Transferring Benefits and Damages in Certain Bequeathed Property (Art. 518/I of the Turkish Civil Code)
Merve Ürem ÇetinelThe study takes the transfer of benefits and damages in regards regard to a specific endowment, which is defined in Art. 517/I of the Turkish Civil Code as the disposition of property to a person without them being made an heir per se, as the subject of analysis due to its importance. Art. 518/I of the Turkish Civil Code stipulates that bequeathed property must be delivered to the beneficiary in its current state once succession has begun, and the benefits and damages associated with this property will also pass on to the beneficiary at this time. In light of this distinction, this paper study will focus on legacies, specifically in regard to the changes that occur to the bequeathed property before and after the start of succession. The study will also analyze demonstrative legacy, procurement legacy, and conditional legacy as the types of legacies. The first part of this paper addresses the changes that happen to a bequeathed property up to the start of succession and the consequences of these changes. This part will examine the question of who will bear or benefit from the material and legal changes that have occurred up to the death of the testator. Meanwhile, the second part of the study will analyze the changes that occur to bequeathed property once succession has been initiated. According to Art. 518/I of the Turkish Civil Code, these changes are called benefits and damages. In light of this, defining benefit and damage as terms within the context of legacy and explaining what is meant by transferring benefits and damages in the context of legacy are important. However, the analysis will exclude the topic of expenditures made by those who are obliged to fulfill the requirements of the legacy regarding a bequeathed property.
Belirli Mal Bırakmada Yarar ve Hasarın Geçişi (TMK m. 518/I)
Merve Ürem ÇetinelTMK m. 517/I hükmünde mirasbırakanın bir kimseye onu mirasçı atamaksızın kazandırmada bulunabilmesi şeklinde ifade edilen “belirli mal bırakma (vasiyet)”da yarar ve hasarın geçişi konusu önemi sebebiyle ayrıca bir incelemenin konusunu oluşturabilecek niteliktedir. TMK m. 518/I hükmünde, vasiyet olunan belirli malın, mirasın açılması anındaki durumuyla teslim olunacağı; yarar ve hasarın, mirasın açılması anında kendisine belirli mal bırakılana geçeceği hüküm altına alınmıştır. Görüldüğü üzere, kanun koyucu vasiyet edilen şeyde mirasın açılmasından önce ve sonra meydana gelen değişiklikler olmak üzere ayrım yapmış olup, bunlara farklı sonuçlar bağlamıştır. Bu ayrım çerçevesinde çalışmamız belirli mal bırakma türündeki vasiyette vasiyet mal edilen şeyde mirasın açılmasından önce ve sonra meydana gelen değişikliklere özgülenmiştir. Belirli mal bırakmanın çeşit vasiyeti, tedarik vasiyeti ve koşula bağlı vasiyet şeklinde düzenlenmesi ihtimalleri ise ayrıca incelenmiştir. Çalışmamızda ilk olarak mirasın açılması anına kadar vasiyet edilen şeyde meydana gelen değişiklikler ve bunların sonuçlarından bahsedilmiştir. Bu bölümde vasiyet edilen şeyde mirasın açılması, yani mirasbırakanın ölümü anına kadar meydana gelen ve teknik anlamda yarar ve hasar olarak nitelendirilmeyen, vasiyet konusu şeyde meydana gelen maddi ve hukuki değişiklere kimin katlanacağı veya bu değişikliklerden kimin faydalanacağı üzerinde durulmuştur. Çalışmamızın ikinci kısmında ise, vasiyet edilen şeyde mirasın açılmasından sonra meydana gelen değişiklikler ele alınmıştır. TMK m. 518/I uyarınca bu değişiklikler yarar ve hasar şeklinde adlandırılır. Bu bağlamda vasiyet alacağı bakımından yarar ve hasar kavramlarının tanımlanması, vasiyet alacağında yarar ve hasarın geçişi ile ne ifade edilmek istendiğinin açıklanması gerekir. Ayrıca mirasın açılması anı ile vasiyetin ifası arasında geçen sürede vasiyet edilen şeydeki hasara kimin katlanacağı veya vasiyet edilen şeyde yarar meydana gelmişse bundan kimin yararlanacağı tespit edilmelidir. Çalışmamızda son olarak, vasiyet alacağında yararın geçişi ile bağlantılı olarak, vasiyet edilen şeyin mirasın açılması anından sonra meydana getirdiği ürünlerin kime ait olduğu sorununa da değinilmiştir. Vasiyeti yerine getirmekle yükümlü olan kişilerin vasiyet konusu mala yaptığı harcamalar ise incelememiz dışında bırakılmıştır.
