Contracts Law
This section covers the core institutions of the law of obligations — from contract formation to termination, from performance to adaptation. The articles are prepared in light of the Turkish Code of Obligations (No. 6098).
Liability for the Acts of Performance Assistants: TBK m.116
The debtor's strict liability for the acts of auxiliary persons
How is the debtor liable for damage caused by an auxiliary person? The distinction between TBK m.116 and the employer's liability in tort under TBK m.66.
Modern economic life leads debtors to perform their obligations not in person but through auxiliary persons. Article 116 TCO holds the debtor strictly liable, regardless of fault, for damages caused by such auxiliaries to the other party in the course of their work.
Conditions of Application — TBK m.116
Liability under TBK m.116 requires four conditions: (i) a valid obligation between the debtor and the creditor; (ii) the debtor's use of an auxiliary person to perform; (iii) damage caused by the auxiliary to the creditor while performing the task; (iv) the damage arising directly within the scope of the task.
Article 116 is a rule of contractual liability. No employment relationship between debtor and auxiliary is required; a sub-contractor, independent worker, family member or even a one-off helper may fall within the concept. What matters is participation in the actual performance.
Strict (Cause-Based) Liability
Liability under TBK m.116 is strict. The debtor is not relieved by showing care in selecting, supervising or instructing the auxiliary. This sets it sharply apart from the employer's tort liability under TBK m.66, where exculpation by proof of due care is allowed.
The debtor can escape only by proving that the damage would have occurred even if the debtor had performed personally — a proof rarely successful in practice. The burden lies on the debtor.
Difference Between TBK m.116 and m.66
TBK m.66 (employer's liability) is tort liability applied between parties without a contractual relationship. The employer may escape by proving exercise of due care.
TBK m.116 creates contractual liability applied between the parties to an obligation; no exculpation by due-care proof is allowed. The two regimes may concur in the same facts; for the creditor, reliance on TBK m.116 is generally more advantageous.
Limits on Exclusion-of-Liability Clauses
Under TBK m.116/2, liability for acts of auxiliaries may be excluded by prior agreement, wholly or partly. However, where the creditor is dependent on the debtor (e.g. employee-employer) or where liability arises from a profession carried on under permission of law or competent authority, exclusion of liability — even for slight fault — is absolutely null (TBK m.116/3).
This last limitation is important in banking, insurance, medicine, law and engineering. Practitioners cannot contractually exclude their liability for the acts of auxiliaries; such clauses are treated as unwritten.
Practical Considerations
In contractual disputes, not only the signed text but also offer correspondence, revision history, invoices, delivery records, payment records, formal notices and the parties' subsequent conduct are taken into account. The formation, performance and termination of a contract often acquire meaning only through these ancillary documents.
Form requirements, authority of representation, penalty clauses, exclusion-of-liability provisions, standard terms and consumer-protection rules may all affect the validity or enforceability of a contract. In standard-form documents in particular, the other party must be informed, express acceptance obtained, and onerous provisions specifically highlighted.
Before any dispute arises, the scope of obligations, delivery date, defect notice, default notice, interest and competent-court clauses should be drafted explicitly. Vague provisions may give rise to interpretation disputes and to difficulties of proof later on.
Relevant Statutory Provisions
- TBK m.66Employer's liability in tort
Original (Turkish, official):
MADDE 66- Adam çalıştıran, çalışanın, kendisine verilen işin yapılması sırasında başkalarına verdiği zararı gidermekle yükümlüdür. Adam çalıştıran, çalışanını seçerken, işiyle ilgili talimat verirken, gözetim ve denetimde bulunurken, zararın doğmasını engellemek için gerekli özeni gösterdiğini ispat ederse, sorumlu olmaz. Bir işletmede adam çalıştıran, işletmenin çalışma düzeninin zararın doğmasını önlemeye elverişli olduğunu ispat etmedikçe, o işletmenin faaliyetleri dolayısıyla sebep olunan zararı gidermekle yükümlüdür. Adam çalıştıran, ödediği tazminat için, zarar veren çalışana, ancak onun bizzat sorumlu olduğu ölçüde rücu hakkına sahiptir.
