Whether you are a foreigner renting an apartment in Istanbul, an expat signing a long-term lease in Antalya, or a foreign property owner letting out your Turkish home, you are stepping into one of the most tenant-protective legal systems in Europe. This guide explains the
rental laws in Turkey that apply to residential property — apartments, flats and houses people actually live in — in plain language: what goes into a rental agreement, how much rent can be increased, how deposits work, when and how a tenant can be evicted, whether Airbnb-style short-term rentals are legal, and what taxes apply in 2026.
One note on scope before we start: everything below concerns
residential leases. Car rentals, commercial premises and land leases follow partly different rules.
The Legal Framework: Where Turkish Rental Law Comes From
Turkish rental law is codified primarily in the
Turkish Code of Obligations (Law No. 6098), Articles 299–356, which contain a special — and strongly tenant-protective — regime for “residential and roofed workplace leases”. Two features define the system:
- Most of the protective rules are mandatory. A lease clause that puts the tenant in a worse position than the Code allows is simply invalid, even if the tenant signed it.
- Nationality is irrelevant. The same rules protect Turkish and foreign tenants alike, and bind Turkish and foreign landlords alike. A foreigner renting a home in Turkey needs no special permit — a valid passport and, in practice, a Turkish tax number are enough to sign a lease.
A written contract is not legally required — an oral lease is valid — but in practice everything runs on the standard written form: obtaining a
residence permit, registering your address, opening utility subscriptions and proving the agreed rent all depend on it. Always insist on a written, signed lease.
The Rental Agreement: Key Rules Foreigners Should Know
Rent Must Generally Be in Turkish Lira — With an Exception for Foreign Tenants
Under Turkey’s foreign-currency regulations
(Decree No. 32 on the Protection of the Value of the Turkish Currency and its implementing communiqué), parties resident in Turkey cannot agree on rent in foreign currency for real estate leases — rent must be set in Turkish lira. There is, however, an exception directly relevant to this article’s readers: leases in which the tenant is
not a Turkish citizen (foreign nationals resident in Turkey, and non-residents) may lawfully provide for rent in euros, dollars or another foreign currency. But note the significant trade-off before choosing this route: under Article 344 of the Code of Obligations, where rent is validly set in foreign currency,
no rent increase can be made for five years. The landlord is locked into the agreed foreign-currency figure; only after five years can the rent be adjusted, through a court-led rent determination taking into account the currency’s development and the state of the property.
Deposits Are Capped at Three Months’ Rent
Article 342 of the Code of Obligations limits the security deposit in residential leases to a maximum of
three months’ rent. The law also says that a cash deposit should be placed in a blocked, interest-bearing bank account, to be released only with both parties’ consent or a final court decision. Day-to-day practice looks quite different: in the ordinary market the landlord typically collects a deposit of
one month’s rent and simply holds it personally, and blocked accounts are rarely opened. The statutory rule still matters, though — it is the yardstick a court will apply when a landlord refuses to return the deposit at the end of the lease.
How Rent Is Paid — and What to Do if the Landlord Won’t Take It
The parties are free to agree on the payment method — even payment in cash is legally valid. In practice, however, paying through a bank or the postal service (PTT) with the description “kira bedeli” (rent) on the transfer is strongly advisable, because it gives the tenant permanent proof of every payment and the landlord clean records. And Turkish law has an answer to a problem foreign tenants occasionally face — a landlord who refuses to share bank details or refuses to accept rent (typically to manufacture a payment default): the tenant can apply to the court to
designate an official place of payment (tevdi mahalli tayini) and discharge the rent by depositing it there. Rent paid into the court-designated account counts as duly paid, and the “non-payment” eviction routes described below are closed off.
How Much Can a Landlord Increase Rent in Turkey?
