Renting a home in Türkiye comes with its own rules and customs: agents’ commissions, monthly building dues (aidat), deposits and the much-discussed eviction undertaking (tahliye taahhütnamesi). Knowing the Turkish words for these, and the rules behind them, helps you avoid misunderstandings and illegal fees. This guide covers the legal basics, a viewing dialogue and the vocabulary you will see in listings and contracts.
Note: This is a language-learning guide, not legal advice. Rent law and regulations change; check the current rules on mevzuat.gov.tr or with a lawyer before signing a lease.
1. Before you sign: check the neighbourhood
If you need the address for a residence permit, check first that the neighbourhood is open to new foreign registrations. Since 2021–2022 Göç İdaresi has closed some neighbourhoods and districts to new residence permit registrations by administrative decision. Our residence permit guide explains this and lists the documents Göç İdaresi asks for, including a notarised copy of your rental contract.
2. Owner or agent: sahibinden vs. emlakçıdan
On listing sites you will see two kinds of listing:
- Sahibinden (“from the owner”): the owner (ev sahibi) rents directly and there is no agent’s fee.
- Emlakçıdan (“from an agent”): a real estate agent (emlakçı or gayrimenkul danışmanı) handles the rental.
The commission rule. Under Article 20 of the Real Estate Trade Regulation (Taşınmaz Ticareti Hakkında Yönetmelik), an agent’s fee for a rental cannot exceed one month’s rent excluding VAT, so the maximum is one month’s rent plus KDV. Unless the parties agree otherwise in writing, the fee is shared equally between the landlord and the tenant. (The 2% figure you may see online is wrong for rentals: the cap for sales is a percentage of the price.) Agree the fee in writing before viewings.
3. Upfront costs
| Item | Turkish | Typical amount | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| First month’s rent | ilk ay kirası / peşin kira | 1 month | Paid when you sign or move in. |
| Deposit | depozito / güvence | Often 1–2 months | Legal maximum 3 months’ rent (TBK Article 342). |
| Agent’s fee | emlakçı komisyonu / hizmet bedeli | Up to 1 month + KDV | Shared equally unless agreed otherwise in writing. |
Deposit protection. Article 342 of the Turkish Code of Obligations (Türk Borçlar Kanunu, TBK) says a cash deposit is paid into a time savings account that cannot be withdrawn without the landlord’s consent, and the bank releases it only with both parties’ consent or a final court or enforcement decision. If the landlord has not told the bank in writing about a lawsuit or enforcement within three months of the lease ending, the bank must return the deposit to the tenant on request. In practice many landlords take the deposit in cash or by transfer; get a receipt (dekont) either way.
Currency. Under Decree No. 32 on protecting the value of the Turkish currency, people resident in Türkiye cannot agree residential rents in foreign currency or indexed to it among themselves. If you live in Türkiye on a residence permit, expect a lease in Turkish lira (TL).
4. Rent increases and renewal
- Annual increase cap. At renewal, the rent increase cannot exceed the change in the 12-month average consumer price index (TÜFE on iki aylık ortalama) for the previous rental year (TBK Article 344). TÜİK announces the rate at the start of every month; landlords and tenants can agree a lower increase.
- After five years. For leases longer than five years or renewed after five years, a court can set a new rent based on the index, the condition of the home and comparable rents.
- Automatic renewal. Unless the tenant gives notice at least 15 days before the end of a fixed-term lease, it renews for another year on the same terms. The landlord cannot end the lease just because the term has expired (TBK Article 347).
- The ten-year point. After a ten-year extension period, the landlord can end the lease without giving a reason, by giving at least three months’ notice before the end of each extension year.
5. The eviction undertaking (tahliye taahhütnamesi)
Many landlords ask tenants to sign a written eviction undertaking with the lease. In it you promise to leave on a specific date. Under TBK Article 352, if a tenant who has given such an undertaking after the property was handed over does not leave on that date, the landlord can end the lease by starting enforcement proceedings (icra) or filing a lawsuit within one month of that date.
- Never sign an undated (tarihsiz) or blank undertaking. A date filled in later could be used against you.
- Read what you sign. If you do not read Turkish well, use a sworn translator at the notary or get a lawyer to check the papers.
6. Dialogue: a viewing (ev görme)
Sarah views a flat with an agent (emlakçı).
Sarah: Merhaba, iyi günler. İnternette gördüğüm 2+1 daire için geldim.
(Hello, good afternoon. I've come about the 2+1 flat I saw online.)
Emlakçı: Hoş geldiniz! Daire dördüncü katta. Binada asansör var. Buyurun, bakalım.
(Welcome! The flat is on the fourth floor. The building has a lift. Come in, let's look.)
Sarah: Çok aydınlık. Isınma nasıl? Kombi mi, merkezi sistem mi?
(It's very bright. What's the heating like? A combi boiler or central heating?)
Emlakçı: Doğalgazlı kombi var. Fatura kullanımınıza göre gelir.
(There's a natural-gas combi boiler. The bill depends on your usage.)
Sarah: Aylık aidat ne kadar?
(How much are the monthly building dues?)
Emlakçı: Aidat 650 lira. Temizlik ve kapıcı dahil.
(The dues are 650 lira. Cleaning and the caretaker are included.)
Sarah: Kira 25.000 lira, değil mi? Depozito ne kadar?
(The rent is 25,000 lira, right? How much is the deposit?)
Emlakçı: Ev sahibi bir kira peşin, bir kira da depozito istiyor. Sözleşme bir yıllık.
