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Category IReal Estate Law

Real Estate Law Law

Real estate law covers a broad range of areas — the land registry, lease relationships, condominium ownership, zoning legislation and construction contracts — and is one of the most frequently invoked fields of practice. The articles in this section are prepared in the light of current legislation and the case law of the Court of Cassation, addressing both practitioners and readers whose work brings them into contact with the law.

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LatestAction for Cancellation of Title Deed and Re-registration: Conditions, Time Limits and Procedure22 April 2026
15 April 2026

Adaptation of Lease Agreements: Hardship and Conditions

Re-determination of rent under extraordinary economic conditions

When can a lease adaptation action be filed? Hardship, unforeseeability and judicial intervention: a comprehensive guide under TBK m.138.

Where extraordinary circumstances that the parties could not have foreseen disrupt the balance of the contract at the time of formation, Article 138 of the Turkish Code of Obligations (TBK) applies. This provision places the principle of adapting the contract to changed conditions alongside the classical principle of pacta sunt servanda.

Requirements of Hardship

TBK m.138 requires four cumulative conditions: (i) an extraordinary situation, unforeseen and unforeseeable at the time of contract formation, has arisen; (ii) it does not stem from the debtor; (iii) it has altered the circumstances existing at the time of contracting against the debtor to such a degree that performance would be contrary to the rules of good faith; and (iv) the debtor has not yet performed, or has performed while reserving rights arising from the excessive difficulty of performance.

When all conditions are met, the debtor may request the court to adapt the contract to the new circumstances or, if adaptation is not possible, to terminate the contract. In leases, adaptation generally takes the form of re-determination of the rent rather than termination.

The Court of Cassation's Approach to Adaptation

Settled case law of the 3rd and 6th Civil Chambers of the Court of Cassation holds that adaptation is possible where extraordinary changes arising after contract formation — unforeseeable by the parties — have disrupted the balance of performance to a manifest extent. The change must go well beyond ordinary inflationary fluctuations within the reasonable range the parties could have anticipated.

Courts conducting adaptation rely on expert reports, comparable rents, and CPI/PPI inflation rates; as a rule, adaptation is not given retroactive effect.

Trial preparation should include the date the contract was formed, prior records of rent increases, comparable-rent surveys, and financial documents showing the impact of the extraordinary change on the parties.

Special Rule for Residential and Roofed-Workplace Leases

TBK m.344 sets the annual rent increase in residential and roofed-workplace leases by reference to the twelve-month average change in the consumer price index of the previous year. Increases exceeding this cap are invalid; claims based on hardship adaptation are assessed independently of this limit.

Practical Considerations

Real-estate disputes should be reviewed first on the basis of the land registry, encumbrance records, municipal and zoning status, actual use, and the payment records between the parties. In particular, in matters concerning deed cancellation, eviction, partition and condominium ownership a single document is rarely sufficient; official records must be assessed together with the factual situation.

Before commencing an action or transaction it is essential to identify time limits and the competent authority correctly. The court of the place where the immovable is located, the form requirements before notaries, land-registry procedures, dates of notices and service records can directly affect the course of the dispute.

When preparing evidence, the deed, official deed, lease, bank receipts, formal notices, building permits, management plans and other technical documents that may be subject to expert review should be filed separately. Such preparation enables a clearer legal framework both when filing an action and in settlement discussions.

Relevant Statutory Provisions

  • TBK m.138Hardship and adaptation of the contract

    Original (Turkish, official):

    MADDE 138- Sözleşmenin yapıldığı sırada taraflarca öngörülmeyen ve öngörülmesi de beklenmeyen olağanüstü bir durum, borçludan kaynaklanmayan bir sebeple ortaya çıkar ve sözleşmenin yapıldığı sırada mevcut olguları, kendisinden ifanın istenmesini dürüstlük kurallarına aykırı düşecek derecede borçlu aleyhine değiştirir ve borçlu da borcunu henüz ifa etmemiş veya ifanın aşırı ölçüde güçleşmesinden doğan haklarını saklı tutarak ifa etmiş olursa borçlu, hâkimden sözleşmenin yeni koşullara uyarlanmasını isteme, bu mümkün olmadığı takdirde sözleşmeden dönme hakkına sahiptir. Sürekli edimli sözleşmelerde borçlu, kural olarak dönme hakkının yerine fesih hakkını kullanır.
    Bu madde hükmü yabancı para borçlarında da uygulanır.

    English summary (non-binding):

    Article 138- Where an extraordinary situation neither foreseen nor reasonably foreseeable by the parties at the time of contracting arises for a reason not attributable to the debtor, and alters the facts existing at the time of contracting against the debtor to such a degree that demanding performance would offend the rules of good faith, and the debtor has not yet performed or has performed while reserving rights arising from the excessive difficulty of performance, the debtor is entitled to request the court to adapt the contract to the new conditions or, if adaptation is not possible, to withdraw from the contract. In continuing-performance contracts, the debtor as a rule exercises the right of termination instead of withdrawal. This provision also applies to foreign-currency obligations.

    Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12

  • TBK m.299Definition of the lease agreement

    Original (Turkish, official):

    MADDE 299- Kira sözleşmesi, kiraya verenin bir şeyin kullanılmasını veya kullanmayla birlikte ondan yararlanılmasını kiracıya bırakmayı, kiracının da buna karşılık kararlaştırılan kira bedelini ödemeyi üstlendiği sözleşmedir.

