Renting a house in Istanbul

Daily – Monthly House Rental in Türkiye

Considering the needs of different groups to rent a house in Turkey, there are 2 ways to rent apartments and villas in this country. The first method is short-term daily-monthly rental. These houses are for those who plan to stay in Turkey for less than 3 months.

Houses that are rented out on a daily or monthly basis must obtain a short-term rental permit from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. In addition, these houses must meet certain conditions from the government’s point of view and the movement of travelers in them must not cause any inconvenience to neighbors.

Annual house rent in Türkiye

Turkish citizens, as well as those who obtain Turkish residency through educational and work methods and intend to stay in the country for more than 3 months, can rent a house on an annual basis and according to their budget. These houses do not require permission from any ministry or government organization and can be of any type of property and with any conditions.

Small apartment units are usually among the most popular properties for annual rentals. However, for those who are not on a budget, there are villa homes in quiet and cozy areas and neighborhoods or by the sea that can be rented on an annual basis.

What is the difference between annual rent and daily-monthly rent?

The terms of annual property rental are completely different from daily-monthly rentals. Knowing these differences will help applicants who intend to rent, and especially investors who intend to buy property with the intention of renting it, to make a better choice.

• Houses that are rented out on a short-term, daily or monthly basis require a permit from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, while houses rented out on an annual basis do not require a special permit.

• Only people who have a residence permit in Türkiye can rent a property on an annual basis. However, a residence permit is not required for short-term daily-monthly rentals.

• Properties rented on an annual basis can be furnished or unfurnished. However, properties rented on a daily-monthly basis must be furnished.

• In annual rentals, a one-year contract is signed between the owner and the tenant, but in daily-monthly rentals, there is no contract between the tenant and the owner, but the tenant’s information is recorded in the police department’s system.

• In an annual rental contract, the agreed amount per month is less than half of the amount in a monthly short-term rental, and the rental amount per day in an annual contract is one-third of the daily short-term rental amount.

• The annual rental amount is fixed according to the contract throughout the year, but the short-term daily-monthly rental amount changes according to the season and usually reaches its peak in the spring and especially in the summer.

• The method of paying the rent in an annual lease can be monthly or every few months, which depends entirely on the request of the property owner and the way he agrees with the tenant. However, in a short-term daily-monthly lease, the entire rent amount is received upon entering the house.

• In short-term daily-monthly rentals, the cost of electricity, water, gas, internet, and, if there are amenities (swimming pool, gym, sauna, and other facilities), and the cost of charging the building are included in the amount received, but in annual rentals, the agreed amount does not include the costs of water, electricity, gas, and the building’s charging, and the tenant is responsible for paying these costs herself.

If you are looking to earn high income from renting out property in Turkey, buy houses that you can rent out on a short-term, daily or monthly basis. Our experts at Home Turkey are ready to provide advice and services to you and your loved ones for purchasing these types of houses.

Types of houses for annual rent in Türkiye

Houses that are rented out on an annual basis come in two forms: furnished and unfurnished. In Türkiye, furnished houses are called “şeyali” and unfurnished houses are called “boş boş”.

As we said earlier, in annual leases, 1 to 2 months of rent is received as a deposit, and at the owner’s discretion, rent is either received at the beginning of each month or requested every 3 months, every 6 months, and one year in advance. In furnished or unfurnished units, most owners request one year’s rent at the beginning in addition to the deposit.

The minimum difference in monthly rent between a Bush unit and a furnished unit is 5,000 to 10,000 liras, and depending on the luxury of the property, the difference increases.

When a rental agreement is signed for a rented house, a list of the items delivered to the tenant is written and delivered. At the end of the contract, the tenant must return all items intact. For example, if electrical appliances break down after some time of use, the tenant is obligated to pay for their repairs.

If you want to rent your unit furnished, you should know that the cost of buying new and completely new furniture for a one-bedroom unit of 60-70 square meters is at least 100,000 liras. Of course, in Turkey you can also buy second-hand furniture, and you will definitely pay a reasonable price for buying second-hand items.

