Rental contract

A rental contract is a bilateral agreement governed by the Turkish Code of Obligations (TBK) arts. 299 et seq., in which one party (the lessor) undertakes to transfer the use of a thing — or the use along with the right to enjoy its fruits — to the other party (the renter) for a specified fee. Under Turkish law, written form is not a validity requirement for rental contracts; the parties' mutual consent forms the contract (TBK arts. 1 and 12).

There are three main types by subject matter: (1) residential and roofed workplace leases (TBK arts. 339–356), (2) product leases (TBK arts. 357 et seq., usually agricultural use), (3) movable-property rentals (TBK art. 299 general provisions — e.g., heavy equipment, vehicle, event equipment rental).

Mandatory core fields: the parties' identification, the rented item's description, the rental fee, the rental period (definite or indefinite), delivery and return dates. These are valid between parties even if not written, when mutually accepted. A written document constitutes a 'document' under Turkish Code of Civil Procedure (HMK) art. 199 and 'beginning of written evidence' under art. 202.

For residential and roofed workplace leases, annual rent escalation is capped at the CPI rate under TBK art. 344; the deposit cannot exceed three months' rent under TBK art. 342.

As of 2026, a genuinely complete rental contract goes beyond the core elements TBK art. 299 requires (parties, subject, price, term) to also cover: the parties' notice/service address and contact details, the rent payment method and due date, any deposit/security amount and how it is held (TBK art. 342), the annual rent-increase method (capped at the CPI rate under TBK art. 344), a condition/fixtures report describing the property's state at handover, and early-termination and eviction terms. Omitting these does not invalidate the contract, but it raises the evidentiary burden if a dispute later arises.

Because Turkish law imposes no form requirement on rental contracts (as above), forming the contract digitally with an electronic signature is equally valid — if even an oral agreement is binding, an electronic signature is a fortiori sufficient. Law No. 5070 on Electronic Signatures distinguishes 'secure electronic signature' (art. 4) from a standard electronic signature: only a secure electronic signature produces all the effects of a handwritten signature and counts as conclusive deed under HMK art. 205 (see the electronic-signature glossary entry). A standard electronic signature, like Akitle's web-based signature flow, makes the rental contract valid and binding between the parties; the only difference is evidentiary strength in a dispute (a document under HMK art. 199, beginning of written evidence under art. 202).