Istanbul Eviction Lawyer

The rapid change in rental prices and real estate values ​​in Istanbul has made rent determination, rent collection, eviction, protection of real estate and tenant-related disputes more important for property owners. In cases such as rental relations below the market value, irregular payments, eviction commitments, eviction due to necessity, rent adaptation requests or damage to the real estate, the process must be carried out in a legal and strategic manner. Lawyer Mehmet Kurşun provides result-oriented legal support to the owners of houses, workplaces, residences, villas, plazas and shops throughout Istanbul on rental law, eviction cases, rent receivables and protection of property owner's rights.

How to evict a tenant in the fastest way in Istanbul?

The fastest way to evict a tenant in Istanbul is to have a valid Written Eviction Commitment. Based on this commitment, Enforcement Proceedings with Request for Eviction (Example No: 14), which will be initiated within 1 month from the date of eviction, will result in final eviction within 2 to 3 months on average, if the tenant does not object. If you do not have a letter of undertaking, 7/30 Day Enforcement Proceedings (Example No: 13) or an Eviction Case Due to Necessity to be initiated against the tenant who does not pay the rent are some of the most effective ways.

Ways to Evict the Tenant in Istanbul

As a property owner, all you need to know is the limited number of eviction grounds the law gives you. As an Istanbul rental law lawyer, the most common legal eviction methods we use for our clients are:

Evacuation with Written Evacuation Commitment (TBK article 352/1)

If you have a letter of undertaking duly signed within a reasonable period of time after the establishment of the lease and the delivery of the keys, the tenant does not have the right to say "my contract has been extended". If the tenant does not leave when the eviction date arrives, we initiate eviction proceedings by applying to the enforcement office within 1 month. We refute the tenant's malicious objections such as "the signature is not mine" or "the dates were filled in later" through expedited lawsuits and graphology (signature examination) processes that we will file in the Civil Court of Peace. Objections such as "the dates were filled in later, they were taken from me by force" are not accepted according to the opinion accepted by the Supreme Court. In addition, in case of a Notarized Eviction Commitment, we can quickly obtain Eviction Decisions from the Istanbul Enforcement Civil Courts, even if the tenant objects, as the tenant cannot deny signature, according to the Supreme Court Decisions.

Supreme Court of Appeals 3rd Civil Chamber 2025/1918 E., 2025/5080 K., Decision dated 22/10/2025

"According to the justification stated in the appealed decision, the fact that, in accordance with the established practice of the Supreme Court of Appeals, the letter of undertaking received after the lease relationship was established reflects and is accepted to reflect the free will of the tenant, the defendant, who is obliged to prove the claim that the dates in the letter of undertaking were filled in later, could not provide evidence of the same strength as the written eviction undertaking in this regard, and considering that it was appropriate to decide on the analysis in line with the legally valid eviction undertaking, it was decided to reject the appeal objections of the defendant's attorney and to approve the decision, which is in accordance with the procedure and law."

According to this and similar current Supreme Court decisions dated 2026, it will be seen that a claim that it was filled only later will not be accepted by the Courts. However, in order to avoid loss of rights, it will be very important for your case to be followed up on your behalf by an Istanbul Rent and Eviction Lawyer in a court specialized in this field. In our similar cases, claims such as "I was abroad at that time", "I never saw the owner of the property, the real estate agent made me sign it", "I don't know what I signed", "I signed it on another date" and similar claims were not considered superior to our claims by the Courts, and the decisions were in our favor.

Eviction Due to Non-Payment of Rent (Case No: 13 and TBK Art. 315) 2026

If your tenant underpays the rent, constantly pays it late, or does not pay it at all, you do not have to wait years in court. We send a payment order to the tenant directly through the enforcement office with a 7-day objection and an eviction request with a 30-day payment period. If the tenant does not pay the entire debt (including interest and expenses) within this 30-day legal period, we will file a lawsuit in the Enforcement Civil Court and receive an eviction decision within an average of 4-6 months. If the tenant sends you even 1 penny less, there is no obstacle to eviction. Therefore, at this point, it would be useful to calculate with an Istanbul Eviction and Rental Lawyer whether your current rent has increased exactly at the contract rate over the years or whether there is an underpayment of the amount.

Eviction Due to the Need of the Landlord or His Relatives (TBK article 350/1)

If you, your spouse, your children (descendants), your parents (descendants) or your legally dependents need housing or a workplace, you have the right to file an eviction lawsuit. According to the established jurisprudence of the Supreme Court, the fact that the owner is renting is the greatest evidence that the claim of need is "real, sincere and mandatory".

• Process: The lawsuit must be filed within 1 month from the end of the term in fixed-term lease agreements, and within 1 month from the end of the 6-month termination period in indefinite-term agreements.

