Renting an apartment in Turkey: pitfalls, and how to avoid them?

Turk.Estate presents real estate in Turkey for sale from the most reliable developers in the country. Why did we decide to talk in detail about the lease and the nuances of signing the contract?

This information can be useful to an apartment owner in some cases.

Content:

• 10 rules for renting housing in Turkey
• TOP-20 points to consider
  • Extra nuances
• Lease agreement: what you should remember
• What you should check
• How the rent increase is calculated
• The deposit: how much and on what terms
• Why the rent should go through a bank
• Short-term letting needs a license
• Tax on rental income
• What has changed by 2026
• Popular questions
• We will help you buy real estate in Turkey

First, if you decide to travel around the regions before purchasing a property, you can rent housing in each city for a couple of months to compare its conditions. This information can save you time.

Second, according to the analysts of the Emlakkulisi property portal, many of the points mentioned below are relevant when renting and buying a home. The reason is that if you find problems with lighting, water supply, structural elements, house maintenance, etc., you can move out of the apartment with minimal loss of money. The process with purchased housing is much more expensive as you have to sell it and then buy again.

Third, if the owner decides to rent out the purchased housing, it will be useful for potential tenants to get acquainted with the list of key points below. Moreover, you can increase their trust in you as a decent and responsible owner by telling them what to pay attention to.

Fourth, if the tenant has experience of renting housing and asks uncomfortable questions about the features of the housing you own (for example, it gets hot in the bedrooms because of the roof), you will be ready for this and think over the answers in advance. Moreover, you can explain the price for this housing or offer discounts.

In any case, it makes sense to consider investing in housing and how it can generate rental income. The fact is that few foreigners buy small apartments in Turkey with loans and mortgages, and they prefer investing their spare money. In this situation, you could buy one apartment to live in and another to rent — you will kill two birds with one stone. This allows you to live in Turkey and get a residence permit and, eventually, citizenship. At the same time, you can quickly pay off your investments in both apartments by renting one of them.

One qualification that matters now: a residence permit is granted for housing worth from 200,000 $ and citizenship from 400,000 $, and the property has to be registered as residential. The details are in our article on the ikamet in Turkey.

Today, rental income is one of the few areas where monthly profits are steadily growing. The shortage of rental housing that formed after the pandemic has not gone away: demand is kept up by students, by internal migration to the large cities and by foreigners. Turkey ranked first in 2022 among 56 countries in rising rental prices. Tenants started paying 160% more. That remains a record, but rents have continued to climb with inflation ever since.

There are many factors to consider when renting a home, from the district and its location to its neighbors.

10 rules for renting housing in Turkey

If the whole of what follows is boiled down to a short list, it comes to this.

• View the apartment at least twice, at different times of day;
• check who the owner is against the TAPU, not against the word of whoever shows you around;
• find out the aidat and the utility bills in advance, not just the rent;
• make an inventory of the furniture and appliances, with photographs;
• put the timing and the size of any rent increase into the contract;
• do not hand over a deposit larger than three months’ rent;
• pay by bank transfer only, stating what the payment is for;
• register the address with the population directorate — without it a residence permit cannot be issued;
• check the age of the building and its earthquake resistance report;
• read the contract in full rather than signing the agent’s standard form unread.

