9 replies to this topic

[stellaadana]

I am American and live in Turkey. I have a verbal contract with a Turk, with emails and text messages to validate the contract. Do I have any legal standing for the 18,000 turkish lira that he owes me?

Thank you.

[Cukurbagli]

Sorry to hear about this Stella, we have Turkish lawyers who very kindly give advice and subscribe to questions asked in this Law forum so I expect one of them will answer soon, they are busy people though so might be a couple of days.

[stellaadana]

Thank you and looking forward to a response.

[sunny]

Welcome to the forum Stellaadana.

Although, as Cukur says, you need a lawyer to give correct advice, I would be surprised if you saw your 18,000tl again unfortunately. Normally contracts are signed and witnessed documents.

[Abi]

Welcome to our forum Steelladana, I too would be very surprised if you got your money back for the reasons Sunny wrote, also that the contract wasn't notorised.

Hopefully one of the lawyers can give you better news.

[Pinarkilic]

Hi Stellaadana,

As a rule, contracts need not be in writing to be valid. Burt there are exceptions of course. Please e-mail me the details of your receivable and let me see if anything can be done. My e-mail address is: pinar.kilic@pinarkilic.av.tr

Best,
Pinar

[Abi]

,

As a rule, contracts need not be in writing to be valid. Burt there are exceptions of course.

Pinar as a matter of interest if contracts are not written down how can you prove a contract exists?. Or are you saying that an email can be taken as proof as opposed to a formal written contract?. Sorry I'm a bit confused.

[Ken]

What probably should have been used is a "senet" or promissory note, these are used to acknowledge debts and time of repayment. They can be done at a notar's (notary public) office. I have lost a LOT of money on loans while living in Turkey. Nobody I've loaned money to has every paid me back, and these loans were to people I thought I could trust. Ask your friend to give you a senet. If he intends to pay the money back, it should be no problem. If he doesn't, that should be a big "red flag."

[jade]

Ken,
I agree with what you wrote about signing a Sennet. What I would suggest is not to lend anyone any money in the first place, regardless of how trustworthy and honest you think they may be. I lost over two-thirds of my savings here through being stupid in the first place and trusting 2 people I thought I knew well and now am obliged to work for a living which I wouldn't have had to, if I hadn't LENT them money in the first place.
I think it's a very sad summary of my time in Turkey, since 1995 full-time, before that, since 1976 being married to a Turk, to have to say that it's better not to trust anyone here.
I live in this country and I love it here and wouldn't want to live anywhere else, but I have heard too many stories over the years whereby foreigners (especially women) have lost EVERYTHING they possessed and, the worst thing about this is, you say to yourself: It's not going to happen to me again, but it does!!!! How gullible we foreigners are! Why? Because, we are used to people being (fairly) honest where we come from and don't question what they say as a newbie here and that's our biggest mistake. We just haven't been brought up to be so suspicious of what everyone tells us.

[sunny]

Yes, people need to be careful about lending money to people, even with senets there's a big risk so it's better not to do it.

This applies to all nationalities, not just Turks though.