However, for this reason, it is of great importance to work with an expert Rental Lawyer in cases to be filed. Because in cases that are filed at the wrong time and the mediation process is not carried out in time, the Courts can reject the case that lasts for years. In this sense, you can contact Attorney Mehmet Emin Kurşun Law Firm and its team to get professional support.

Release Due to Expiration of 10-Year Extension Period (TBK Art. 347)

If your lease agreement has completed a total extension period of 10 years (if the contract period is 1 year and 11 years have passed since the date of the first agreement), you can now evict the tenant without having to give any reason. All you have to do is to notify the tenant with a written notice of termination (warning) through a notary, at least 3 months before the end of each new extension year. Here, too, it is of great importance to comply with the deadlines. Because you will have to wait 1 year to file a Rent Evacuation Case again due to the transaction not being completed in due time.

What Do Warning and Notification Errors Cause in Eviction Cases?

In rent eviction cases, the notice and notification process is one of the most critical stages of the case. Because many reasons for eviction depend on a notice sent within certain periods of time or notices duly served to the tenant. Sending the notice at the wrong time, preparing it with incomplete content, or not properly notifying the tenant may result in the loss of the right to eviction or at least a serious delay.

For example, in an eviction based on a 10-year extension period, the termination notice must reach the tenant at least 3 months before the end of the lease period. What is important here is not only that the notice is sent, but also that it is notified to the tenant within the required time. Even a one-day delay can delay the release process for a year.

In eviction processes initiated due to non-payment of rent, the payment order must be prepared correctly and duly notified to the tenant. The payment period given to the tenant, the objection period and the legal basis for the eviction request must be clear. Incomplete or incorrect payment orders may cause enforcement proceedings to be ineffective or cause procedural problems in the eviction case.

Notification errors occur frequently, especially in densely populated areas such as Istanbul. The process may be complicated by the tenant not being at the address, avoiding receiving the notification, changing the address, or having different people receive the notification at the workplace. For this reason, notice and notification procedures must be followed carefully, and the deadlines for notary, enforcement office and court notifications must be meticulously checked.

One of the most important points in the tenant eviction process is to correctly determine the most appropriate evacuation method for the concrete case. The same legal method is not applied in every rental dispute. If you have a valid eviction commitment, quick eviction through enforcement may be on the agenda, but if the tenant does not pay the rent, enforcement proceedings with a 7/30-day payment order may be more effective. On the other hand, if there is a need for housing or a workplace, an eviction case based on necessity should be considered, and in long-term rental relationships, an eviction based on a 10-year extension period should be considered.

Relying on the wrong reason for eviction may result in the case being rejected, even in a case where the property owner is right. For example, if the deadline in the eviction commitment has been missed, it may not be possible to rely on this method. In an eviction case due to need, it must be proven that the need is real, sincere and mandatory. In case of release based on a 10-year extension period, the time calculation and the 3-month notice requirement must be fulfilled without fail.

For this reason, before starting the eviction process, the rental agreement, eviction commitment, payment records, rent increases, warning history, the tenant's usage pattern and the current status of the property should be examined together. When the right legal path is chosen, the eviction process is accelerated; If the wrong path is chosen, the property owner may lose months or even years of time.

Courthouse Courthouse How Long Do Eviction Cases Last in Istanbul?

"Landlord" Protection Shield in Luxury Residential and Commercial Workplace Rentals

If your property is in a luxury residence, villa or a shop/plaza in central business areas such as Maslak, Levent, Ataşehir, the size of the dispute is much greater. Ordinary evacuation methods and professional instruments should be used in these qualified areas:

• Abuse and Damage Assessment Case: In case the tenant destroys the property or damages the kitchen, bathroom or floor coverings when leaving, we request an urgent "Detection of Evidence" from the court before the eviction and record the damage with an expert report. High-value business properties also lose a lot of value due to misuse.
• Lessor's Right to Imprisonment (TBK Art. 336-338): In case of unpaid exorbitant shop or workplace rents, we impose a legal lien on the goods by the decision of the Civil Judge of Peace, in order to prevent the tenant from smuggling luxury goods, machinery or fixtures inside.
• Rent Determination Case (5-Year Condition): If you cannot evict your tenant, but his rent is well below the market, we secure your income by filing a Rent Determination Case in Istanbul to re-determine the rent according to market rates, without being subject to the CPI limit, after the 5th year.

"Compulsory Mediation" in Istanbul Eviction Cases

In accordance with the legal regulation that comes into force as of September 1, 2023, it is a mandatory requirement to apply to a mediation office before filing a lawsuit in disputes arising from the rental relationship in Istanbul (including eviction and rent determination cases).

However, here is the biggest trap that property owners fall into. Tenants try to stall the landlord at the mediation table by saying, "Let me increase my rent a little, but give me 1 more year." In mediation meetings that are not managed by an expert Istanbul eviction lawyer, property owners may unknowingly lose their right to eviction commitment or time limits. As Mehmet Kurşun Law Firm, we protect the "red lines" of our clients at the mediation table; If an agreement cannot be reached, we immediately initiate the court process by obtaining a report of disagreement as soon as possible.