    English summary (non-binding):

    Article 299- A lease agreement is a contract by which the lessor undertakes to let the lessee use, or use and enjoy, a thing, and the lessee undertakes to pay the agreed rent in return.

    Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12

  • TBK m.343Prohibition of changes against the tenant in residential/roofed-workplace leases

    Original (Turkish, official):

    MADDE 343- Kira sözleşmelerinde kira bedelinin belirlenmesi dışında, kiracı aleyhine değişiklik yapılamaz.

    English summary (non-binding):

    Article 343- In lease agreements, no changes may be made to the detriment of the tenant other than the determination of the rent.

    Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12

  • TBK m.344Annual rent increase cap (CPI)

    Original (Turkish, official):

    MADDE 344 - Tarafların yenilenen kira dönemlerinde uygulanacak kira bedeline ilişkin anlaşmaları, bir önceki kira yılında tüketici fiyat endeksindeki oniki aylık ortalamalara göre değişim oranını geçmemek koşuluyla geçerlidir. Bu kural, bir yıldan daha uzun süreli kira sözleşmelerinde de uygulanır.
    Taraflarca bu konuda bir anlaşma yapılmamışsa, kira bedeli, bir önceki kira yılının tüketici fiyat endeksindeki oniki aylık ortalamalara göre değişim oranını geçmemek koşuluyla hâkim tarafından, kiralananın durumu göz önüne alınarak hakkaniyete göre belirlenir.
    Taraflarca bu konuda bir anlaşma yapılıp yapılmadığına bakılmaksızın, beş yıldan uzun süreli veya beş yıldan sonra yenilenen kira sözleşmelerinde ve bundan sonraki her beş yılın sonunda, yeni kira yılında uygulanacak kira bedeli, hâkim tarafından tüketici fiyat endeksindeki oniki aylık ortalamalara göre değişim oranı, kiralananın durumu ve emsal kira bedelleri göz önünde tutularak hakkaniyete uygun biçimde belirlenir. Her beş yıldan sonraki kira yılında bu biçimde belirlenen kira bedeli, önceki fıkralarda yer alan ilkelere göre değiştirilebilir.
    Sözleşmede kira bedeli yabancı para olarak kararlaştırılmışsa 20/2/1930 tarihli ve 1567 sayılı Türk Parasının Kıymetini Koruma Hakkında Kanun hükümleri saklı kalmak şartıyla, beş yıl geçmedikçe kira bedelinde değişiklik yapılamaz. Ancak, bu Kanunun, “Aşırı ifa güçlüğü” başlıklı 138 inci maddesi hükmü saklıdır. Beş yıl geçtikten sonra kira bedelinin belirlenmesinde, yabancı paranın değerindeki değişiklikler de göz önünde tutularak üçüncü fıkra hükmü uygulanır.

    English summary (non-binding):

    Article 344- The parties' agreements on the rent to be applied in renewed lease periods are valid only to the extent they do not exceed the rate of change in the twelve-month average of the consumer price index (CPI) of the previous lease year. This rule also applies to leases longer than one year. If the parties have not agreed on this matter, the rent is determined by the court equitably, taking into account the condition of the leased property, subject to the same CPI cap. Regardless of any party agreement, in leases longer than five years or renewed after five years, and at the end of each subsequent five-year period, the rent applicable in the new lease year is determined equitably by the court taking into account the CPI change, the condition of the leased property and comparable rents; the rent so determined may thereafter be adjusted according to the principles in the preceding paragraphs. Where the rent is set in a foreign currency, then — subject to Law No. 1567 on the Protection of the Value of Turkish Currency — no change in the rent may be made before five years have elapsed; however, the hardship provision in TBK m.138 is reserved. After five years, the rent is determined under the third paragraph, taking into account changes in the value of the foreign currency.

    Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12

  • TBK m.345Action for determination of rent: time limit and effect

    Original (Turkish, official):

    MADDE 345- Kira bedelinin belirlenmesine ilişkin dava her zaman açılabilir.
    Ancak, bu dava, yeni dönemin başlangıcından en geç otuz gün önceki bir tarihte açıldığı ya da kiraya veren tarafından bu süre içinde kira bedelinin artırılacağına ilişkin olarak kiracıya yazılı bildirimde bulunulmuş olması koşuluyla, izleyen yeni kira dönemi sonuna kadar açıldığı takdirde, mahkemece belirlenecek kira bedeli, bu yeni kira döneminin başlangıcından itibaren kiracıyı bağlar.
    Sözleşmede yeni kira döneminde kira bedelinin artırılacağına ilişkin bir hüküm varsa, yeni kira döneminin sonuna kadar açılacak davada mahkemece belirlenecek kira bedeli de, bu yeni dönemin başlangıcından itibaren geçerli olur.

    English summary (non-binding):

    Article 345- An action for determination of rent may be brought at any time. However, if the action is filed at least thirty days before the start of the new lease period, or if within that period the lessor has given the tenant written notice of an intended increase and the action is filed by the end of the following new lease period, the rent determined by the court binds the tenant from the start of that new lease period. If the contract contains a provision that the rent will be increased in the new lease period, the rent determined by the court in an action filed by the end of that new lease period likewise takes effect from the start of that new 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

An adaptation action is a remedy available where the contractual balance has been severely disrupted. The outcome depends on demonstrating the extraordinary change through concrete evidence and the specific features of the contract.

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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