English summary (non-binding):
An employer is liable for damage caused by an employee to others in the course of the work entrusted. The employer is relieved by proving that the necessary care was exercised in selecting, instructing, supervising and overseeing the employee to prevent damage. An employer of an undertaking is liable for damage caused by its activities unless it proves that the undertaking's working order was suited to preventing such damage. The employer has a right of recourse against the harming employee only to the extent of the employee's personal liability.
Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12
- TBK m.112Presumption of fault in breach of contract
Original (Turkish, official):
MADDE 112- Borç hiç veya gereği gibi ifa edilmezse borçlu, kendisine hiçbir kusurun yüklenemeyeceğini ispat etmedikçe, alacaklının bundan doğan zararını gidermekle yükümlüdür.
English summary (non-binding):
Where the obligation is not performed or not performed as required, the debtor must compensate the creditor's resulting damage unless the debtor proves that no fault is attributable.
Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12
- TBK m.115General limits on exclusion-of-liability agreements
Original (Turkish, official):
MADDE 115- Borçlunun ağır kusurundan sorumlu olmayacağına ilişkin önceden yapılan anlaşma kesin olarak hükümsüzdür. Borçlunun alacaklı ile hizmet sözleşmesinden kaynaklanan herhangi bir borç sebebiyle sorumlu olmayacağına ilişkin olarak önceden yaptığı her türlü anlaşma kesin olarak hükümsüzdür. Uzmanlığı gerektiren bir hizmet, meslek veya sanat, ancak kanun ya da yetkili makamlar tarafından verilen izinle yürütülebiliyorsa, borçlunun hafif kusurundan sorumlu olmayacağına ilişkin önceden yapılan anlaşma kesin olarak hükümsüzdür.
English summary (non-binding):
Any prior agreement excluding the debtor's liability for gross fault is absolutely null. Any prior agreement excluding the debtor's liability for any obligation arising from a service contract with the creditor is absolutely null. For services, professions or arts requiring expertise and carried on only under permission of law or competent authority, prior agreements excluding liability even for slight fault are absolutely null.
Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12
- TBK m.116Liability for acts of auxiliary persons
Original (Turkish, official):
MADDE 116- Borçlu, borcun ifasını veya bir borç ilişkisinden doğan hakkın kullanılmasını, birlikte yaşadığı kişiler ya da yanında çalışanlar gibi yardımcılarına kanuna uygun surette bırakmış olsa bile, onların işi yürüttükleri sırada diğer tarafa verdikleri zararı gidermekle yükümlüdür. Yardımcı kişilerin fiilinden doğan sorumluluk, önceden yapılan bir anlaşmayla tamamen veya kısmen kaldırılabilir. Uzmanlığı gerektiren bir hizmet, meslek veya sanat, ancak kanun veya yetkili makamlar tarafından verilen izinle yürütülebiliyorsa, borçlunun yardımcı kişilerin fiillerinden sorumlu olmayacağına ilişkin anlaşma kesin olarak hükümsüzdür.
English summary (non-binding):
Even where the debtor has lawfully entrusted performance of the obligation or exercise of a right thereunder to auxiliary persons such as cohabitees or employees, the debtor is liable for the damage they cause the other party in the course of their work. Liability for acts of auxiliary persons may be excluded entirely or partly by prior agreement. Where a service, profession or art requiring expertise may be carried on only under permission of law or competent authority, any agreement excluding the debtor's liability for the acts of auxiliary persons is absolutely null.
Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12
- TBK m.146General limitation period (10 years)
Original (Turkish, official):
MADDE 146- Kanunda aksine bir hüküm bulunmadıkça, her alacak on yıllık zamanaşımına tabidir.
English summary (non-binding):
Unless statute provides otherwise, every claim is subject to a ten-year limitation period.
Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12
The statutory provisions are reproduced for information purposes only. The current and official text on mevzuat.gov.tr is authoritative.
Conclusion
Article 116 TCO is a strong contractual tool that secures the creditor also against the acts of auxiliaries behind the debtor. In service industries and multi-tier subcontracting relations, the legal limits of exclusion clauses should be assessed in advance to avoid later invalidity disputes.
This article is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you would like professional assistance on a specific matter, you may request a consultation.
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