1. Definition and Legal Nature of the Right of Retention 

The right of retention (hapis hakkı), regulated in Article 950 et seq. of the Turkish Civil Code (TMK), is a real security (pledge) right that grants the creditor the authority to refuse to return a property belonging to the debtor and in the creditor’s possession until the debt is paid, and to convert this property into money for the purpose of collecting their claim (Supreme Court 14th Civil Chamber, General Assembly of Civil Chambers). Within the scope of Article 23 of the Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law (İİK), the right of retention is considered a pledge right (Regional Court of Appeals Antalya 11th Civil Chamber).

2. Procedural Conditions for the Right of Retention 

In accordance with judicial decisions, the following legal conditions must be met concurrently for the right of retention to be exercised:

Possession and Consent: The creditor must possess the movable property or valuable papers belonging to the debtor with the debtor’s consent (Turkish Civil Code art. 950/1). The right of retention cannot be exercised if possession was acquired without consent or by force (Regional Court of Appeals Adana 9th Civil Chamber).

Maturity of the Debt: The claim subject to the right of retention must be due (mature) (Supreme Court 14th Civil Chamber, General Assembly of Civil Chambers). However, if the debtor becomes insolvent, this right can be exercised even if the claim is not yet due (Turkish Civil Code art. 952/1, Supreme Court 23rd Civil Chamber).

Connection Between the Property and the Claim (Link): There must be a natural or legal connection between the detained property and the claim (Istanbul Anatolian 3rd ATM). In commercial relations between merchants, if possession and the claim arise from a commercial relationship, this connection is legally deemed to exist (Turkish Civil Code art. 950/2, Regional Court of Appeals Istanbul 45th Civil Chamber).

Convertibility into Money: The right of lien can only be exercised over movable properties that are by their nature suitable for conversion into money. The right of lien cannot be established over documents (contracts, archive records, etc.) that have no economic value and only concern the parties (Istanbul Anatolian 3rd ATM, Regional Court of Appeals Istanbul 45th Civil Chamber).

Good Faith: It is a condition that the creditor acts in good faith from the beginning of the relationship until the moment the right is exercised, and exercises the expected diligence according to the circumstances (General Assembly of Civil Chambers, Court of Cassation 14th Civil Chamber).

Absence of Legal or Contractual Obstacle: The right of lien must not have been prohibited by the contract between the parties; furthermore, there must be no situation contrary to public order (Turkish Civil Code art. 951, Court of Cassation 14th Civil Chamber).

3. Stages and Procedure for Exercising the Right of Lien

The following stages should be followed in the process of exercising the right of lien and converting it into money:

Retention and Notification: The creditor must notify the debtor that they will retain the property (refuse to return it) until the debt is paid. This notification can be made orally, but for evidentiary purposes, making it with a notary warning increases legal certainty (Regional Court of Appeals Antalya 11th Civil Chamber, Bakırköy 4th ATM).

Keeping a Lien Ledger: In cases especially involving rent receivables and storage fees, the creditor may apply to the enforcement office and request that a “lien ledger” be kept, listing the items subject to the right of retention (Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law Art. 270, Bakırköy 6th Civil Commercial Court, Supreme Court 23rd Civil Chamber).

Monetization Process: If the debt is not fulfilled and sufficient security is not provided, the creditor may, by notifying the debtor in advance, request that the detained items be monetized in accordance with the provisions of “enforcement through the conversion of movable pledge into money” (Turkish Civil Code Art. 953, İzmir 6th Civil Commercial Court, Istanbul 19th Civil Commercial Court).

Set-off Process: In some cases, the value of the item subject to the right of retention (e.g., scrap value) can be offset against the matured receivable, and transactions can be carried out on the remaining receivable (Konya 4th Civil Commercial Court).

4. Right of Retention in Special Cases

Lawyers: In accordance with Article 166 of the Attorneyship Law, lawyers may retain money and valuables collected on behalf of their clients, to the extent of their attorney’s fees and expenses. However, for this right to be exercised, it is mandatory that the receivable is matured, that the client is informed without delay, and that the right of retention is exercised only to the extent (proportionate to) the amount of the receivable (Supreme Court 13th Civil Chamber, Criminal General Assembly).

Lessors: In real estate leases, the lessor has a right of retention over the movables in the leased property for one year’s accrued rent and six months’ ongoing rent (Turkish Code of Obligations Art. 336, Supreme Court 23rd Civil Chamber).