This is the single most asked question in Turkish tenancy law, and the answer is set by Article 344 of the Code of Obligations: in renewed lease years, the rent increase agreed by the parties
cannot exceed the twelve-month average of the consumer price index (CPI / TÜFE) published by the Turkish Statistical Institute. If the contract is silent, the increase is capped at the same figure. For leases renewing in
July 2026, that cap is 32.03%; the figure changes every month as new inflation data is published. (A temporary 25% cap applied to residential leases between 2022 and mid-2024, but it has expired — the CPI-average rule is fully back in force.)
The CPI cap is not the end of the story. After the
fifth year of the lease, either party may bring a
rent determination lawsuit (kira tespit davası) under Article 344/3, asking the court to set the rent according to the current market level, comparable properties and equity — regardless of the CPI cap. This is the legal safety valve that lets long-term rents catch up with the market, and it works in both directions: landlords use it to raise below-market rents, and it equally protects tenants from arbitrary demands, because only a court can reset the rent.
Eviction: When Can a Tenant Be Removed in Turkey?
Here is the feature of Turkish rental law that most surprises foreign landlords:
the expiry of the lease term does not end the lease. A residential lease renews automatically year by year, and the landlord cannot terminate it simply by giving notice — except in the narrow situations the Code lists exhaustively. In other words, a tenant who pays the rent and behaves properly can, in principle, stay for many years.
The main lawful eviction routes are:
- Owner’s or family’s need (Art. 350): the landlord genuinely needs the property as a home for themselves, their spouse, descendants, ascendants or legal dependants. The eviction lawsuit must be filed within one month of the end of the lease year. The need must be real and sincere — and if the landlord evicts on this ground, they cannot re-let the property to anyone else for three years without a justified reason (Art. 355), on pain of paying the former tenant compensation of no less than one year’s rent. The landlord can, however, escape this liability by notifying the former tenant that the property is available and offering it back to them — if the former tenant declines the offer, the landlord is free to re-let without owing compensation.
- Reconstruction or substantial renovation (Art. 350): the building will be demolished, rebuilt or renovated in a way that makes occupation impossible during the works. A practice note from our own litigation experience: courts do not act on renovation plans alone — the landlord is expected to present an official renovation/construction permit from the municipality substantiating the works, and cases without it fail.
- New owner’s need (Art. 351): a person who buys a tenanted property and needs it for themselves or their family may notify the tenant in writing within one month of acquisition and sue for eviction after six months — or simply wait and sue within one month of the end of the current lease year.
- Written eviction commitment (tahliye taahhütnamesi) (Art. 352/1): a tenant who — after the lease has been signed and the property delivered — gives a written, dated undertaking to vacate on a specific date can be evicted through enforcement proceedings if they do not leave. In practice these commitments are often signed with the date fields left blank, to be filled in by the landlord later. Tenants should understand how the courts treat this: signing a blank document (“beyaza imza”) is regarded as an act of trust, meaning the parties are presumed to have agreed on how it would be completed — so a tenant who claims the blanks were filled in contrary to the agreement must prove that claim with written evidence. Since there is almost never a written side-agreement about how the dates would be completed, tenants usually cannot meet this burden of proof, and the courts order eviction. In short: a signed eviction commitment is a loaded weapon, blank dates or not — do not sign one unless you mean it.
- Two justified notices (Art. 352/2): if the tenant falls behind on payments and the landlord serves two justified written warnings relating to two different months within one lease year, the landlord may sue for eviction within one month after the end of that lease year — without needing any other ground. Importantly, this is not limited to the rent itself: failure to pay the building maintenance charges (aidat), electricity, water and other costs the lease places on the tenant equally justifies a warning and counts towards eviction.
- Default in payment (Art. 315): independently of the above, a tenant who does not pay rent or ancillary charges may be given a written notice with at least 30 days to pay; if the arrears are still unpaid when the period expires, the landlord may terminate the lease. In practice this is usually pursued through a combined payment-and-eviction enforcement procedure (tahliye talepli icra takibi). The two mechanisms also interlock: a default notice under Article 315 simultaneously serves as a “justified warning” for the two-notice route — provided it reaches the tenant before the payment is made. A tenant who habitually pays late, only after each warning arrives, is therefore steadily building the landlord’s eviction case.
