Rental contract (kira sözleşmesi) in Türkiye: notary, deposit, rent rules and your address

A residential lease in Türkiye is valid when both parties sign it; the law does not require a notary. Foreigners nonetheless meet the notary at the lease stage because the population directorate and the Directorate of Migration Management want proof that the tenancy is real, and a notarised lease is the proof they accept most readily. This guide explains when notarisation is actually needed, what it costs in 2026, the rules on deposit, rent payment and increases, and how the lease ties into your address record and residence permit.

When notarisation is needed and when it is not

The Code of Obligations treats a written lease as binding without any certification. Notarisation enters for three practical reasons:

• Address registration. Several İstanbul district population directorates ask foreigners for a notarised lease, or a utility subscription in their name, before registering the address. Others accept a plain lease with the landlord's ID copy and the title deed copy. Ask the directorate of your district before paying the notary.
• Residence permit. The Directorate of Migration Management lists a lease as proof of address and, for first applications, generally expects it notarised; an address record from e-Devlet replaces it once you are registered.
• Evidence. A notarised lease with an eviction undertaking (tahliye taahhütnamesi) is what a landlord relies on for enforcement; tenants should read what they sign.

The notary does not draft the lease; the parties bring it, and the notary certifies the signatures (imza onayı) or, less commonly, draws it up as a notarial deed (düzenleme). For a foreign tenant who does not read Turkish the notary requires a sworn interpreter; see our notary guide for the interpreter rule.

What the notary charges in 2026

For signature certification the state harç is ₺233.80 per signature under the Harçlar Kanunu table; two signatures, landlord and tenant, means two harç items. The notary adds the certification and writing fees per page from the 2026 Noterlik Ücret Tarifesi, and, for leases, a value-based item calculated on the annual rent at some offices. The interpreter's fee at tariff is added where one attends. All of it is paid by you to the notary against a receipt. A plain one-year lease with interpreter typically comes to a low four-figure lira sum; the notary's receipt is the final figure.

Rent, deposit and increases: the rules

• Rent through the bank. Residential rent must be paid through a bank or PTT regardless of the amount, so that the payment is traceable (General Communiqués of the Revenue Administration). Cash rent leaves you without proof for the address record and exposes both parties to a tax fine.
• Deposit. A deposit may not exceed three months' rent (Code of Obligations art. 342) and is by law to be placed in a blocked bank account in the tenant's name, released at the end of the tenancy; in practice many landlords hold it, which is a risk you accept knowingly.
• Increase. Rent for residential leases may be increased at renewal by no more than the twelve-month average of the consumer price index (TÜFE) published by TÜİK (art. 344); the temporary 25% cap of 2022–2024 has ended.
• Term and termination. A fixed-term lease renews automatically for one year unless the tenant gives 15 days' notice before the end; the landlord may not terminate for the first ten years except for statutory reasons.
• Earthquake insurance (DASK) is the landlord's; utilities are opened in the tenant's name with the lease and the tax number.

The lease and your address record

The lease is the document that ties you to the address at the population directorate, and the address record (yerleşim yeri belgesi) is what the Directorate, banks and schools read. Make sure the lease names you exactly as in your passport, states the full address with the independent-section number (bağımsız bölüm) as on the title deed, and is signed by the owner shown on the deed, or by an attorney with a power covering leases. Declare the address within 20 business days of moving in; see our address change guide. When you move out, the landlord may remove your registration through e-Devlet, which is why you should register the new address promptly.

Common mistakes

• Lease signed by a relative of the owner without a power of attorney: the notary refuses certification and the directorate refuses registration.
• Lease in a neighbourhood closed to new foreign registration: the residence permit application cannot be registered. Check before signing.
• Deposit paid in cash without a receipt.
• Signing an eviction undertaking dated the same day as the lease without understanding it.

Sources

• mevzuat.gov.tr — Turkish Code of Obligations 6098, art. 299–356 (residential leases, deposit, increases)
• gib.gov.tr — Revenue Administration: rent payments through banks; Harçlar Kanunu signature certification harç
• adalet.gov.tr — Ministry of Justice: 2026 notarial tariff
• nvi.gov.tr — address registration documents

Questions