While buying a property in Turkey is nowhere near as risky as some people suggest, it does still pay to take sensible precautions. Many older properties may have unclear titles and you need to ensure that any such issues are resolved before the sale completes.

You should also compare the names on the pre-sale title deeds (TAPU) with the names of the people who are selling it – ask to see their ID cards. This might seem paranoid, but in reality is just a sensible precaution, and sellers shouldn’t take offence.

Similarly, you should ensure that your solicitor checks thoroughly for outstanding debts or taxes that are attached to the property – these will become yours if not resolved before the sale.

 

Earthquakes

Turkey is prone to occasional earthquakes and following the major earthquake experience in Izmit in 1999, the Turkish government introduced new legislation designed to provide homeowners with greater protection from earthquakes.

There are two aspects of this that you should be aware of:

• Homes built since 1999 should have been built to earthquake specifications – ask to see the “Use of Building Permit (“Yapi Kullanma Izni“) or “Habitation Certificate (“Oturma Izni/Ruhsati“)
• Once you have purchased your property, you will be required to pay an annual contribution to the government’s earthquake insurance scheme.

Glossary of Key Turkish Terms

It’s essential to have the services of a translator and/or a bilingual solicitor when buying in Turkey, but here are a few of the terms you may come across:

Belediye – local council

Oturma Izni – Habitation Certificate (similar to UK Building Regs. approval)

Ruhsati – See Oturma Izni

TAPU / Tapu Senedi – Land Registry / Title Deeds

Yapi Kullanma Izni – Use of Building Permit (similar to UK Building Regs. approval)

 

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