Renting a Home in Türkiye as a Foreigner (2026): Lease, Deposit, Rent Increases and Eviction Rules

Renting is how many foreigners start life in Türkiye, often to test a town before buying. Turkish law gives residential tenants strong protection. This guide takes you step by step through finding a home, the lease contract (kira sözleşmesi), the deposit, rent increases, the paperwork for a residence permit and the basics of eviction, as the rules stand in October 2026.

Key points

– Residential leases are governed by the Turkish Code of Obligations (Türk Borçlar Kanunu, TBK), Law No. 6098. – A deposit (depozito or güvence) cannot exceed **three months’ rent** (TBK art. 342). – On renewal, the rent increase cannot exceed the **12-month average change in the consumer price index (TÜFE)** (TBK art. 344). The temporary 25% cap ended on 1 July 2024. – A landlord cannot end a lease just because the term has expired, and most disputes must go to **mediation** first. – For a residence permit, the Göç İdaresi asks for a **notarised copy of your lease**.

Step 1: Decide where and when to look

In resort towns such as Fethiye, Göcek or Ölüdeniz, many furnished flats and villas are let to holidaymakers in summer. Since Law No. 7464, letting a home to tourists for 100 days or less needs a permit, so some owners prefer that model and others prefer one long-term tenant. Our guide to the holiday rental permit under Law 7464 explains how that works.

Availability and asking rents in coastal Muğla can differ between summer and winter, and you may be offered a winter-only let that ends when the season starts; check the end date before you sign. See also living in Fethiye and our cost of living guide.

Step 2: Find a place, with or without an agent

Listings appear on Turkish property portals, at local estate agencies (emlak ofisi) and in expat groups. Before you pay anything:

– Ask to see the title deed (tapu) or check that the person letting the home is the owner or has written authority from the owner. Our guide on how to check a Turkish title deed shows what to look for. – Never send a deposit for a home you have not seen to someone you cannot verify.

**Agent commission.** Under article 20 of the Regulation on Real Estate Trade (Taşınmaz Ticareti Hakkında Yönetmelik), the agent’s fee for a rental is capped at **one month’s rent plus VAT**. Legal commentaries say the starting rule is that the fee is shared between landlord and tenant, unless the parties agree otherwise in writing. In practice, tenants are often asked to pay the whole fee, so agree in writing who pays what before you sign.

Step 3: Read the lease contract (kira sözleşmesi)

You need a written contract to prove your rights and to apply for a residence permit. Check that it states:

1. The full names and ID or passport numbers of the landlord and tenant, and the landlord’s address. 2. The exact address of the property and what furniture and appliances are included (a signed inventory, ideally with photos). 3. The start date and term, usually one year. 4. The monthly rent, the payment date and the bank account to pay into. 5. The deposit amount and how it is held. 6. Who pays building charges (aidat).

If you do not read Turkish well, get the contract translated before signing.

**Rent in foreign currency.** If rent is set in foreign currency, TBK art. 344 says it cannot be changed for five years, apart from narrow exceptions.

**Paying the rent.** Pay by bank transfer and keep the receipts. Tax rules require residential rent of 500 TL or more a month, a threshold set in 2017, to be paid through a bank or PTT.

Step 4: Notary, e-Devlet and stamp duty

**Notary.** A lease is valid without a notary. However, the Göç İdaresi list of documents for a residence permit asks for a "notarised copy" (noter onaylı örneği) of your lease containing the landlord’s details. Many tenants therefore have the lease certified at a notary (noter); ask for the fee before you go.

**e-Devlet lease.** Since November 2024, landlords and tenants can also create a lease on e-Devlet through the Ministry of Treasury and Finance service. As of October 2026 the service is optional; reports in August 2026 said the ministry was studying making it compulsory, but no start date had been set. You need an e-Devlet account to use it; see our guide to getting an e-Devlet password as a foreigner. Ask your Göç İdaresi office whether it will accept an e-Devlet lease in your case.

**Stamp duty (damga vergisi).** Under the Stamp Duty Law No. 488, a lease contract is subject to stamp duty of **1.89 per thousand (0.189%)** of the total rent for the contract term, the rate in the 2026 tables. The signatories are liable for it.

Step 5: Pay the deposit the right way

TBK art. 342 says that if the lease requires a deposit, it **cannot exceed three months’ rent**. If the deposit is cash, the law says it should be paid into a term savings account at a bank that cannot be withdrawn without the landlord’s consent. In practice, many deposits are paid directly to the landlord; if so, get a written receipt.

When the tenancy ends, the bank must return a deposit held this way at the tenant’s request if, within three months of the end of the lease, the landlord has not told the bank in writing that it has started a lawsuit or enforcement proceedings against the tenant.

Step 6: Put the utilities in your name

Electricity, water and internet normally go into the tenant’s name. You usually need the lease, your passport and a tax or foreign identity number. The steps for Muğla, including Aydem electricity and MUSKİ water, are in our guide to setting up utilities as a foreigner.

