Furnished or unfurnished, the protective rules are the same — unless the flat is meant for temporary use and let for six months or less.
The listing says eşyalı, and the landlord wants a larger deposit and a signed promise to cover any damage. The problem is knowing which of those demands the law actually supports. Under Article 339 of the Turkish Code of Obligations No. 6098, the rules protecting a residential tenant also cover the items handed over with the flat; as of the official legislation pages checked on 5 November 2026, that protection is the baseline for any furnished lease.
Does a furnished flat change your rights as a tenant?
Article 339 of the Turkish Code of Obligations No. 6098 applies the rules on residential leases to the items handed over to the tenant together with the flat. That means a furnished flat does not sit in a weaker legal category: the same protective norms that cover an empty flat cover the furniture and appliances inside it.
The eşyalı label therefore changes nothing by itself. A landlord cannot argue that the presence of furniture removes the flat from residential-lease protection, and the tenant keeps the same baseline rights as in an unfurnished lease.
Is your furnished lease short-term or annual?
One news outlet reported on 7 September 2025 that around 60% of 1+1 flats in large cities were being let furnished. Demand was coming from students and single tenants, for whom rising furniture and appliance prices made buying a full set the more expensive route.
A contract-template site, as of 5 March 2026, and a real-estate agency, as of 11 August 2026, describe a split by length of stay: furnished flats sit in the short-to-medium-term lane for business travellers, newly arrived foreigners and students, while unfurnished flats usually go to families on annual or longer leases.
Check whether your lease falls under the tourist-rental law
Law No. 7464 on the tourist rental of housing covers lettings of up to 100 days inclusive, and such a letting requires a permit from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
A single letting of more than 100 days, furnished or unfurnished, falls outside that law. So the eşyalı label does not by itself make your lease a tourist rental; the decisive question is the length of the letting, and a 12-month furnished contract is not caught by the tourist-rental regime.
What is the deposit ceiling for a furnished flat?
Article 342 of the Code of Obligations No. 6098 caps the guarantee under a residential lease at three months' rent, and that cap applies to furnished housing as well. A money deposit must be placed in a term savings account from which it cannot be withdrawn without the landlord's approval.
In practice, a service for landlords observed on 22 July 2026 that furnished flats usually carry a higher deposit, set to cover some of the risk to the furniture and appliances. The observation does not change the law: the three-month ceiling remains the limit, however the landlord frames the extra amount.
How to build the inventory list before you move in
Lawyers and real-estate agencies, in guides published between May and October 2026, agree that a furnished rental needs a demirbaş listesi (inventory list). Without it, they say, the argument at move-out is hard to settle.
As those lawyers and agencies advise in guides published between May and October 2026, the list should state the condition of every item and include photographs. Both parties sign it, and it is attached to the contract. That way you have a signed record of what was in the flat on the day you took it, which makes it much harder to charge you later for a scratch that was already there.
What you do not pay for at move-out
Under Article 334 of the Code of Obligations No. 6098, you are not liable for wear and damage that comes from using the flat in line with the contract. Normal ageing of a sofa or fading of a fabric is not something you pay for at move-out.
A clause signed in advance promising any compensation beyond damage from use contrary to the contract is invalid. So a blanket promise to cover 'any damage' overstates what the law allows, and you can refuse to sign it.
When to take the contract to a lawyer
Article 339 of the Code of Obligations No. 6098 carves out properties that by their nature are intended for temporary use and are let for six months or less. For those, the residential-lease protections do not apply.
A furnished flat is not automatically in that carve-out, but whether yours counts as 'by its nature intended for temporary use' depends on the facts. If your lease is for six months or less, put that question to a lawyer before you sign.