Article 6: After You Buy – Ongoing Costs – Practical Realities

You have the title deed in your hand — congratulations. Now comes the practical side: a few straightforward steps that will make ownership smooth from day one.

6a. First-stage costs

Furniture and Appliances:

Most new-build apartments in Turkey are delivered furnished. However, furnished apartments often have inflated prices. Try to buy an unfurnished apartment whenever possible — furnishing it yourself is usually cheaper. If you must buy furnished, make sure the full list of furniture is written into the contract.

Second-Hand Apartment Renovation:

If renovation is needed, calculate the cost in advance and factor it into the purchase price. Estimated renovation cost: 3,000-15,000 depending on the property and scope of work.

6b. Renovation permits — very important

• Interior work in a complex: may need permission from site management
• Balcony and terrace changes: permission from both site management and municipality required
• Protected areas (e.g. near Alanya Castle): both interior and exterior renovation requires municipal permission

6c. The reality of site fees (aidat)

WARNING: Aidat is reviewed annually. Before buying, ask for the fee history of the last 3 years and confirm there are no outstanding unpaid fees from the previous owner.

6d. Ongoing annual costs

• Annual property tax: 0.1%-0.6% of assessed value
• Annual environmental cleaning tax: small amount
• Annual DASK renewal: 2,000-3,000 TRY
• Home insurance: optional but recommended

6e. The reality of site management

• Pets may not be allowed
• Guest parking may be restricted
• Conditions may apply to accepting tenants
• Rules can change when management changes
• Always read the site management plan and internal regulations before buying

EXPERT ADVICE: You pay the purchase price once — but you pay site fees, taxes, and maintenance costs every month and every year. Calculate all monthly and annual costs before buying.

Sources: T.C. Tapu ve Kadastro Genel Mudurlugu — https://www.tkgm.gov.tr | T.C. Cevre, Sehircilik ve Iklim Degisikligi Bakanligi — https://www.csb.gov.tr

6f. What you must do in the first 30 days

The title deed is in your hands. There are a few official steps to complete in the first 30 days — straightforward once you know what they are.

ALWAYS CARRY THESE DOCUMENTS: Tax number + Passport or identity card + Title deed or copy + Bank account details + Current address. If you own as an individual, no annual income declaration is required. If purchased through a company, annual declaration is required.

6g. Police directorate — foreigners department notification

This is the most commonly neglected step.

Foreign nationals who purchase property in Turkey must go to the local Police Directorate Foreigners Department and make a notification as soon as possible after the title deed is registered. If you are working with a good and honest estate agent, they will inform you about this and explain which steps to follow — this is yet another demonstration of what an honest agent is worth. However, not every buyer has that advantage.

Once you make this notification, your address is automatically registered across all official systems throughout Turkey. At a hospital, at a traffic check, in any official process — your address will already be known. You do not need to do anything separately.

Required documents:

• Passport
• Title deed or copy
• Address information

6h. Bank account

Keep the Turkish bank account you opened during the title deed process active. There is no minimum transaction requirement. However, state banks are preferred for official processes:

• Ziraat Bankası
• Vakıfbank
• Halkbank

Keep a small balance in one of these banks and make your regular payments — electricity, water, service charges — through this account. Keep all payment receipts — they may be needed later.

6i. Electricity, water and utility subscriptions

Opening subscriptions in Turkey is extremely straightforward.

If you are a tenant:

• Rental contract + passport or identity card

If you are the owner:

• Title deed + passport or identity card

With these two documents you can go directly to the relevant provider and open the subscription in your own name. There is no additional bureaucracy.

6j. Municipal tax notification

There is a legal obligation to notify the municipality after receiving your title deed. Environmental and cleaning taxes generally do not apply in the first year — they begin from the following year. Do it early and keep everything in order.

