Claim of 55,000 empty apartments in Tirana (raised in the Channel 5 interview)
Status: Claim raised by the interviewer; disputed by Rama; no official count found in sources reviewed.
Summary
In the Channel 5 interview, Andrew Callaghan asked whether 55,000 apartments in Tirana are empty. Rama disputed the figure. As reported by Hashtag.al, Rama said: 'Nuk ekziston një gjë e tillë si 50 mijë apartamente bosh në Shqipëri' ('There is no such thing as 50,000 empty apartments in Albania'). Hashtag.al notes the sentence is longer than its quote and that the 50,000 figure is paraphrased. No official census or housing count was found in the archive to settle the figure. The claim sits inside the wider debate on real estate, housing costs and laundering through property.
Key facts
- Interviewer's figure: 55,000 empty apartments in Tirana (per Hashtag.al summary).
- Rama (press quote): there is no such thing as 50,000 empty apartments in Albania.
- Hashtag.al also reports the interviewer's separate figure of 10,000 apartments planned for the protected area; source for that figure not stated.
- Note: the 55,000 figure is the interviewer's; no source for it is named in the summaries reviewed.
The record
Four lists kept apart on purpose: what is established, what is only alleged, what is still open, and what those concerned said.
What is proven (0)
Established by documents or official records, as stated in the research. A recorded charge or indictment proves only that the accusation was made.
Nothing recorded in this list.
What is alleged (1)
Accusations, not findings. Those accused are presumed innocent.
- AllegationVacant-apartment counts in Tirana as a sign of property laundering (interviewer's framing; not confirmed in the original source).
Allegations and who made them (1)
Each line is an allegation as recorded, with the person or body that made it where the record names them.
- AllegationClaim (interviewer, per Hashtag.al): about 55,000 apartments in Tirana stand empty. Not confirmed in the original source.
Open questions (2)
- Which source gives the 55,000 figure?
- Does the census or housing statistics office publish vacancy counts for Tirana?
Responses (1)
Responses of the people and organisations concerned, as recorded.
- Rama (press quote via Hashtag.al, 2026-11-02): denied the figure ('nuk ekziston...').
Timeline
Full timeline →Media
Channel 5 publishes the full interview with Rama (per Albanian outlets)
Hashtag.al, Javanews and 5pyetjet.al report that the full Channel 5 interview with Rama was published on 2026-11-02. They list topics: the protests and 'Flamingo Revolution', organized crime and cocaine, real estate, Sazan and Zvernec (Kushner), land titles and the Artur Shahu case, arrests of officials, Ivanka Trump's trip and a claimed yacht visit, tourism and GDP figures, Gen Z trust, and fascism, Hamas and Israel/Palestine. The YouTube link given by Hashtag.al does not clearly match this title (see video record). Verification of the full text against the video is pending.
Sources for this record
Every source the research cites for this record, grouped by its source label. 3 sources.
Source label: UnverifiedUnverified · 3 sources
- Publisher
- Hashtag.al
- Date
- 2 Nov 2026
- Publisher
- Javanews
- Date
- 2 Nov 2026
- Publisher
- 5pyetjet.al
- Date
- 2 Nov 2026