A flat in Türkiye works as a bundle of linked rights and obligations. Under the Condominium Law (Kat Mülkiyeti Kanunu, Law No. 634) of 23 June 1965, owning an independent section means owning a share of the land and the common parts, not just the interior walls. Kat mülkiyeti comes into existence only through an official act and registration in the tapu sicili. Before you sign a lease or submit registration documents, you need to check the building's permits and the three versions of your address; after that, the running costs follow their own rules.
Check what your title actually gives you
The Condominium Law of 23 June 1965 makes ownership of an independent section inseparable from a share of the land and the common parts of the main property. In practice that means your title is not a claim to the interior alone: the share brings the land and the shared parts of the building with it, and the two cannot be treated as separate holdings. When anything affects the common parts or the land, the registered share is part of your position as owner, not an optional add-on.
Kat mülkiyeti does not arise from a sale agreement or a handover. It comes into existence only through an official act and registration in the tapu sicili, and the law names both steps together. A lease, a payment receipt or an agent's word does not replace the registered act, so treating any of them as proof of title can leave you acting on a right that has not been created.
Before you rely on ownership, ask to see that registration in the tapu sicili rather than only the paperwork that led up to it.
What the building must have before ownership is created
For a collective residential complex, the rules in force since 1 January 2018 require two documents before kat mülkiyeti can be established: a current construction permit and a building use permit. The word 'current' matters, because the rule names a valid construction permit rather than a historical one, and a permit that is no longer in force does not satisfy the condition.
Ask the seller or the site management for these two documents before committing. If they cannot produce them, the claim to ownership has not yet been shown to meet the legal precondition, and you should treat the position as unverified until it is. A building that has one document but not the other does not yet satisfy the rule.
Why the tapu address may not be your registration address
Members of two community channels report, as of September 2026, that the address on the tapu, the municipal numarataj and the actual address can differ. The report says the mismatch can complicate registration and migration procedures, so the address you use for daily life may not be the one an office expects to see on a document. Do not assume the tapu address is the one to use; the municipal numarataj and the address on the door may tell a different story.
The official address format, set out in the regulation in force since 1 January 2006, includes the province, district, external building number, postcode, neighbourhood or street, and internal number. If one of these components is missing, the address does not match the official format.
Before you submit any document for registration or a migration procedure, check all three versions of your address against each other. The community reports are experience rather than a rule, but they point to where a mismatch can appear, and the official format gives you the list to compare.
How to compare aidat between buildings
According to members of a community channel, checked in September 2026, the building service charge (aidat) varies with the city and district, the flat's area, the type of complex and the services provided — a pool, SPA, security, lifts, underground parking and a generator. Use these factors when comparing buildings.
When you compare buildings, put the service list next to the aidat figure. A lower charge may simply reflect fewer services rather than a better deal; a higher charge may include a generator, security or underground parking that a cheaper building does not offer. The type of complex is another factor: by the same account, a building with extensive shared facilities may show a different aidat from a plain block even at the same size.
Compare buildings with a similar service list, not just similar square metres. The city and district also matter, so a like-for-like comparison needs the same location as well as the same services and area.
How to find out your share of central heating costs
If the building has central heating, the amount you pay for heating and sanitary hot water is allocated among the users of independent sections under a special regulation that has been in force since 14 December 2008. This means your share is not a figure the owner simply chooses; the allocation has to follow that regulation.
Before you sign a lease or pay the first bill, ask the building management to show how your share is calculated under that regulation. The regulation is the instrument the management must apply, so the explanation should point to it rather than to a private arrangement.
If the management cannot show the calculation, treat the amount as an open question and ask again before committing.