The Turkish Statistical Institute has released the latest inflation data relevant to April 2026 lease renewals. Based on this announcement, the 12 month average Consumer Price Index, TÜFE, has been updated, determining the maximum lawful rent increase rate applicable to lease renewals taking place in April 2026.
Quick Answer: As of April 2026, the legal ceiling for rent increases in Türkiye is 2.82 percent, based on the 12 month average change in the Consumer Price Index reported by the Turkish Statistical Institute for March 2026, the month preceding the April renewal. This rate applies to both residential and roofed workplace lease renewals under Article 344 of the Turkish Code of Obligations. It is a maximum, not a mandatory figure, and the temporary 25 percent cap that applied specifically to residential leases expired on 1 July 2024, so the ordinary CPI based ceiling now governs every lease category.
The applicable rate for lease renewals falling in April 2026 is 2.82 percent, representing the maximum legal limit for rent increases during lease renewals that month. Several points about this figure are worth stating clearly:
For the previous month's figure, see our update on the February 2026 rent increase rate, and for the broader legal picture across the year, review our overview of rent increase rates and legal limits in Türkiye.
The 2.82 percent figure continues a marked downward trend that has characterised the applicable monthly rate through the first part of 2026, following the trajectory of Türkiye's broader disinflation programme. Landlords and tenants who compare this figure against rates from 2023 or 2024, when the applicable ceiling was frequently in the double digits or, before July 2024, capped at 25 percent for residential leases regardless of the underlying CPI figure, should be aware that the legal landscape has shifted substantially, and a rate remembered from even a few months earlier can already be out of date given how quickly the applicable monthly figure has been moving.
Rent increases in Türkiye are regulated under Article 344 of the Turkish Code of Obligations, Law No. 6098. According to this provision:
The applicable rate for a given renewal month is based on the 12 month average CPI figure published by the Turkish Statistical Institute for the month immediately preceding the renewal month; for an April renewal, this means the figure published based on March data, which is the 2.82 percent rate referenced throughout this article.
It is worth being precise about which inflation measure applies, since Türkiye publishes several distinct price indices, and only one of them is relevant here. Rent increases are tied specifically to the Consumer Price Index, TÜFE, rather than the Producer Price Index, Yİ-ÜFE, which is no longer used for this purpose. The relevant figure is also specifically the trailing 12 month average of the CPI change, not the single month or year-over-year headline inflation figure that is more commonly reported in general news coverage, and confusing these different measures is one of the more common sources of miscalculated rent increases in practice.
The table below shows how the applicable legal rent increase ceiling has moved across the early months of 2026, illustrating the pace of the decline referenced above.
| Renewal Month | Applicable Legal Ceiling |
|---|---|
| January 2026 | 4.88 percent |
| February 2026 | 6.73 percent |
| March 2026 | 3.47 percent |
| April 2026 | 2.82 percent |
| May 2026 | 2.43 percent |
| June 2026 | 2.24 percent |
| July 2026 | 32.03 percent |
| August 2026 | 31.90 percent |
Because this figure changes every month, a rate confirmed even a few weeks before a specific renewal date should be rechecked against the Turkish Statistical Institute's most recent announcement before it is relied upon for an actual rent adjustment.
Between 11 June 2022 and 1 July 2024, a temporary provision added to the Turkish Code of Obligations capped residential rent increases at 25 percent regardless of how much higher the 12 month average CPI figure was during that period, a measure introduced in response to the unusually high inflation Türkiye experienced at the time. This temporary cap applied only to residential leases and never applied to workplace leases, which were governed by the ordinary CPI based ceiling throughout. Since 1 July 2024, the temporary residential cap has not been renewed, and rent adjustments for both residential and workplace leases are again governed solely by the ordinary 12 month average CPI mechanism under Article 344, without any separate percentage ceiling layered on top of it.