Carriers and Warehouse Keepers: For receivables arising from a freight contract or a storage contract, a right of retention exists over the goods (Turkish Commercial Code Art. 1201, Turkish Code of Obligations Art. 574, Regional Court of Justice Istanbul 12th Civil Chamber).

5. Information Obtained from Secondary Sources 

The following points are included in the decision texts as limited information or claims and provide additional context:

Relationship with Preliminary Injunction: When a preliminary injunction is requested within the scope of the right of retention for monetary claims, courts seek the fulfillment of the “approximate proof” condition; they generally consider the provisional attachment method to be more suitable for monetary claims (BAM Konya 5th Civil Chamber).

Usage as a Defense: The right of retention can be asserted in commercial disputes as a “defense of non-payment” or a set-off/compensation defense (Istanbul 20th Commercial Court).

Relationship with Enforcement Proceedings: The actual exercise of the right of retention (seizure of goods) and enforcement proceedings (conversion of pledge into money) can be carried out simultaneously or as successive stages. However, failure to duly assert the right of retention may lead to the annulment of enforcement proceedings or render the right ineffective (BAM Istanbul 13th Civil Chamber, Supreme Court 12th Civil Chamber).

Proof of Contract: The burden of proving the existence of the underlying relationship (e.g., a contract for work) that forms the basis of the right of retention lies with the party exercising the right of retention (Istanbul 6th Commercial Court). A paper suggestion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Hapis hakkı nedir ve alacaklıya ne tür yetkiler sağlar?

Hapis hakkı, alacaklıya; borçluya ait olup zilyetliğinde bulunan taşınırı, borç ödeninceye kadar iade etmeme ve borcun tahsili için rehin gibi paraya çevirme yetkisi tanıyan ayni bir teminat hakkıdır. Türk Medeni Kanunu ve İcra ve İflas Kanunu uyarınca rehin hakkı niteliğindedir.

Hapis hakkı her elde bulunan eşya için kullanılabilir mi?

Hayır. Hapis hakkı; Borçluya ait, Alacaklının borçlunun rızasıyla zilyet olduğu,
Paraya çevrilmesi mümkün taşınırlar üzerinde kullanılabilir. Ekonomik değeri olmayan belgeler, sözleşmeler veya arşiv evrakları üzerinde hapis hakkı kurulamaz.

Hapis hakkı için alacağın mutlaka vadesi gelmiş olmalı mı?

Evet. Alacaklı; Eşyayı borç ödeninceye kadar alıkoyduğunu, İade etmeyeceğini
borçluya bildirmelidir. Bu bildirim sözlü olabilir; ancak noter ihtarnamesi ile yapılması ispat ve hukuki güvenlik açısından kritiktir.

Hapis hakkına konu eşya nasıl paraya çevrilir?

Borç ödenmez veya yeterli teminat gösterilmezse; Taşınır rehninin paraya çevrilmesi yoluyla icra takibi başlatılır. Bu aşama, hapis hakkının en çok usul hatası yapılan ve yanlış uygulandığında alacağın riske girdiği aşamadır.

Marina, tersane, taşıma ve saklama ilişkilerinde hapis hakkı uygulanabilir mi?

Evet. Özellikle;
Marina / iskele / ardiye / tersane alacakları,
Navlun ve taşıma sözleşmeleri,
Saklama ve depo hizmetleri,
Kira alacakları hapis hakkının en sık ve etkin uygulandığı alanlardır. İstanbul ve özellikle Tuzla bölgesindeki tersane ve marinalarda bu hak uygulamada yoğun biçimde kullanılmaktadır.

The right of retention is a claim security that becomes very powerful when used correctly, and completely ineffective when used incorrectly.

Specifically:

The legality of possession,

Proof of the claim-item connection,

The procedure for notification and record-keeping,

Ensuring the flawless execution of the collateral monetization process,

Issues such as the risk of cancellation of enforcement proceedings due to the selection of the wrong type of enforcement are technical and heavily dependent on jurisprudence.

For this reason, regarding marinas, shipyards, commercial enterprises, and high-value receivables, it is mandatory for the process to be managed by a lawyer specialized in maritime trade and commercial receivables. 2M Hukuk Law Office, operating based in Tuzla, Istanbul, manages the process concerning lien, pledge, precautionary attachment, and collection of marina–shipyard receivables in the fastest and safest way.