Step 7: Use the lease for your residence permit and address registration

Most foreigners who rent apply for a **short-term residence permit** (kısa dönem ikamet izni) from the Göç İdaresi. Besides the form, passport copy, photos, fees, health insurance and proof of funds, the document list asks tenants for a notarised copy of the lease containing the landlord’s details. See also renewing a residence permit and health insurance for foreign residents.

Your address must also be registered in the national address system (adres kaydı), handled by the provincial Göç İdaresi and the population office (nüfus müdürlüğü). Do not assume it happens automatically when the residence card arrives: check your registered address on e-Devlet. When you move, the new address must be reported within 20 working days. See our address registration guide.

Step 8: Understand rent increases on renewal

Under TBK art. 344, the agreed rent for a renewed lease year is valid only if the increase does not exceed the change in the **12-month average of TÜFE** for the previous lease year. TÜİK publishes the inflation data early each month, and the ceiling changes monthly; for renewals in October 2026 it was 31.49%. See our report on the October 2026 rent increase cap.

The temporary 25% cap on residential increases, introduced in June 2022, ended on 1 July 2024. Since then the TÜFE average rule is the only legal ceiling. After five years, or for leases longer than five years, a judge can set a new rent taking market rents into account, in a rent-determination case (kira tespit davası).

Step 9: Know the eviction basics

A residential tenancy does not simply end when the fixed term expires. The main rules:

– **Tenant’s notice.** If the tenant does not give notice at least 15 days before the end of a fixed term, the lease is extended for one year on the same terms (TBK art. 347). – **The 10-year rule.** The landlord cannot end the lease because the term has expired. After a ten-year extension period, the landlord may end it without giving a reason, by notice at least three months before the end of any later extension year (art. 347). – **Owner’s need.** The landlord can seek eviction if the home is genuinely needed as a residence or workplace for the landlord, a spouse, children, parents or other dependants, or for major rebuilding work (art. 350). The case must be brought within one month of the end of the term. A landlord who evicts for need cannot let the home to someone else for three years without a valid reason (art. 355). – **Written undertaking to leave (tahliye taahhütnamesi).** If, after moving in, the tenant promises in writing to leave on a set date, the landlord can act within one month of that date (art. 352). Court practice treats one signed with the lease, before handover, as invalid. – **Two justified warnings.** If unpaid rent leads to two written, justified warnings within one lease year, the landlord can sue for eviction (art. 352).

**Mediation first.** Under Law No. 7445, since 1 September 2023 most rent disputes, including rent determination and eviction cases, must go to a mediator before court. Eviction through enforcement without a court judgment (ilamsız icra) is an exception.

Tenant tips

– Get everything in writing and keep proof of every payment. – Photograph the home when you move in and when you leave. – Ask about winter heating and damp in coastal homes before signing. – If you later buy and let a property yourself, see our guide on rental income tax for foreign landlords.

This guide is general legal information, not legal advice. Rules and figures change; check with a lawyer, a notary or the Göç İdaresi for your own case.

Frequently asked questions

Q: How much deposit can a landlord ask for in Türkiye?

A: Up to three months’ rent. TBK art. 342 caps the deposit at that amount even if the contract says more.

Q: How much can my rent go up when I renew?

A: No more than the 12-month average change in TÜFE for the previous lease year, which TÜİK data sets each month. The temporary 25% cap ended on 1 July 2024.

Q: Does my lease need to be notarised?

A: Not to be valid. But the Göç İdaresi asks for a notarised copy of the lease, with the landlord’s details, when you apply for a residence permit as a tenant.

Q: Can my landlord evict me when the one-year lease ends?

A: Not just because the term has ended. The landlord needs a legal ground, such as genuine need, a valid written undertaking or two justified warnings, or must wait until the ten-year extension period has passed.

Thinking about buying instead of renting? Download our free property guide.

Sources

• Turkish Code of Obligations art. 342 (deposit), statutory text (av-saimincekas.com)
• Turkish Code of Obligations art. 344 (rent on renewal), statutory text
• Turkish Code of Obligations art. 347 (notice, 10-year extension), statutory text
• Turkish Code of Obligations art. 350 (owner’s need), statutory text
• Turkish Code of Obligations art. 352 (written undertaking, two warnings), statutory text
• Göç İdaresi e-İkamet: documents for a short-term residence permit
• Mandatory mediation in rent disputes from 1 September 2023, Law 7445 (bianet)
• October 2026 rent increase rate 31.49% (Capital)
• Rent increase calculation and end of the 25% cap on 1 July 2024 (Av. Kazım Ceylan)
• e-Devlet lease contracts optional, study on making them compulsory, August 2026 (Bloomberg HT)
• e-Devlet lease contract service explained (e-Yaşam Rehberi, updated 7 Oct 2026)
• 2026 stamp duty rates and amounts (PwC Türkiye)
• Estate agent commission on rentals, Regulation on Real Estate Trade art. 20 (Harbiye Hukuk)
• Paying rent through banks, 500 TL threshold (Fatih Aras)
• Address registration for foreigners in 2026 (FFK Partner Hukuk)
• Tourism rentals of 100 days or less under Law 7464 (Muğla Culture and Tourism Directorate)

Photo: Nhi D / Unsplash License, via Unsplash