Daily-Monthly House Rental Rules in Türkiye

According to Turkish law, short-term daily-monthly rental houses must have a license from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. When accepting tenants, the information and documents of the travelers must be registered on the Turkish Security Police system. This measure is so that if there is a problem with them or if the travelers commit a criminal act, they can be followed up by the police.

Daily-monthly house rental ads are usually placed on websites and apps like Airbnb or Booking.com. Each traveler comments on the site after using the house and rates it based on cleanliness, accessibility, owner ethics, and price. In this way, subsequent applicants rent that house based on these comments and ratings.

The rental amount for the house is determined by the owner based on the value of the house’s furnishings, the quality of the building, accessibility, and other facilities. Payment must be made before the traveler enters the house with a credit card or bank transfer. In cases where the traveler has made a reservation without registering his credit card on the site, an amount is collected from the tenant as a mortgage (deposit), which is returned to the tenant at the end of the rental period.

Of course, if the tenant has damaged the objects and furnishings of the house, the deposit will be deducted. If the owner of the house has rented out his house on a daily or monthly basis without obtaining an official permit, if a complaint is received by the police, the government will fine the owner in the amount of over 100,000 liras.

Annual house rental rules in Türkiye

As we mentioned earlier, a one-year rental of a property is possible for tenants who have a Turkish residence permit (educational, work or other types of residence) or have received Turkish citizenship. In this type of rental, 2 months of rent will be deposited with the property owner as a mortgage, which will be returned in full if there is no damage to the house at the time of eviction.

Depending on the landlord’s request, rent may be collected monthly, every 3 months, or in advance for 6 months or even a year. If the tenant fails to pay rent for two consecutive months, the landlord can issue an eviction notice through the Notary’s office.

After the tenant’s 30-day legal deadline to evict, if the tenant still does not pay the arrears of rent and vacate the house, the landlord can file a lawsuit and evict the tenant. If you encounter problems with your tenant in Turkey, you can read the legal steps in the article Solutions for Tenants Who Do Not Pay Rent.

Important points about annual property rental laws in Türkiye

In 2024, there were changes to the annual rental laws in Türkiye that you need to know:

• Annual rental contracts must be officially registered in notary offices in the presence of the landlord and tenant.

• The landlord is not allowed to request to vacate the house before the due date, but if the rent is not paid for more than 2 months and the neighbors complain about the tenant, the landlord has the right to issue a notarized notice and then vacate the property.

• In previous years, the government did not interfere in the amount of rent, but in the last 2 years, due to economic inflation, the Turkish government decided to intervene in this matter and give the owners the right to increase the rent by 25 percent throughout the year. Of course, this increase in rent is due to inflation, and if inflation decreases, this percentage will be removed by the government.

• In Turkey, a tenant can live in a rented house for up to 5 years, provided that he pays his rent regularly and does not cause problems for the owner or neighbors. In fact, the tenant is not a problem.

• The water, electricity, and gas meters of the house will be in the name of the tenant. If the tenant moves out of the house and has an energy consumption debt, the debt will still be in the name of the previous tenant and will not be considered a debt of the landlord or the next tenant.

• If the tenant decides to vacate the property before the end of the contract, an agreement must be reached with the landlord to recover the mortgage amount.

• If the tenant damages the house when it is handed over to the owner, she must pay the owner for the repairs.

How much does it cost to rent a house in Türkiye?

The amount of rent for a house or apartment in Turkey depends on factors such as the location of the property, the neighborhood, amenities and recreational facilities within the apartment or house, proximity to shopping centers, short distance to tourist and recreational centers, access to public transportation, the size of the house, the number of bedrooms, and other things.

On average, the rent for a one-bedroom apartment of 60 to 70 meters in Istanbul starts from 15 to 40 thousand liras, but in addition to the rent, you must pay other costs, including:

• Fee for confirming the lease agreement to the official registry of the deeds office
• Payment of the lease commission to the real estate office (equivalent to 12% of the total annual rent and 18% VAT)
• Fee for naming water, electricity and gas in the name of the tenant

In Turkey, water, electricity and gas must be in the name of the person living in the house. The tenant is required to go to these offices immediately after the contract and present the lease, residence card and approximately 1000 liras to transfer the water, electricity and gas to their name.