Turkish Real Estate Glossary

Every transaction in Turkey runs on these terms. Each definition below is the practical meaning our lawyers and agents work with, not the dictionary translation.

TAPUTapu

The official Turkish title deed issued by the General Directorate of Land Registry. The TAPU is the only document that proves property ownership in Turkey; sales contracts and receipts do not transfer ownership. It records the owner, the property's cadastral identity, the deed type, and any encumbrances or annotations.

Kat Mülkiyeti

Full condominium ownership, the strongest form of Turkish property title. It certifies the building is complete, has its occupancy permit, and each unit is individually registered. Buyers should prefer kat mülkiyeti for any completed property; its absence on a finished building signals a permit problem.

Kat İrtifakı

Construction servitude title, the pre-completion stage of ownership used for off-plan and under-construction property. It grants ownership of a defined share tied to a future unit and should convert to full kat mülkiyeti once the building receives its occupancy permit.

İskanİskan ruhsatı

The occupancy permit certifying a building was completed in accordance with its approved architectural plans and is legal to inhabit. Without an iskan, title cannot convert to full condominium ownership and individual utility subscriptions can be blocked. Verifying it takes minutes at the municipality.

DABDöviz Alım Belgesi

The currency purchase certificate documenting that a foreign buyer's funds were converted through the Turkish banking system. Mandatory for all foreign property purchases; the Land Registry will not complete a transfer without it, and citizenship applications are built on this money trail.

DASK

Turkey's mandatory earthquake insurance, administered through a state pool. Every residential property must carry a DASK policy, costing roughly 50 to 150 USD per year depending on size and location. Utilities cannot be connected without it, and it renews annually.

Aidat

The monthly building or site management fee paid by every unit owner, covering security, cleaning, landscaping, pools, gyms, and shared maintenance. Ranges from about 20 USD in simple buildings to 200 USD or more in full-amenity residences, and directly reduces net rental yield.

Emlak Vergisi

Annual Turkish property tax, charged on the municipal registered value: 0.1 percent for homes in standard municipalities and 0.2 percent in metropolitan cities like Istanbul and Antalya. Paid in two installments, May and November, and typically amounts to a few hundred dollars for a mid-range apartment.

Vekaletname

A power of attorney authorizing someone, typically an independent lawyer, to act in a property transaction on your behalf. Issued at a Turkish consulate abroad or via local notary plus apostille. A properly scoped vekaletname enables a fully remote purchase, including the deed transfer.

Ada / Parsel

The cadastral block (ada) and parcel (parsel) numbers that uniquely identify every piece of land in Turkey's registry. Matching these numbers between the TAPU and the property you viewed is a fundamental verification step, especially in large multi-block projects.

İmar Durumu

The official zoning status document from the municipality stating what a plot may be used for and at what density. Essential when buying land, and useful for apartments to confirm the building conforms to its permissions.

Takyidat

The encumbrance record on a title: mortgages, liens, foreclosure annotations, usufruct rights, and lease registrations. A takyidat check at the Land Registry, pulled again on transfer day, is the core of legal due diligence because encumbrances survive the sale if not cleared.

EkspertizEkspertiz raporu

The official property appraisal report by a licensed, state-regulated valuer. Mandatory for every foreign purchase since 2019 and the basis for citizenship threshold calculations. Costs 150 to 300 USD and takes three to five days.

Numarataj

The municipal address certificate confirming a property's official street address. Required for residence permit applications and utility connections, and used to verify the address on your TAPU matches the physical unit.

Mahalle

The neighborhood, Turkey's smallest administrative unit. Relevant to foreign buyers because residence-permit registration quotas apply per mahalle: once registered foreigners reach 20 percent, the neighborhood closes to new foreign address registrations, though purchasing there remains legal.

Kentsel Dönüşüm

Urban transformation, the national program for demolishing and rebuilding earthquake-risk buildings under Law 6306. A property flagged under the program can face mandatory demolition, which creates both risk for unaware buyers and opportunity in negotiated redevelopment deals.

Müteahhit

The building contractor or developer. Turkish practice ranges from institutional developers to small builders; verifying a müteahhit's completed track record, walking previous deliveries rather than reading brochures, is the single most important off-plan safeguard.

Emlakçı

A licensed real estate agent. Since 2018, Turkish agents must hold a certificate of authorization (Taşınmaz Ticareti Yetki Belgesi). Standard commission is 2 percent plus VAT from each side. Always confirm licensing and how the agent is compensated.

Rezervasyon Sözleşmesi

A reservation agreement taking a property off the market against a deposit, typically 5,000 to 10,000 USD. It should state the price, the timeline, and, critically, that the deposit refunds if legal due diligence fails.

Satış Vaadi Sözleşmesi

A notarized promise-to-sell contract, common in off-plan purchases, that can be annotated on the title deed to protect the buyer's contractual claim before final transfer. Stronger than an ordinary sales contract, but still not ownership; only the TAPU transfer is.

Değerli Konut Vergisi

The valuable housing tax on residences whose registered value exceeds a high annually-updated threshold, around 15 million lira. Progressive rates apply only to the value above the threshold, so it touches solely the top of the luxury market.

Kira Sözleşmesi

The rental contract. Turkish tenancy law is tenant-friendly: annual rent increases are capped by an official index, and eviction requires defined legal grounds. Investors should underwrite realistic increase caps rather than assuming market resets each year.

e-Devlet

Turkey's unified e-government portal. Property owners use it to view their own title records, pay property tax, check DASK status, and file residence applications. Foreign residents receive access once they hold a Turkish ID number.

Yabancı Kimlik No

The foreigner identification number, an 11-digit ID issued with residence permits and used for banking, utilities, tax, and e-Devlet access. Not required to purchase property, where a tax number suffices, but central to living in Turkey after the purchase.