The Ministry of Commerce imposed an administrative fine on the relevant real-estate company due to misleading price information in an apartment listing published online. According to a statement from the Ministry, the fine amount was 28,620 lira.
Social media post sparked the investigation
The Sectoral Trade and Movable Mortgage Department of the General Directorate of Domestic Trade, which operates under the Ministry, reviewed a post made on social media. The post highlighted an apartment whose sale price was listed at 2 million lira on the internet.
Upon investigation, it was determined that the 2 million lira figure shown in the listing was not the sale price of the apartment. People who saw the listing and called were told that this figure was the deposit.
Similar listing owners also fined
Following the investigation, the real-estate company in question was fined 28,620 lira for "misleading listing." The statement noted that many other listing owners in the same area who similarly misled consumers were also fined. It was also stated that inspections on the matter continue.
Clear message from the Ministry
The Ministry's statement emphasized that prices listed in advertisements cannot be used to mislead consumers. It was noted that directing citizens with information that does not reflect reality, wasting their time and effort, is unacceptable.
The statement included the following remarks:
"As the Ministry of Commerce, we will continue to protect the rights of our consumers and resolutely enforce our regulations against misleading listings. We will not turn a blind eye to any practice that harms our citizens."
This enforcement once again demonstrated that those considering buying or selling a home should carefully evaluate the price information in listings.