TOP-20 points to consider

• First of all, get detailed information about the general features of housing, for example, the number of square meters for each room. Keep in mind that according to the documents, the square footage of a flat in Turkey also includes common areas, such as the entrance, which are divided between all apartment owners in the building.
• The number of rooms and bathrooms.
• A balcony, terrace, and veranda.
• The type of heating and whether it is there at all, as not all apartments and houses in Turkey have heating.
• The facade; which direction the flat faces.
• Where the windows are. Given the climate, housing must be well ventilated.
• It is a bad option if all the windows face the sun, as the apartment can be as hot as an oven in summer. (To owners: if you bought a property before reading this article, take care of how to sort out this steam room effect. Additional ventilation? Economical air conditioners in every room?)
• Floor. There are two key nuances here: giriş kat, the ground floor — the apartments there are cooler, but they may be damper. In addition, they can attract ants and other insects, and cats. The upper floors are more heated from the roof if the housing is not protected by an attic.
• Railings on balconies, whether all windows open fully, and whether doors and locks are strong. Where and whom to contact if the tenant loses the key, and how the tenant’s right to receive these keys is checked.
• What is available: an entrance or site (residential complex) security system? What type exactly? Are there surveillance cameras and security guards? How do they work, and who to contact in an emergency?
• If you rent out a detached house, its security (fences and video surveillance) must be ensured by the owner.
• Be sure to check the age of the house, its features, and earthquake resistance. Passports have been issued for buildings in Turkey, which make it easy to get all the necessary information from a QR code on the wall.
• Pay attention to whether the house has an earthquake resistance report and where it is. What the condition of the fire escape is, and whether the exits to it are blocked. Ask separately about the DASK policy: compulsory earthquake insurance is arranged by the owner, and without it the utilities cannot be connected.
• Check if there is moisture or mold in the house. (For more accurate information, the ideal option would be to talk to neighbors living on the same floor.)
• Ask for detailed information about the monthly aidat (the maintenance fee for the apartment, which is paid regardless of whether anyone lives in it or not), the amount of utility bills, and other expenses.
• Specify the details of using the site infrastructure. Is there a spa, gym and fitness center? What are the opening hours? Is the pool heated? Can your guests use all of this, or only the owner or tenant and their family members?
• Carefully check the water supply system and water pressure, and the sewerage. Are there any water drips or rust anywhere?
• Estimate the distance from the house to the nearest public transport stops. Check the infrastructure of the area: schools, parks, hospitals, shopping malls.
• Make a list of key addresses and phone numbers such as the caretaker of the complex (kapıcı), an electrician or plumber, the duty department of the nearest public hospital, one or two private clinics, and round-the-clock pharmacies. Also find out how to get to the bus station and the airport. Do not forget the phone numbers of one or two neighbors, and give them your contacts too.
• If you rent out a furnished property, you should make an inventory of what is there and in what condition: an acceptance act to avoid any claims from both sides. It is better to photograph all defects and nuances.

Extra nuances

• If you are planning to rent a home, do not make a deal without visiting the apartment or house at least two or three times, as some nuances may come out later. You should see the property during the day and in the evening, and in different weather. This will give you a sense of the temperature at different hours, the potential noise from the road and the neighbors, and the light during the day.
• If the housing needs repair, the tenant and the owner can agree that the tenant will carry it out, and the amount spent will be deducted from the rent.
• After moving in, the tenant registers the address with the population directorate, and the lease contract is what is needed for that. Without the address registration a residence permit cannot be issued and some services cannot be connected.

Lease agreement: what you should remember

Before renting out housing, it is necessary to conclude a lease contract. This is the only document that will protect you if you get into trouble. Courts have begun to consider messages on social networks, but you should not count on that.

Be careful with the contract, both as a tenant and as an owner. Be sure to consult a lawyer even if you rent out your apartment through a real estate company that provides a standard contract.

What you should check

• Whether the person letting the property really is its owner. This is checked against the TAPU, and a property may have more than one owner — in which case all of them have to sign.
• The exact details of the tenant (name and identity documents).
• The exact address: street, building, and apartment number.
• All payments: the amount of the monthly rent and the aidat. When concluding a multi-year contract, the owner does not have the right to unilaterally increase the rent by more than the rate that the state regularly recalculates. A smaller increase, or none at all, is possible by agreement with the tenant. The 25% ceiling that applied from June 2022 was removed on 2 July 2024: the limit is once again tied to inflation. How exactly is set out below.
• The contract must specify the term and the amount of any rent increase.
• The deadline for paying the rent. This period may vary by agreement between the tenant and the owner; sometimes a landlord allows a delay of two or three weeks, or even a month, if the tenant pays regularly. Confirm the exact bank details and make sure the transfer states that it is for rent.
• If a transfer fee is charged, the tenant covers it, unless agreed otherwise with the owner.
• The deposit amount and the conditions for its return.

How the rent increase is calculated

This is the single biggest change in Turkish renting over the past few years, and it is what most disputes are built on.

From June 2022 a temporary ceiling applied: however high inflation ran, the rent could be raised by no more than 25% on renewal. On 2 July 2024 the restriction was lifted and the earlier rule came back — the limit equals the average inflation over the last twelve months.

