Türkiye's Treasury and Finance Ministry is working to make the preparation of rental agreements through the e-Government Gateway (e-Devlet Kapısı) mandatory, a move welcomed by real estate sector representatives and consumer associations as a step toward greater transparency and formalization in the rental market.
The ministry launched the first phase of its e-Government rental agreement service on Nov. 4, 2024, allowing property owners to prepare agreements digitally, with tenants and, where applicable, guarantors able to review and approve them through the platform.
The second phase, launched on May 9, 2025, expanded the service to real estate consultants and other authorized individuals, allowing them to prepare agreements and submit them to the parties for approval.
The service is now available across all 81 provinces, with 72,581 rental agreements approved through the system to date, according to figures reported by the ministry.
The system also allows users to correct material errors in spelling, figures and information within 15 days after approval. Its "update" function enables the parties' contact information, rental amount and payment details to be kept current.
Rental agreements can also be issued as time-stamped, barcoded documents and subsequently verified through the e-Government Gateway.
The ministry's plan to make the system mandatory has received support from representatives of the real estate sector, who say it could help prevent fraudulent contracts, unauthorized rentals and undeclared rental income while creating a more comprehensive database of rental-market activity.
Hakan Akdoğan, president of the All Entrepreneurial Real Estate Consultants Association, said mandatory use of the system could make it easier to verify whether a landlord is the actual property owner and prevent fraudulent contracts.
He said digitally preserving agreements would also make it easier to establish the date and contents of contracts in potential disputes.
"Contracts will not be lost, while the parties and rental amount will be recorded," Akdoğan said, adding that the system could eventually provide Türkiye with a powerful database reflecting actual rental-market data.
However, he said the system should be flexible enough to accommodate more complex arrangements, including shared ownership, deposits, inventories, subleases and corporate or commercial rentals.
Mustafa Kemal Şahin, president of the Real Estate Marketing and Sales Professionals Association, said the system could improve trust, transparency and formalization in the rental market.
He said tenants would be able to verify property owners or authorized representatives, helping prevent fraudulent listings and unauthorized rentals, while property owners could verify tenants' identities and digitally record the rental process.
Şahin also highlighted the role of licensed real estate consultants in ensuring that rental agreements are prepared correctly and in compliance with legislation.
He said broader use of the system would require increased public information and training, particularly to ensure that situations involving multiple owners, tenants or guarantors can be handled effectively.
Levent Küçük, president of the Consumers Association, also welcomed the digitalization of rental agreements but warned that some groups, particularly older citizens, may face difficulties using e-Government services.
Küçük called for greater efforts to educate citizens on how to use the platform before mandatory implementation.
He said the system would make it easier for parties to preserve and access their rental agreements, while suggesting that tenants and landlords should be given several days to review contracts before approving them.
The ministry has not yet announced a date for making e-Government rental agreements mandatory. The service currently remains available on a voluntary basis.
