Applications are now open for the first 1,071 homes in Istanbul's public social-rental programme. TOKİ's official project page says submissions run through e-Devlet from 14 to 25 September 2026 and carry no application fee. An applicant must be a Turkish citizen aged at least 18, have lived continuously in Istanbul for at least one year, meet a TL100,000 average monthly net household-income ceiling and satisfy property and previous-TOKİ-right tests. Marriage is normally required, but TOKİ waives that condition for applicants who have turned 65. A residence or work permit does not make a foreign national eligible. The first homes are due for delivery in October, while the wider programme targets 15,000 rental units.
Who can—and cannot—apply
The applicant must be a Turkish citizen and at least 18. Marriage is required except for people who have turned 65, and only one application may be filed per household. The applicant must be able to document at least one year of uninterrupted Istanbul residence by the end of the application period. Average monthly net household income over the previous 12 months may not exceed TL100,000. Residence permits, work permits and Turkish companies do not substitute for citizenship, so foreign residents cannot apply under the published rules.
Previous TOKİ rights can also exclude a household
Neither the applicant nor the spouse may own an independent dwelling registered at the Land Registry anywhere in Turkey, or have bought, sold or transferred one during the previous five years. A person who previously signed a TOKİ housing contract cannot enter this allocation. Active principal or reserve rights holders in a social-housing project or the İlk Evim Arsa programme are also ineligible. A successful online submission does not override an exclusion found during document verification. If the tenant or spouse acquires a home during the allocation term, the public unit must be vacated.
The first 1,071 homes span four district groups
The October allocation comprises 360 homes across Başakşehir, Gaziosmanpaşa, Beyoğlu and Güngören; 330 across Maltepe, Tuzla and Kartal; 291 across Ataşehir, Sancaktepe, Ümraniye and Üsküdar; and 90 in Arnavutköy. The first three figures are totals for district groups, not a separate count for every named district. Applicants may select a project in any offered Istanbul district and need not live in that district, provided they satisfy the one-year Istanbul-wide residence condition. The exact split within each grouped total remains unpublished.
Monthly charges, deposit and the three-year limit
VAT-inclusive monthly allocation charges depend on unit and district group: TL10,000 for available 1+1 homes; TL12,000–17,000 for 2+1; TL15,000–18,000 for 3+1; and TL18,000–20,000 for the 4+1 homes offered in the Maltepe–Tuzla–Kartal group. No application fee is charged, but one month's allocation charge is required as security before the contract. Allocation lasts three years with no extension. The charge is unchanged for the first 12 months after delivery; the first later adjustment comes in the following January using consumer-price inflation.
Apply safely—and do not overread the market impact
Apply only through e-Devlet between 14 and 25 September and check progress under TOKİ's ‘Konut/İşyeri Başvuru’ service. Do not send identity records or money to an agent or social-media account promising priority. Submission is not a tenancy, and no intermediary can guarantee selection. The first 1,071 units are too few to prove that private rents across Istanbul will fall immediately; any broader effect depends on delivery, locations and occupation of the full 15,000-unit plan.
TOKİ — official project announcement, 10 September 2026 →
e-Devlet — official TOKİ housing and workplace application service →