The figure is recalculated monthly, and the one that applies is the figure for the month in which the contract is renewed. For contracts renewed in September 2026 the ceiling is 31.79%.

• The rent cannot be raised above that limit unilaterally;
• raising it by less, or not at all, is the owner’s right;
• after five years in the same property either side may ask a court to reset the rent to the market level;
• a clause tying the rent to the dollar or the euro does not work for residential leases between residents of Turkey: settlements are made in liras.

The deposit: how much and on what terms

The law caps the deposit at three months’ rent; more than that cannot be demanded. If the deposit is paid in money, the Code of Obligations requires it to be placed in a time deposit account that neither side can draw on without the other’s consent. In practice deposits in Turkey are often handed to the owner directly, which is exactly where the disputes over their return come from.

Be careful here: a lawyer may point out that a tenant who moved in paying 1,000 TL a month and left the same amount as a deposit may, a few years later when the rent has risen to 1,500 TL, be owed 1,500 TL rather than the 1,000 TL originally handed over, provided they gave notice in time and there are no claims against them. That is the default position, so it makes sense for the owner to include an additional clause in the contract stating that the deposit is refunded in the exact amount that was paid.

Losing 500 TL by oversight after a couple of years of renting out an apartment in Turkey is one thing; losing 10,000 TL after several years of renting out a villa is quite another.

Why the rent should go through a bank

Cash payment of rent in Turkey is not formally prohibited, but proving it in court is nearly impossible: a handwritten receipt weighs less than a bank statement. That is why both the tax authorities and lawyers insist on transfers.

• The transfer goes to the owner’s account, with the month and the word kira, rent, stated as the purpose;
• receipts are worth keeping for the whole term of the contract and for a year after it ends;
• if the owner asks to be paid in cash and gives no receipts, it almost always means the income is not being declared, and the tenant ends up sharing the risk.

Short-term letting needs a license

Since 1 January 2024 letting a property for less than a hundred days requires a permit from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. It is a separate law, and it changed the short-term rental market completely.

• The permit is issued for a specific apartment, and a plaque with its number goes on the door;
• in an apartment building the written consent of every owner is required, not a majority;
• no more than 25% of the units in one building may hold a permit;
• letting without a permit carries heavy fines, which increase on a repeat offense.

This is why long-term letting remains the more predictable option for an owner: it needs no license and does not depend on the season. What an owner pays besides tax is set out in our article on the cost of maintaining property in Turkey.

Tax on rental income

Rental income is declared once a year, in March, for the year before. Part of the amount is exempt.

The exemption applies only to residential letting and only to those who file on time. Non-resident foreigners pay tax on Turkish income on the general basis.

“The most common dispute between owner and tenant in Turkey is not about repairs or furniture but about how much the rent went up on renewal. The two sides count differently, because one of them still remembers the 25% ceiling, and it has been gone for a long time,” a property lawyer says.

What has changed by 2026

Popular questions

By how much can an owner raise the rent?

By no more than the average inflation over the last twelve months as at the renewal date. In September 2026 that is 31.79%. The earlier 25% ceiling was removed on 2 July 2024.

What counts as a normal deposit?

By law, no more than three months’ rent. One or two months is what is usually asked.

Can an apartment be let by the night?

Only with a permit from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the written consent of every owner in the building. Letting without one carries heavy fines.

Is tax payable on rental income?

Yes, the return is filed by 31 March for the previous year. The first 58,000 TL of 2026 income is exempt.

What should be checked first at a viewing?

The owner against the TAPU, the size of the aidat, the plumbing and any signs of damp, and the age of the building along with its earthquake resistance report.

We will help you buy real estate in Turkey

Highly qualified Turk.Estate specialists can help you choose and buy a house in Turkey. The list of agency services includes:

• Support at all stages of the transaction. Turk.Estate customers can count on the support of experts throughout the entire purchase process: from finding a suitable property to signing documents with a notary.
• Information about current pricing. Turk.Estate has a comprehensive database of Turkish real estate prices. This allows the agency’s clients to purchase properties at the best prices.
• Solving legal issues. Turk.Estate agents collect and check all the documents necessary to conclude a transaction.