aleppo are vacant and belong to people they describe as “absentees,” which include displaced persons and those forcibly expelled to opposition-held areas in northwestern Syria.

Syria’s state-run SANA news agency reported on June 9 that the local council of Darayya, located in the Rural Damascus governorate, has received an approval to restore 50 houses in the city with the support of unnamed international organisations working in Syria. SANA added that these organisations are currently selecting another 60 homes for rehabilitation.

Seven months after the devastating February 2023 earthquake that struck southern Turkey and northwestern Syria, the response of Syria’s National Fund to support those affected by the earthquake, remains modest at best within Lattakia governorate, and is hardly noticeable in Aleppo.

Nearly four years ago, in October 2019, factions from the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army took control of a strip of borderland between Syria and Turkey, which includes the cities of Tal Abyad in the Raqqa governorate and Ras Al-Ayn in the Hassakeh governorate. 

The Syrian Salvation Government affiliated with the hardline Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham is working to sideline local councils in the area under its control and implement a new administrative system based on so-called centralised municipalities - a move that comes after it also sidelined the Free Engineers’ Syndicate in Idlib in May. 

Syria’s Expropriation Law, enacted by Decree No. 20 of 1983, grants certain public entities the authority to deduct the equivalent of one-quarter of the area of a property that is partially expropriated, free of charge and without compensation. The Expropriation Law justifies this measure by arguing that the value of the remaining portion of the property will increase due to the improvements made to the deducted one-quarter.

Local militias in Aleppo, loyal to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, have reportedly seized 150 out of 450 pre-fab homes meant to benefit civilians impacted by the February 6 earthquake, according to a local source.

The regime-run Idlib governorate is continuing to seize lands owned by forcibly displaced absentees, offering the properties for investment via public auctions. For the first time, the latest auctions include agricultural lands cultivated with figs, olives and almond trees, as well as barren lands. Previously, in June and July, the governorate held its second annual auctions for pistachio orchards.

Under Syrian law, easement rights for public benefit are enabled for various situations such as allowing access to beaches and riverbanks, or facilitating the usage of public pathways, especially military installations.

The 2022 Syria Joint Damage Assessment (DA) provides an overview of the effects of the ongoing conflict in Syria. The DA is a broad-brush and largely remote-based exercise, focusing on 14 cities and 11 sectors. This report is the sixth World Bank Group assessment conducted during the ongoing conflict; however, it is the first conducted jointly with the EU.

The expropriation law in Syria addresses real estate property rights, including primary and secondary in rem rights on property.

Al-Haydariyeh is among the largest informal settlements in Aleppo and was declared a real estate development zone in 2011. The area saw widespread devastation during the war, forcing its residents into displacement. And though the Aleppo City Council hoped Al-Haydariyeh real estate development project could serve as a model for reconstruction in other east Aleppo neighbourhoods, the project still needs to be completed. 

In 2012, a pro-regime militia seized the properties of man who owns land in a strategic location, forcing the owner to face a protracted struggle to recover his property rights.

Ayn Tarma is one of the closest cities in East Ghouta to Damascus city proper and is home to large informal settlements.