In Türkiye, lease agreements generally do not need to be actively renewed or re-signed on an annual basis. Contracts automatically continue after the first term expires, all other terms of the original agreement remain valid and binding, and only the rent amount is updated based on the applicable CPI figure for the renewal month. A landlord generally cannot terminate a residential or workplace lease simply because the fixed term has ended; specific, limited legal grounds are required to end the tenancy once it has automatically continued past its first term.
Consider a lease with a current monthly rent of 100,000 Turkish Lira renewing in April 2026:
New Rent: 102,820.00 TRY
This represents the maximum permissible increase for this renewal month. The parties may agree on a lower rate, including no increase at all, but neither party can lawfully impose a higher figure through a unilateral demand.
If a landlord demands an increase above the legal limit:
Where a landlord genuinely believes the current rent has fallen well below fair market value, most commonly because the tenancy has continued for a number of years without the rent keeping pace with the local market, the proper legal route is a higher rent determination lawsuit rather than a unilateral increase above the CPI ceiling; this type of lawsuit generally only becomes available once the tenancy relationship has continued for at least five years, and it is decided by a court based on comparable market rents rather than by the landlord's own assessment.
2.82 percent, based on the 12 month average change in the Consumer Price Index reported for March 2026, the month preceding the April renewal.
Yes. Article 344 of the Turkish Code of Obligations applies the same 12 month average CPI ceiling to both residential leases and roofed workplace leases.
No. This figure is a legal maximum, not a mandatory or default increase. The parties are free to agree on a lower rate, or no increase at all.
No. That temporary cap applied only to residential leases and expired on 1 July 2024. Since then, the ordinary CPI based ceiling under Article 344 governs both residential and workplace lease renewals.
The excess amount is not legally enforceable. The tenant can object and continue paying only the lawful amount, and can pursue a court claim to recover any excess already paid if a resolution cannot be reached directly.
No. Leases generally continue automatically after the first term, with all other terms remaining valid, and only the rent amount is updated according to the applicable CPI figure.
Generally no. Once a residential or workplace lease has automatically continued past its first term, specific and limited legal grounds are required to terminate it; the expiry of the original term alone is not sufficient.
It is based on the 12 month average change in the Consumer Price Index published by the Turkish Statistical Institute for the month immediately preceding the renewal month, and it is announced early in each month for renewals occurring that same month.
Rather than imposing a unilateral increase above the CPI ceiling, the landlord can pursue a higher rent determination lawsuit, generally available once the tenancy has continued for at least five years, with the court setting the new rent based on comparable market evidence.
It applies as the legal ceiling for leases renewing in April 2026, but the actual rate applied depends on what the lease agreement specifies or what the parties agree, provided it does not exceed this ceiling.
The 12 month average CPI figure reflects the trailing twelve months of measured inflation, and as Türkiye's headline inflation rate has continued to decline through 2025 and into 2026, the trailing 12 month average feeding into this calculation has declined correspondingly.
Our related articles track the applicable rate month by month, including the February 2026 rent increase rate, alongside our broader overview of rent increase rates and legal limits in Türkiye.
TÜFE, the Consumer Price Index. The Producer Price Index, Yİ-ÜFE, is no longer used as the basis for the legal rent increase ceiling.
Not necessarily. The applicable rate is the trailing 12 month average of the CPI change, a specific figure published by the Turkish Statistical Institute, which can differ from the annual, year over year headline inflation figure more commonly reported in general news coverage. The two measures are calculated differently, and only the trailing 12 month average change is the figure Article 344 refers to, so it is worth confirming which specific figure a given source is citing before relying on it.
The 2.82 percent figure applicable to April 2026 lease renewals is a legal ceiling, not an obligation, and both landlords and tenants should confirm the correct current figure before agreeing to or demanding a specific increase, since even a small error in the applicable rate, let alone a larger one, can result in an unenforceable demand or an underpayment dispute. Both parties should ensure compliance with the applicable Turkish Code of Obligations provisions to avoid disputes that are, in most cases, straightforward to prevent with the correct figure in hand.
For assistance confirming the applicable rate for your specific lease renewal, or for guidance on a rent dispute or a higher rent determination lawsuit, our legal team at Bayraktar Attorneys is available to help.
