How to calculate the legal rent increase in Turkey

Steps

1. Find out when your rental year renewsLook at the start date in your agreement; the rental year renews on that date every year. For example, if the lease started on 15 October, each new rental year begins on 15 October. Also note whether the agreement has a clause on rent increases and what rate it states.
2. Check that the rule applies to your rentArticle 344 of the Turkish Code of Obligations applies to renewed rental periods for residential and covered commercial premises. Under this article, an agreed increase is valid only if it doesn't exceed the change in the twelve-month average of the consumer price index (CPI, TÜFE) over the previous rental year. The rule also applies to agreements longer than one year.
3. Know that the 25% cap has endedThe 25% cap on residential rents was a temporary measure (provisional articles 1 and 2 of Law No. 6098). It applied to residential leases renewed up to and including 1 July 2024. For rents renewed after that date, the only ceiling is the change in the CPI's twelve-month average.
4. Work out which month's rate to useCommon practice is to use the rate for the month before the renewal month; for a lease renewing in October, you'd look at the September figure. If the renewal date falls before the day that month's bulletin is published, opinions can differ on which month applies. In that case, talk it through openly with the other party or get legal advice.
5. Find the rate in the TurkStat bulletinOpen the Consumer Price Index bulletin published under Inflation and Prices on TurkStat's (TÜİK) website; it's usually released in the first working days of each month. The first paragraph of the bulletin lists the monthly, annual and twelve-month average changes separately. The rate that counts for rent is the change "based on twelve-month averages", not annual inflation or the producer price index (ÜFE).
6. Compare it with the rate in your agreementThe legal rate is a ceiling, not an automatic increase. If your agreement states a lower rate or a fixed increase, that applies. If the rate in your agreement is higher than the legal ceiling, the agreement is only valid up to that ceiling. The parties can always agree on a smaller increase.
7. Calculate the new rentThe formula is: new rent = current rent × (1 + rate ÷ 100). Example (the rate is hypothetical): if the current rent is 20,000 TL and the rate is 30%, the increase is 20,000 × 0.30 = 6,000 TL, so the new rent can be at most 26,000 TL. Use the actual rate published by TurkStat in your own calculation and round the result to the kuruş.
8. Know the different rule after five yearsUnder the third paragraph of Article 344, for agreements longer than five years or renewed after five years, and at the end of every five years after that, a judge can set the new rent. The judge then sets a fair amount taking into account the change in the CPI's twelve-month average, the condition of the property and comparable rents. So for leases past the five-year mark the rent can be set above the CPI ceiling, but that doesn't mean the landlord can decide it alone.
9. If you can't agree, go to mediationFor disputes arising from a tenancy, applying to a mediator before going to court is mandatory (Law No. 6325, Article 18/B). If mediation doesn't produce an agreement, a case can be filed to have the rent set. Under Article 345 of the Code, if the case is filed at least thirty days before the new period, or the tenant is notified of the increase in writing within that time, the rent set by the court applies from the start of the new period.