For Hassan Haydan, preparing for the return to Latakia is not only about organizing the border crossing. Housed in Turkey, he restores his Syrian housing before returning. Prices of materials and labour were higher than expected. His experience shows a less visible expense than transportation: making a home habitable again.
The return of Syrians brings transporters, artisans and equipment stores to work. This activity can generate revenues for those who provide the services. For the families who buy them, it represents an invoice to be financed, often before they have found a source of income on the spot.
A multi-stage move
Khaled al-Wakil works with two of his brothers in the transport of furniture and personal effects between Turkey and Syria. It describes a service organized from the departure to the arrival. The aim is to limit the number of contacts for families during the journey.
The route remains materially fragmented. The goods are packed at home in Turkey and then loaded in a truck that takes them to a border post. At the border, the furniture is transferred to another vehicle, which continues the journey in Syria to the agreed destination.
This change of truck involves new handling. It is part of the operation described by the carrier and should not be confused with a rule applicable to all moves. The conditions of a specific journey depend on the arrangements between the company, the drivers and the family.
Between $1,000 and $1,500 per trip
Khaled al-Wakil refers to average rates between $1,000 and $1,500, depending on the Turkish city of departure and the Syrian province of arrival. This range corresponds to its activity. It is neither a national scale nor a guaranteed price for all volumes of furniture.
He explains that his work has expanded since the end of 2024. Its perimeter then expanded to more distant Turkish cities, including Istanbul and Ankara. For him and his brothers, the relocations opened up a possibility of income after several years of insufficient work.
The cost of transport, however, gives only part of the installation budget. Upon arrival, a family may have to rent a dwelling, repair the one it owns, purchase missing equipment or restore domestic networks. No full budget is provided for the households mentioned.
Craftsmen find orders
Ayman Daoud runs a renovation workshop in Idlib. It notes a resumption of requests in recent months, linked to the preparation of housing by returning families. The works he describes concern mainly the basic needs: walls, painting, water and electricity.
These projects involve several trades. The same accommodation may require a mason, plumber and electrician. The activity also spreads to sellers of materials, paint and sanitary equipment. It is therefore not limited to the transport that precedes arrival.
Daoud points out, however, that the rise in the price of materials makes it difficult to determine the final cost of the work. The increase in orders does not remove this difficulty. A market can recover from activity while remaining difficult to access for households with limited savings.
Available accommodation is not always habitable
Needs differ depending on the condition of the asset. Some homes require limited repairs, such as painting or repairing a window. Others require heavier interventions on facilities and parts of the building. The mere fact of owning a house, therefore, does not indicate the cost of its occupation.
Hassan Haydan illustrates this gap between the return project and the expenditures found when it becomes concrete. He is preparing his installation in Latakia, but discovers that the work absorbs more resources than expected. His testimony did not allow the cost savings of all refugees to be quantified, nor did it lead to a uniform level of prices in Syrian cities.
Material preparation must also be distinguished from voluntary and safe return. The existence of a moving service or site does not guarantee the safety of a destination or sustainable access to services. It describes an economic activity related to individual decisions, not a general assessment of resettlement conditions.
The bill of exile thus extends beyond departure. Carriers sell a trip and artisans restore housing. Families must raise these expenses in the same budget and then find the means to live. It is on this scale that the difference between joining an address and relocating to it is played out.
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