Condominium Management in Turkey: A Guide for Foreign Owners

Buying a flat in Turkey comes with more than just the keys. The moment your name appears on the title deed, Turkish law places you inside a structured management framework that applies to every multi-unit building in the country. That framework is kat mülkiyeti — Turkey's system of condominium ownership — and understanding it is essential for any foreign owner who wants to avoid disputes, unpaid bills, or unpleasant surprises from the building committee.

What Is Kat Mülkiyeti?

Kat mülkiyeti, loosely translated as "floor ownership," is the legal regime created by the Kat Mülkiyeti Kanunu (Law No. 634). It governs multi-unit residential and commercial buildings across Turkey. When a building is registered under this law, each unit owner holds an independent title to their flat while sharing an undivided interest in the common areas — entrance halls, staircases, elevators, roof, pipes, gardens, and shared amenities.

As a foreign buyer in Turkey, you enter this system automatically. Turkish law draws no distinction between Turkish and non-Turkish owners when it comes to rights and obligations. You can vote at meetings, stand for the management role, and be held personally liable for unpaid dues.

The Owners' Assembly: How the Building Makes Decisions

Every building registered under kat mülkiyeti is governed by the kat malikleri kurulu — the assembly of all unit owners. The law requires this body to meet at least once a year, typically in the first month of the calendar year. If an urgent matter arises, any owner or the building manager can call an extraordinary session.

For a meeting to be valid, owners representing more than half of all units by both headcount and land share must be present. If the first meeting fails to reach this quorum, a second meeting must be held within fifteen days. That second session proceeds with whoever attends, and decisions are taken by a simple majority of those present.

Each unit carries one vote. Even if you own several apartments in the same building, your total voting weight is capped at one-third of all votes — a rule designed to prevent any single investor from dominating collective decisions.

The assembly can appoint or dismiss a manager, approve the annual budget, authorise major repairs, set service charges, and — as a last resort — compel a severely disruptive owner to sell their unit.

The Management Plan: Your Building's Internal Rules

When a building is first established under kat mülkiyeti, a yönetim planı (management plan) is drawn up and registered alongside the title records. Think of it as a binding contract between all owners, setting out how the building is managed, how costs are allocated, what changes require a vote, and what the manager may charge.

Crucially, the plan binds every owner — including those who buy a unit years later. If you purchased a property in Antalya and were not handed a copy before signing, you are still bound by its terms. Reading the management plan before completion is therefore strongly advisable.

To amend the plan, a four-fifths majority of all owners must give their written agreement — a high threshold deliberately designed to preserve the plan's stability.

The Building Manager: Running Day-to-Day Operations

For buildings with eight or more independent units, appointing a yönetici (manager) is a legal requirement. The manager is elected by the assembly and accountable to it much like an agent reporting to a principal. Core duties include executing assembly decisions, arranging maintenance and cleaning, managing insurance, overseeing common utilities, and keeping accurate financial records.

Each year the manager prepares an işletme projesi — an operating budget that projects income and expenditure for the year ahead and sets out the advance payment each owner must make. If the assembly has not formally approved a budget, the manager prepares one independently and proceeds on that basis.

Owners are entitled to a financial account at the January assembly each year. If at least half the owners request it, the manager must present accounts at any other time too. At the close of every calendar year, the manager is legally required to have a notary seal the official records book.

Service Charges: Understanding the Aidat Formula

Monthly service charges — known throughout Turkey as aidat — fund the day-to-day operation of the building. The Kat Mülkiyeti Kanunu provides a clear formula. Staff costs such as the doorman, cleaning personnel, or security guards are divided equally among all unit owners. Maintenance expenses, insurance premiums, and repair costs for common areas are shared proportionally, based on each owner's land share (arsa payı) as recorded on their title deed.

Renting out your flat does not remove your aidat obligation. Your tenant becomes jointly liable for the charges you owe — but only up to the amount of rent they pay, and any such payment offsets their rent debt accordingly. Persistent non-payment by either party gives the building manager the right to pursue debt enforcement proceedings.

Foreign owners who spend most of the year outside Turkey sometimes receive unexpected arrears demands because they were unaware of service charge increases approved at meetings they missed. Granting a trusted person a notarised power of attorney (vekâlet) to attend meetings and vote on your behalf is the most reliable way to stay protected.

Changing Common Areas and Challenging Assembly Decisions

A unit owner cannot alter the building's shared spaces on their own initiative. Improvements or additions to common areas require a majority of owners by both number and land share. More significant structural changes demand a four-fifths majority of all owners — the same threshold as changing the management plan.

If you disagree with an assembly decision, the law gives you a clear avenue for challenge. Owners who voted against a decision have one month from the date of the meeting to file a claim. Owners who were absent have one month from the day they learned of the decision — with an absolute deadline of six months from the decision date. Claims are filed at the local Sulh Hukuk Mahkemesi (civil peace court) in the district where the building stands.

It is also worth knowing that off-plan properties in Turkey may not yet have a full kat mülkiyeti registration in place — another reason to check the status of the title before signing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can a foreign national be elected as building manager?

Yes. The Kat Mülkiyeti Kanunu does not require Turkish citizenship for the manager role. The assembly is free to elect any person it considers suitable — owner or non-owner, Turkish or foreign.

Q: What happens if I stop paying aidat?

Unpaid dues create a legal debt enforceable through Turkish debt collection proceedings. The manager can apply for a payment order against you without launching a full trial. In serious cases of persistent non-payment, the law gives other owners the right to ask a court to compel you to sell your unit.

Q: Do assembly decisions bind me if I was not notified of the meeting?

Decisions are generally binding, but failure to give proper notice can be grounds for a legal challenge. Turkish courts consistently hold that a valid assembly requires procedurally correct invitations.

Q: What language are meetings held in?

Turkish is the language of assembly meetings. If you do not speak Turkish, you should appoint a representative through a notarial power of attorney, or arrange for a qualified interpreter to accompany you.

Q: Is the management plan the same as the title deed?

No. The title deed (tapu) records your ownership of the unit. The management plan is a separate document governing how the building is run. Both are relevant to your rights, but they serve different purposes and are held in different registers.

How Mona Hukuk Can Help

Understanding your position as a foreign unit owner in Turkey — from how aidat is calculated to challenging an assembly decision that exceeds the law — requires practical knowledge of local legal practice. Our team in Antalya assists foreign property owners with all aspects of kat mülkiyeti law: reviewing management plans before purchase, preparing or reviewing powers of attorney, and representing owners in assembly disputes or court proceedings.

Contact us at info@monahukuk.com or call +90 (242) 606 14 32 to schedule a consultation in Antalya.