Is There a Ceiling Fee for Real Estate Advertising Sites? The Expected Step in the Sector Is On the Way While the rapid increase in advertising costs in the real estate sector leaves both real estate offices and individual ad owners in a difficult situation, a new regulatory move is coming from the government. The aim is to prevent exorbitant advertising fees and to prevent monopolization in the sector. Fees Paid to Classifieds Sites Have Outpaced Rents The high price increase experienced in advertising packages in recent years has attracted the reaction of industry representatives. annual advertisement packages, which were at the level of 8 thousand TL in 2020, have reached 200 thousand TL by 2024. Hakan Akçam, the President of the All Real Estate Consultants Association (TEDB), describes the situation as "unsustainable" by saying, “The fees paid to the advertisement sites have exceeded the rental expenses of some real estate offices.” Competition Is Decreasing, Complaints Are Increasing The number of complaints made to the Competition Authority has exceeded 10 thousand. This shows that there is a serious competition problem in the sector. While the risk of monopolization is growing, it is becoming more difficult for small-scale real estate offices to gain visibility in digital ads every day. Landlords are Also Victims: The Cost Is Reflected on the Tenant Increasing advertising fees also negatively affect individual homeowners. Dec paid between 2.000 – 3.000 TL to place an advertisement, many landlords have started to demand from the tenant by adding the prices they paid to the rent or deposit. This also leads to chained grievances. Intervention from the State Is Coming: Ceiling Wages are on the Agenda The Competition Authority had imposed an administrative fine of TL 40.1 million on the largest real estate advertising platform in 2023. Now a new step is being taken for a permanent solution. According to lobbying information, the government plans to introduce a “ceiling price application” to advertising sites. Thus, it will be ensured that small businesses and individual users will be able to advertise at reasonable prices. What Does CEESS Global Say? As CEESS Global, we advocate a transparent, accessible and fair advertising model against this monopolization risk in the digital advertising Sunday. We believe that a sector structure where all stakeholders can compete on equal terms and strengthened with sustainable solutions will benefit both the user and the market.