- The ten-year rule (Art. 347): the one situation where no reason is needed. After ten renewal years have passed, the landlord may terminate the lease by giving at least three months’ written notice before the end of any subsequent lease year.
Two procedural points complete the picture. First, since 1 September 2023,
mandatory mediation is a precondition for filing most rental lawsuits in Turkey — eviction, rent determination and rent receivable claims all go to a mediator before they can go to a judge; only if mediation fails can the case proceed to court. Second, there is no self-help in Turkish law: a landlord can never change the locks, cut utilities or remove a tenant’s belongings. Doing so is not merely ineffective — it exposes the landlord to
criminal liability, typically for violation of the immunity of the domicile (konut dokunulmazlığını ihlal) and damaging property (mala zarar verme) under the Turkish Criminal Code. Eviction happens only through a court judgment or enforcement proceedings — a tenant cannot be evicted “immediately”, and contested cases realistically take a year or more.
Tenant Obligations: Misuse, Subletting and Leaving Early
The protections described above assume a tenant who performs the contract. Turkish rental law is equally clear about what happens when the tenant does not:
- Using the property properly: the tenant must use the premises in accordance with the lease and with due care, and show respect to neighbours (Art. 316). Using the property contrary to its designated purpose is a breach — a flat rented as a residence cannot be operated as a workplace, and premises leased as storage cannot be lived in. The landlord may serve a written warning demanding compliance within a set period; persistent breach opens the way to termination and eviction.
- Subletting: in residential leases, the tenant may not sublet the property or transfer the use of it to a third party unless the lease permits it or the landlord consents (Art. 322). Unauthorised subletting — including, in today’s market, listing the rented flat on Airbnb-type platforms — is a breach of contract with the same warning-then-eviction consequence, on top of the short-term rental penalties described below.
- Leaving before the end of the lease: the lease is properly terminated only within the legal windows — the renewal dates double as termination dates, and the tenant must give written notice at least fifteen days before the end of the lease year. A tenant who simply moves out mid-term remains liable: they must compensate the landlord for the rent corresponding to the reasonable period needed to re-let the property to a comparable tenant (Art. 325). Handing back the keys early does not, by itself, end the obligation to pay.
Is Airbnb Legal in Turkey? The Short-Term Rental Rules
Yes — but since 1 January 2024 it is strictly regulated. Under
Law No. 7464 on the Rental of Residences for Tourism Purposes, renting out a residential property for
100 days or less at a time — the typical Airbnb, Booking.com or holiday-let scenario — requires a
tourism rental permit certificate from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism before any rental takes place. The key conditions:
- in buildings with multiple units, the permit application must include a unanimous resolution of all unit owners in the building — in practice the biggest hurdle in ordinary apartment blocks;
- an official plaque issued by the Ministry must be displayed at the entrance of the licensed property;
- in buildings with three or more independent units, one owner may license at most 25% of the units; licensing five or more units in the same building triggers additional business-licence requirements;
- the property must meet minimum physical standards, and the identity of guests is subject to the notification obligations that apply to accommodation providers.
The penalties for renting without a permit are severe and are revalued every year. In 2026, letting a home short-term without a certificate attracts an administrative fine of
TRY 180,617; continuing despite a 15-day warning raises it to
TRY 903,088, and persisting after that to
TRY 1,806,177. Intermediaries — including anyone advertising unlicensed properties — face fines per contract as well. Leases longer than 100 days fall outside this regime entirely and follow the ordinary rental rules described above; renewing a genuine long-term lease is unaffected.
What Is the Rental Tax in Turkey?
