Undeclared Rent Crisis: “Either you raise or you vacate”

The latest regulations of the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, which make it mandatory to record income, stipulate that rent payments can only be made through banks and PTT. This decision has alarmed some landlords. Some landlords, who wanted to avoid the tax, started to put pressure on their tenants: “Either I raise the rent or you vacate the house”. In the face of this situation, tenants started to apply to the court.

This regulation introduced by the Ministry of Treasury and Finance to prevent the informal economy will also impose penalties on those who do not make rent payments through banks and PTT. The Ministry announced that from the beginning of 2025, lease contracts will also be made mandatory through e-Government.

We support these decisions taken within the scope of combating the informal economy. We believe in the importance of such regulations in terms of both controlling rent increases and the healthy functioning of legal processes between landlords and tenants.

The Unregistered Period Begins in Rental Markets

The new regulations were implemented in order to register the market and prevent exorbitant rent increases. Especially landlords who rent without a contract and receive their payments by hand are in a difficult situation with this decision. Landlords and tenants who do not declare their income may face legal proceedings. While it has become mandatory to make rent payments through the bank, tenants without a contract have started to demand a lease agreement from their landlords. However, some landlords refuse these requests and threaten to raise the rent or evict the tenant.

Exercise Your Legal Rights

Tenants are advised to sign a lease agreement and make payments through a bank. In this process, tenants can apply to the tax office if their landlord refuses to sign a contract. In order for tenants to protect their rights, it is very important that they submit their request for a contract to the landlord via notary or official means. In the long run, avoiding renting without a contract will protect the rights of both the tenant and the landlord.