The following information is intended to help you understand the process of purchasing a house in Turkey and give you an indication of the obligations of overseas home ownership.  

It is advisable to instruct a solicitor to handle the purchase process to ensure that all important aspects are covered.

The solicitor will ensure that :

o       The title of the property is checked.

o       Legal procedure of payments is guaranteed

o       The person selling the property actually owns it.

o       Whether there are any charges on the property.

o       The legal process of building licences and permissions performed in municipalities &   local offices are in order.

o       The terms and conditions stipulated by the seller are checked for fairness.

o       The situation of water, electricity and phone line is carried out.

l & m properties are able to recommend an English speaking lawyer.

The government land registry will carry out a military check of your records.  This can take quite a few months.

The solicitor will then arrange:

The transfer of the title deed (TAPU)  into your name,  this is signed in the presence of the Notary. You can either attend the signing in person or appoint someone as Power of Attorney to attend on your behalf (l & m properties can be appointed if required).

The fees and taxes to be paid.              

The title to be registered with the government land registry.

The Notary is a public official who certifies the title deeds have been exchanged and understood by the parties concerned. After signature, the notary witnesses the payment, or an acknowledgment that the payment has been made, and this is incorporated in the title deeds of the property.

If clients wish to view and subsequently purchase property whilst in Turkey they would need to bring the following amounts with them:

v      The lawyer’s fee of approx. £250.00 - £500.00  dependent on lawyer chosen.

v      The official translator’s fee of approx £30.00

v      Belediye Map fee - approx 500 YTL (£200) for Peninsula properties and 1,500 YTL (£630) for Bodrum centre.*

v      If Power of Attorney is required there are Notary fees of approx £120.00 -one name & £140.00 - joint names

v      Buyers Tax 1.5%

v      Ipotek fee IRO 1.5%   **

v      The deposit/payment required to purchase.          Usually, clients can leave a £500.00 holding deposit and transfer all payments and fees via l&m properties London office clients’ account.  The transfer would need to be done promptly (within 7-days) upon return, it is therefore advisable to have the funds available in a current account prior to visiting Bodrum.  The deposit & fees are non-refundable should you decide not to proceed with the purchase.

v      l &m properties agency fee, 3% of sale price, payable to London office.

At point of sale you will be asked to sign an Agreement between client and agent to pay the buyers commission as stated.  The Buyers 3% commission fee is payable at commencement of the sale to London office.

 **     It is possible that you may be asked to pay all of the purchase price when buying a property rather than paying a deposit and the balance on military approval.  If you pay full purchase price, you are able to protect your purchase until military approval arrives by raising an Ipotek, this is a legal document basically putting a block on the Title Deed (TAPU) prohibiting the sale of the property.   You are then able to use the property as your own - awaiting military approval.

*      This is required for military approval.

Original prices may be expressed in YTL, GBP, USD or Euro and are subject to change without notice!

Payments in GBP Pounds Sterling are normally accepted.