Rental income from Turkish property is subject to Turkish income tax, whether the owner is resident or not, because the property is located in Turkey. For
residential rental income earned in 2026, the first
TRY 58,000 per year is exempt; income above the exemption is taxed at the progressive income-tax rates (15% to 40%) after deducting expenses. Landlords choose between deducting
actual documented expenses or a
lump-sum deduction of 15% of the income. The annual declaration is filed in March of the following year, and non-resident owners typically file through a tax representative or lawyer. Separately, owners pay the annual
property tax (emlak vergisi) to the municipality, and every home must carry compulsory earthquake insurance (
DASK) — without a valid DASK policy, electricity and water subscriptions cannot be opened, which in practice matters to tenants setting up utilities in their own name.
Practical Notes for Foreign Tenants
Can a foreigner rent a house in Turkey? Absolutely — there is no restriction, no special permit and no citizenship requirement on the tenant side. Bring your passport, obtain a tax number (issued free of charge online or at any tax office), and you can sign a lease. The lease is also the standard document for proving your address when applying for a
residence permit and registering with the local civil registry (address registration) — but for these official uses an ordinary signed contract is not enough: the immigration authorities require a
notarised lease, so have the contract certified at a notary (with a sworn translator if you do not speak Turkish). When moving in, check that the landlord’s identity matches the title deed or that an agent holds a proper power of attorney, record the meter readings, and document the property’s condition — ideally with photographs attached to the lease — so the deposit discussion at the end of the tenancy stays factual.
Conclusion
Turkish rental law is built around a simple idea: the home is protected, so the tenant is protected. Rent increases are capped, deposits are limited, and eviction is possible only on defined grounds through defined procedures — while landlords retain real tools, from the eviction commitment and the two-notice mechanism to the rent determination lawsuit and the ten-year rule. Add the 2024 short-term rental regime and the tax layer, and the lesson for foreigners on both sides of the lease is the same: the rules are clear, but they reward those who paper their position properly from day one.
Our team advises foreign tenants, landlords and investors on Turkish rental law — from drafting and reviewing lease agreements to rent disputes, eviction proceedings, mediation and short-term rental licensing. Contact us for a consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much can a landlord increase rent in Turkey?
Annual increases in renewed residential leases are capped at the twelve-month average of the consumer price index — 32.03% for leases renewing in July 2026. After the fifth year, either party may ask the court to reset the rent to the market level through a rent determination lawsuit. Where the rent is validly set in foreign currency, no increase at all can be made for five years — the only adjustment route is the five-year rent determination lawsuit.
How do you evict a tenant in Turkey — and can a tenant be evicted immediately?
Only on the grounds listed in the Code of Obligations: the owner’s genuine housing need, reconstruction, a new owner’s need, a written eviction commitment, two justified warnings for unpaid rent, default after a 30-day payment notice, or after ten renewal years with three months’ notice. Mandatory mediation precedes court proceedings, and eviction is enforced only through legal channels — immediate or self-help eviction is unlawful.
Can a foreigner rent a house in Turkey?
Yes, without any restriction or permit. A passport and a Turkish tax number are sufficient to sign a lease, and foreign tenants enjoy exactly the same legal protections as Turkish tenants. Leases where the tenant is not a Turkish citizen may even lawfully set the rent in foreign currency.
Is Airbnb legal in Turkey?
Yes, but rentals of 100 days or less require a tourism rental permit from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, which in apartment buildings requires the unanimous consent of all unit owners. Unlicensed short-term letting is fined TRY 180,617 in 2026, rising to over TRY 1.8 million for repeat violations.
What is the rental tax in Turkey?
Residential rental income earned in 2026 is tax-exempt up to TRY 58,000 per year; the excess is taxed at progressive rates of 15–40% after expense deductions, declared in March of the following year. Owners also pay annual municipal property tax and compulsory DASK earthquake insurance.
How is rent paid in Turkey, and how much deposit can be asked?
The payment method is up to the parties — even cash is valid — but paying through a bank or PTT is strongly recommended so every payment is documented. If the landlord refuses to accept rent or share bank details, the tenant can have a court designate an official payment depot. The security deposit in residential leases is capped by law at three months’ rent, though in practice one month’s rent is the market norm.
