Buying Property in Turkey

Once you have found your perfect Turkish property, agreed your purchase price and Worldwide Lawyers has found your English-speaking Turkish lawyer you are ready to move forward with the buying process.

Your Turkish lawyer will carry out some preliminary checks in relation to the property. They will check the title deeds (Tapu) to ensure the property belongs to the owner and that the property can be purchased by a non-Turkish buyer. They should also check that it complies with building standards and that there are no outstanding charges or debts against the property as you as the new owner could be liable for these.

Once these initial checks have been carried out and the seller has accepted the buyer’s offer, the buyer and seller will then enter into the sale contract. The sale contract will include all conditions of the property sale and dictates the essential elements of the transaction. Usually a deposit of around 10-20% is payable by the buyer when signing this contract (this may be different if buying “off-plan”). Your lawyer should explain the obligations of each party as a result of entering into this contract to you before it is signed.

You can either sign the sale contract in person or you can arrange a Power of Attorney for someone else, usually your lawyer, to sign on your behalf. Should you require a Power of Attorney, your Turkish lawyer should be able to prepare this for you. You can put the Power of Attorney into effect by signing this in Turkey in the presence of a Turkish notary, through the Turkish consulates in the UK, or through a British notary public with a Hague Apostille.

Once the sale contract has been signed, an application for military clearance needs to be made by the buyer before the deeds can be issued in your name and the sale completed.  Details of the property and the purchasers are sent to the Land Registry Office together with documentation relating to the sale. A transfer application is made and sent to the Army in Turkey in order for them to check that the property is not in an area which is restricted for foreign purchasers. Clearance normally takes around six to ten weeks.

After military clearance has been received, the title deeds are re-issued into the name of the new owners and sent to the local Land Registration office. The buyer and seller can then proceed to complete the sale.

At completion, both buyer and seller (or the people appointed under a power of attorney) meet at the local land registry office for the transfer of the property title.  You as the buyer will be given a copy of the Turkish title deeds “Tapu” which formally documents your ownership of the property. If you are buying off-plan, you should receive a habitation certificate or “Iskan”. Transfer tax will be payable on completion and usually the balance of the purchase price is paid to the seller at this point.

The next step is to enjoy your new property in Turkey relaxed in the knowledge that your independent Turkish lawyer has taken care of all legal formalities and your interests have been protected.

Congratulations!

The additional costs of buying a property in Turkey is on average around 6-8% of the property purchase price.

The cost will include:

The property purchase price

As agreed between you and the seller.

Tax

When buying a “new build” property you have to pay VAT to the seller. This charged at 1% on the property purchase price if the property is residential and less than 150m². It is charged at 18% of the property purchase price if over 150m².

For “second hand” properties you do not need to pay VAT but will need to pay the transfer tax. It is charged at around 4.4% of the property purchase price.

Legal Fees

Lawyer’s fees vary but typically total around £1000-2000.

There will be additional costs if a Power of Attorney is required. Your lawyer will advise you of their fees for this.

Military Clearance Fees

Up to £500

Land Registry Fees

These will vary from region to region but you should allow around £200 for the various registration fees.

Estate Agent Fee

The estate agents fees are usually paid by the seller. Estate agents usually charge a percentage of the sale price – typically 3%.

Translation fees

You will need to allow around £200 for translation fees. You should be aware that the Turkish contracts will apply regardless of the wording of the English Translation so you will need to ensure that this is properly translated so you fully understand your obligations.

Instructing an independent English-speaking Turkish property lawyer to provide advise and reassurance that the legalities are checked on your behalf is essential.

You should instruct a lawyer as soon as possible and before any formal steps have been taken to purchase a Turkish property. This will allow your lawyer to advise you properly on all aspects of the transaction to ensure your position is fully protected.

Contact us on 01244 470 339 for free help to find an independent English-speaking lawyer to assist you with buying a property in Turkey.