In conclusion

Beyond just theoretical articles of law, rental law requires a very good knowledge of the decisions of the Supreme Court of Appeals and Istanbul Regional Courts of Justice (BAM) dated 2025 and 2026, which change every day, the actual functioning of the courthouses and the gaps in the notification law.

Our office was established with a vision to protect the rights of property owners:

• First of all, we conduct legal risk analyzes of your lease agreements and eviction commitments,
• Notification games in Istanbul courthouses (tactics of the tenant such as not receiving notifications at the door, changing the address) are subject to the Notification Law art. 21 and m. It disposes of 35 by using it in the most correct way and follows up the process well,
• We reduce the possibility of human error to zero by monitoring litigation and enforcement deadlines on a daily basis with our professional software.

You can contact us to prevent your property from losing value, to finalize the rental relationship that has turned into an unfair occupation with final eviction as soon as possible and within the legal framework, and to work with an Istanbul Rent and Eviction Lawyer.

What to do if the tenant does not leave after an eviction decision is made?

Winning the eviction case or finalizing the enforcement proceedings does not always mean that the tenant will vacate the property automatically. If the tenant does not vacate the property despite the eviction decision, the property owner can initiate the actual eviction process through legal enforcement methods.

Following the eviction decision received from the court or the finalized enforcement proceeding, an application is made to the authorized enforcement office and a request for eviction is made. The enforcement office gives the tenant a legal period to vacate the property. If the tenant does not surrender the real estate on his own within this period, the bailiff goes to the real estate accompanied by a locksmith and law enforcement officers when necessary and carries out the actual eviction.

During the actual evacuation, the condition of the belongings in the real estate, key delivery, damage assessment, if any, and the goods left by the tenant should be carefully recorded. Especially in luxury houses, villas, residences, shops and commercial workplaces, detecting evidence before or during evacuation is important in terms of proving damages to the real estate.

If the tenant continues to use the real estate despite the eviction decision, the property owner may also take legal action for unfair use, rent receivables, retaliation or damages to the real estate. For this reason, once the decision to evacuate is made, the process should not be left alone; Execution, turnkey delivery and damage assessment stages must be followed professionally.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the tenant have to continue paying rent while the eviction case is ongoing?

Yes. The fact that an eviction lawsuit has been filed or enforcement proceedings have been initiated does not eliminate the tenant's rent payment obligation. The tenant must continue to pay the rent until he actually vacates the property and duly returns the key. If rent payments are not made, the property owner may also initiate enforcement proceedings for rent receivables or claim this during the current eviction process.

What to do if the tenant does not leave despite the eviction commitment?

If the tenant does not vacate the property on the date specified in a valid eviction commitment, the lessor may initiate enforcement proceedings or file an eviction lawsuit within 1 month from the date of eviction. If this period is missed, the right to rely on the eviction commitment may be weakened. For this reason, commitment dates and application period should be followed carefully.

Can a tenant who underpays his rent be evicted?

Yes. If the tenant underpays the rent, it means that the rent debt is not fully fulfilled. The lessor may initiate enforcement proceedings with a request for eviction for underpaid rent. If the tenant does not pay the entire debt, including interest and expenses, within the period specified in the payment order sent to him, eviction process may be brought to the agenda.

Can the landlord evict the tenant for his own needs?

Yes. If the lessor has a real, sincere and compulsory need for housing or a workplace for himself, his spouse, his descendants, his ancestors or his legal dependents, an eviction lawsuit may be filed due to need. However, this need must be concretely proven in court. Just saying "I need a home" may not be enough.

Can the tenant of 10 years be evicted in any case?

If the 10-year extension period has expired, the lessor may apply for eviction without giving any reason under certain conditions. However, time calculation is very important here. The initial lease period, extension years and notice date must be calculated correctly. The termination notice must reach the tenant at least 3 months before the end of the rental period. If a time mistake is made, the right to release may be postponed for one year.

What happens if an eviction lawsuit is filed without going to mediation?

In rental disputes, it is mandatory to apply for mediation before filing a lawsuit. If a lawsuit for eviction is filed directly before the mediation process is completed, the court may reject the case on procedural grounds. For this reason, before proceeding with the eviction case, a mediation application should be made and if there is no agreement, a final report should be taken.

What to do if the tenant still does not vacate the house after an eviction order is issued?

If the tenant does not vacate the property despite an eviction decision, the decision must be implemented through enforcement. The lessor applies to the enforcement office and requests eviction. If the tenant does not leave within the given time, the bailiff carries out the actual evacuation of the property, accompanied by a locksmith and law enforcement officers when necessary. At this stage, the delivery of the keys, the condition of the property and any damages should be recorded.