Article 518/I of the Turkish Civil Code provides that bequeathed property be delivered to the testator in the state in which it is found at the time succession is begun, with the benefits and damages also being transferred to the legatee upon the initiation of succession. This provision makes a distinction in regard to the changes that occur to the bequeathed property before succession has begun compared to the changes that happen after. The legislator is to distinguish between the changes that occur prior to the initiation of succession those that occur after and to attribute different consequences to them. According to Art. 518/I of the Turkish Civil Code, bequeathed property is to be delivered to the testator in its current state once succession has been initiated. Accordingly, the beneficiary will suffer or benefit from the material and legal changes that have occurred up until the initiation of succession (i.e., the death of the testator) and that do not technically qualify as benefits or damage. The changes that occur upon the initiation of succession but prior to the execution of the legacy before updating the land register and ownership had transferred are referred to as benefits and damages. However, these concepts have not been defined, and thus the results of transferring benefits and damages are not clearly regulated in this provision.
According to Art. 518/I of the Turkish Civil Code, benefits and damages will pass on to the testator at the time of death and prior to the execution of the will. As follows from this provision, the benefits and damages should belong to the legatee who will benefit from the bequeathed property despite not actually yet having become the owner and possessor of the property; at the same time, however, the legatee must also endure any destruction/damage to the bequeathed property, including the impossibility of transferring ownership for any reason.
Meanwhile, the wording in Art. 518 of the Turkish Civil Code suggests this provision to only regulate the transfer of benefits and damages with regard to specific types of legacy. The provision in the doctrine has been argued to also be applicable by analogy to demonstrative legacy. However, the provision is also accepted as not being applicable to general legacy as well as legacy for procurement. In the case of a demonstrative legacy, the transfer of benefits and damages is carried out in accordance with Paragraph 1 of Article 518 of the Turkish Civil Code. Hence in the case of a demonstrative legacy, benefits and damages pass on to the legatee upon the initiation of succession. Although the provision does not clearly regulate this, the current study’s opinion regarding the case of a general legacy is that the benefits and damages pass on to the beneficiary only once the adjustment is made to the entry in the land register or the property is transferred.
Regarding the case of a legacy for procurement, nothing changes in regard to the transfer of benefits and damages. Regardless of whether a generic debt or a piece debt has arisen from the legacy, benefits and damages will pass on to the legatee once the bequeathed property has been procured and handed over. Finally, a difference is seen regarding whether the legacy is subject to a condition precedent or a condition subsequent. In the case of a legacy being subject to a condition precedent, the benefits and damages will pass on to the beneficiary upon the occurrence of the condition precedent. In the case of a legacy subject to a condition subsequent, the beneficiary is entitled to the benefits and responsible for the damages arising from the legacy during the period from succession initiation up to the realization of the condition subsequent. When reading Article 518/I of the Turkish Civil Code from the heir’s perspective, heirs acting without authority are under the obligation to fulfill the requirements of the legacy and have to protect, manage, and preserve the bequeathed property while simultaneously being held liable for faults of any kind; on the other hand, the heir is not entitled to the benefits that accrued prior to the transfer (in accordance with Article 518/II of the Turkish Civil Code). Although at first glance, one might think that heirs have a more disadvantageous position compared to legatees, the responsibility of the heirs toward the bequeathed property is an extension of the principle of universal succession. As a consequence of universal succession, heirs must bear the debts associated with their title just as the rights belonging to the estate are vested in the heirs (Art. 599/II of the Turkish Civil Code). Furthermore, according to Art. 518/II of the Turkish Civil Code, heirs may claim the necessary and useful expenses they have incurred for the bequeathed property under the provisions of acting without authority. In addition, an heir who does not wish to bear the obligation to protect and maintain a bequeathed property has the right to refuse the inheritance (Art. 605 of the Turkish Civil Code).