(The landlord wants one month in advance and one month as a deposit. The lease is for one year.)
Sarah: Komisyonunuz ne kadar, kim ödüyor?
(How much is your commission, and who pays it?)
Emlakçı: Bir aylık kira artı KDV. Aksi yazılmadıysa ev sahibiyle kiracı yarı yarıya öder.
(One month's rent plus VAT. Unless agreed otherwise in writing, the landlord and tenant pay half each.)
Sarah: Kirayı ayın kaçında, nasıl ödeyeceğim?
(On which day of the month, and how, will I pay the rent?)
Emlakçı: Her ayın 1'i ile 5'i arasında, ev sahibinin IBAN'ına havale ya da EFT ile.
(Between the 1st and 5th of each month, by transfer to the landlord's IBAN.)
Sarah: Anladım. Sözleşme taslağını okuyup yarın size haber vereceğim.
(I see. I'll read the draft contract and let you know tomorrow.)Grammar in the dialogue
- Binada asansör var (“There is a lift in the building”) combines the locative -da/-de with var/yok existential sentences.
- Ne kadar? Kim? Ayın kaçında? (“How much? Who? On which day of the month?”) are core question words.
- Dördüncü kat (“fourth floor”) is an ordinal number, and 2+1 (iki artı bir) means two bedrooms plus a living room. See Turkish numbers, and practice saying prices like yirmi beş bin lira with the number converter.
7. Housing and rental vocabulary
| Turkish | Pronunciation hint | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kira sözleşmesi | kee-RAH serz-lesh-meh-SEE | Lease, rental contract | Kira sözleşmesini noterde onaylattık. (We had the lease notarised.) |
| Ev sahibi / Kiraya veren | ev sah-hee-BEE | Landlord | Ev sahibi depozitoyu iade etti. (The landlord returned the deposit.) |
| Kiracı | kee-rah-JUH | Tenant | Kiracının yasal hakları var. (Tenants have legal rights.) |
| Emlakçı | em-lahk-CHUH | Real estate agent | Emlakçının komisyonu en fazla bir aylık kira artı KDV. (The agent’s fee is at most one month’s rent plus VAT.) |
| Depozito / Güvence | deh-po-zee-TO / gü-ven-JEH | Deposit | Hasar yoksa depozito iade edilir. (If there’s no damage, the deposit is returned.) |
| Aidat | ah-ee-DAHT | Monthly building dues | Aidat her ay ödenir. (Dues are paid every month.) |
| Kira artışı | kee-RAH ar-tuh-SHUH | Rent increase | Kira artışı TÜFE ortalamasını geçemez. (The increase can’t exceed the CPI average.) |
| TÜFE | tü-FEH | Consumer price index | TÜFE oranını TÜİK açıklıyor. (TÜİK announces the CPI rate.) |
| Tahliye taahhütnamesi | tah-lee-YEH tah-ah-hüt-nah-meh-SEE | Eviction undertaking | Tarihsiz tahliye taahhütnamesi imzalamayın. (Don’t sign an undated eviction undertaking.) |
| Kefil | keh-FEEL | Guarantor | Ev sahibi kefil istiyor mu? (Does the landlord want a guarantor?) |
| Eşyalı / Eşyasız | esh-yah-LUH / esh-yah-SUHZ | Furnished / Unfurnished | Daire eşyalı mı? (Is the flat furnished?) |
| 2+1 | ee-KEE ar-TUH beer | Two bedrooms + living room | Bize 2+1 bir daire lazım. (We need a two-bedroom flat.) |
| Kombi | kom-BEE | Combi boiler | Kombi yeni takıldı. (The boiler was just installed.) |
| Merkezi ısıtma | mer-keh-ZEE uh-suht-MAH | Central heating | Isınma aidata dahil mi? (Is heating included in the dues?) |
| DASK | dahsk | Compulsory earthquake insurance | Su ve elektrik aboneliğinde DASK poliçesi kontrol edilir. (DASK is checked for water and electricity subscriptions.) |
| Abonelik | ah-bo-neh-LEEK | Utility subscription | Elektrik aboneliğini adıma aldım. (I put the electricity subscription in my name.) |
| Kapıcı | kah-puh-JUH | Building caretaker | Kapıcı çöpleri her akşam topluyor. (The caretaker collects the rubbish every evening.) |
| Tapu | tah-POO | Title deed | Ev sahibinden tapu fotokopisi istedim. (I asked the landlord for a copy of the title deed.) |
| Asansörlü | ah-sahn-sör-LÜ | With a lift | Bina asansörlü mü? (Does the building have a lift?) |
| Cephe | jep-HEH | Side the flat faces | Güney cephe daireler daha sıcak olur. (South-facing flats are warmer.) |
| Giriş katı / Ara kat | gee-REESH kah-TUH / ah-RAH kaht | Ground floor / Middle floor | Ara kat daireler kışın daha sıcak olur. (Middle-floor flats are warmer in winter.) |
8. After you sign
- Register your address within 20 working days: see our address registration guide.
- Set up utilities in your name. By law, water and electricity companies check that the building has compulsory earthquake insurance (DASK) when you open a subscription, so ask the landlord for the policy number. Our guide to setting up utilities and internet covers the rest.
- Pay rent by bank transfer with a clear description such as Ekim 2026 kirası (October 2026 rent), so you have a record. A Turkish bank account makes this simple.
Next steps
Most viewing questions are built on var mı? (“Is there…?”). Practice them in the existential sentences guide, then use the vocabulary table above to read a real listing.
