Istanbul rental conflict ends after 10 years of legal tension

A 10-year dispute between a landlord and tenant over an eviction request in Istanbul was resolved within five hours through mediation, highlighting the growing role of alternative dispute resolution in Türkiye’s overloaded rental case system.

The dispute began in the Avcılar district after a landlord asked his tenant to vacate the property because his wife had been diagnosed with cancer and the apartment was close to the hospital where she would receive treatment.

When the tenant refused to leave, tensions between the two sides escalated into a years long legal and personal conflict. During the process, the landlord’s wife died, while disputes over eviction and rent increases continued.

After the case was referred to the courthouse, the file was transferred to a mediation office.

Lawyer and mediator Fatma Bozkurt Saraç, who was assigned to the case, contacted both parties by phone to explain the mediation process and discuss their demands.

During nearly five hours of phone conversations, Saraç conveyed the parties’ requests to each other and managed to secure an agreement without requiring a face to face meeting.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Saraç said the parties had expressed willingness to reach an agreement even before a formal meeting date was set.

“An agreement was reached in a very short period of around five hours. Despite the dispute continuing for 10 years, the parties complied with the agreement and their mutual demands were fulfilled in a short time,” she said.

Saraç said the prolonged dispute stemmed from recurring tensions between the landlord and tenant.

“He requests eviction because the house is very close to the hospital where his wife would receive treatment, but no agreement was reached. The subsequent eviction lawsuit was rejected. During the continuing process, the landlord’s wife passed away. However, because the rental relationship continued, disputes over rent increases and renewed eviction requests emerged,” she said.

According to Saraç, the final agreement included both a rent increase and a mutually acceptable timeline for the tenant to vacate the property.

She added that the settlement helped both parties compensate for years of financial and emotional strain while avoiding further legal costs.

Saraç also pointed to the lengthy duration of rental disputes in major cities such as Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara, where crowded court systems and appeals processes can delay rulings for years.

“Considering the appeals and Supreme Court processes after local court proceedings, there is almost no case concluded before four or five years,” she said.

She noted that prolonged disputes become a mental burden for both landlords and tenants, disrupting their ability to move forward with their lives.

DAILYSABAH