Our Information Note on the suspension of workplace rental agreement termination and evacuations as a further COVID-19 measure has been published.

1. INTRODUCTION

Law No. 7226 on the Amendment of Certain Laws (the “Law”) has entered into force following its publication in the Official Gazette (repeating) dated 26 March 2020 and numbered 31080. The Law introduces certain measures pertaining to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and includes an important provision concerning workplace rentals.

2. THE PROVISION REGARDING WORKPLACE RENTALS

Pursuant to the relevant provision of the Law, the failure to pay the rental for workplaces between 1 March 2020 and 30 June 2020 will not constitute a reason for the termination of rental agreements or evacuations.

Since the Law does not contain any further provision in this regard, it is assumed that the provisions of rental agreements with respect to delay interest and penalty amounts due to late payment will remain applicable.

3. CONCLUSION

The abovementioned regulation intends to protect tenants of workplaces. Although the newly introduced provision may cause a temporary disruption in the rental income of workplace owners (i.e. landlords), it aims to preserve the operations of employers and maintain employment.