Required documents:

• Title deed
• Passport or identity card
• Tax number

6k. Site management registration

This is extremely simple:

• Go to site management with your title deed and identity document
• You will be given an account number
• Each month, send your service charge to this account with the relevant reference
• Keep all payment receipts

6l. Dask and home insurance

• DASK (mandatory earthquake insurance) was arranged during the title deed process — it must be renewed every year
• Every apartment arranges its own DASK separately — there is no site-wide shared DASK policy
• Home insurance is not legally required but is recommended as protection against flood, fire, and theft

6m. First 30 days checklist

6n. Official sources

• Directorate General of Migration Management — foreign notification and residence permit: goc.gov.tr
• SEDAS — Alanya electricity subscriptions: sedas.com.tr
• Alanya Municipality — tax notification: alanya.bel.tr
• DASK — mandatory earthquake insurance: dask.gov.tr
• Ziraat Bankası: ziraatbank.com.tr

Questions buyers ask

Reddit r/Turkey: “I just bought in Turkey. What do I absolutely have to do in the first month?”

Six things, in order of urgency: First, register your address with the local Population Directorate (Nüfus Müdürlüğü) — required within 20 working days of moving in. Second, notify the local police foreigners department of your address. Third, transfer electricity, water, and gas subscriptions into your name — previous owner’s subscriptions may be cut without notice. Fourth, register with the municipality for annual property tax (emlak vergisi beyannamesi) if the property is newly purchased. Fifth, obtain DASK earthquake insurance and a supplementary home insurance policy. Sixth, register with the site management and obtain the building’s emergency contact information. Missing any of these in the first 30 days creates administrative backlogs that are harder to resolve later.

Quora: “How much should I budget for renovating a Turkish apartment after purchase?”

Renovation costs in Turkey vary enormously by scope and quality level. As a rough guide for 2026: a basic refresh (paint, floor, kitchen units) on a 100 sqm apartment: 150,000 to 300,000 TL. A full renovation including bathroom, kitchen, electrical, and plumbing: 400,000 to 800,000 TL. High-end finish with imported materials: 800,000 TL and above. Important: any structural work or changes to the floor plan require a renovation permit (tadilat ruhsatı) from the municipality. Unpermitted structural changes can create problems at resale and with insurance. Always get at least three quotes from licensed contractors and verify that the quoted work includes permit costs where applicable.

Facebook expat group: “My site management wants to raise the aidat by 60% this year. Is this legal?”

Yes — there is no legal cap on aidat increases in Turkey, unlike the 25% cap that exists for residential rents. The aidat is set by the building owners’ assembly (kat malikleri kurulu) by majority vote. As a property owner, you have the right to attend this meeting, vote against the increase, and request an itemised breakdown of costs justifying the proposed rise. If you believe the increase is unjustified or the management is misusing funds, you can call for a special assembly or challenge the decision through an administrative court. The practical reality: in line with general Turkish inflation, aidat increases of 40-80% per year have been common since 2021. Budget for continued increases and factor this into your long-term cost calculations.

EXPERT ADVICE: The first thing to do after receiving your title deed is to make your police notification. Keep your tax number, passport, title deed and bank details with you at all times. Save all payment receipts — A small habit that prevents big problems.

P.S. — The first 30 days checklist is straightforward — electricity, water, aidat registration, these are the same for everyone regardless of nationality. But two things I always tell people personally. First: if you are buying in a large luxury complex, sit down and do the aidat maths before you sign anything. The purchase price may look excellent. The monthly site fees — security, pool, gym, landscaping — compound over years into a significant sum. I have watched people genuinely shocked by what their “affordable” luxury apartment was actually costing them by year three. Write it down before you commit. Second — and this is something almost nobody tells you: when it comes to furnishing and appliances after purchase, do not walk straight into the nearest store. The tourist area price and the real price are not the same thing. Here is exactly what to do: for furniture, go directly to the websites of the actual furniture brands — İstikbal, Bellona, Mondi, Yataş and similar. For white goods, go to the manufacturer’s own Turkish website — Arçelik, Bosch, Samsung, Vestel and similar. Not Trendyol, not Hepsiburada — The brand’s own site gives you the real reference price. Print it or screenshot it, then walk into the authorised dealer of that brand in Alanya or Antalya and show them that price. You will not pay tourist rates. I have done this myself more times than I can count. In this part of Turkey, knowing the real price before you walk through the door is worth more than any negotiation skill.