What to Check Before Selling Your Home in Türkiye

Before marketing your home, bring the title records and property information up to date. Checking ownership, registered restrictions and building documents early gives you time to deal with discrepancies and helps your agent answer buyers’ questions confidently.

For a home in Bodrum or Milas, prepare a property file that brings together the registered information, relevant building documents and any arrangements affecting occupation or representation. This is the second step in our Bodrum and Milas seller’s guide.

Start with the current title records

The Turkish title deed, or tapu, identifies the registered property and ownership. Check the owner’s details, ownership share, district, neighbourhood, block and parcel numbers, and any registered independent unit. Match these with the property you intend to sell.

A postal address alone is not enough. A villa’s door number in Yalıkavak may differ from the independent unit number in the title records. Use current information from the land registry rather than relying solely on an old deed photograph. The official Web Tapu portal provides access to relevant services for authorised users.

Check whether the record refers to land, condominium ownership (kat mülkiyeti) or a construction easement (kat irtifakı). Ask a qualified professional to explain the status and its implications for your property; these categories should not be translated into UK ownership terms as though they were equivalent.

Review mortgages and other registered entries

Have current mortgages, attachments, annotations and easements reviewed. Their effect depends on the entry and the proposed transaction. Establish which matters need action, who will deal with them and whether they affect the sale timetable.

If you have a mortgage, obtain a current repayment figure from the lender and confirm how the registered mortgage will be removed. Repaying the loan and removing the mortgage entry are separate matters to follow up. Include the repayment in your net proceeds budget and coordinate the bank’s requirements through your title transfer and payment plan.

Clarify shared or inherited ownership

Establish whether the whole property or an individual share is being sold. Confirm who owns each share, who must participate and whether anyone will sign through a representative.

For an inherited home in Milas, check the inheritance documents and registration position before promising a completion date. A relative handling viewings is not automatically authorised to sell on behalf of the other owners. Have any relevant rights of pre-emption or other legal issues assessed for the proposed transaction.

Check the position if the property is tenanted

Keep the lease, rent records, tenant’s deposit information and any written arrangements together. Agree viewing access with the tenant and make sure your agent understands the occupation position.

A sale does not automatically end a tenancy. Article 310 of the Turkish Code of Obligations generally makes the new owner a party to the existing lease when ownership changes. Obtain advice on your particular situation before offering vacant possession or setting a tenant’s departure date.

Confirm a representative’s authority early

If someone will act under a power of attorney, have the document checked for the property and actions involved. Authority to negotiate, sign the transfer and receive sale proceeds should be reviewed separately, alongside the bank’s own requirements.

If you live abroad, confirm the accepted route for preparing the document, including any required authentication and Turkish translation. Requirements depend on where and how it is issued. Resolve these details with the receiving land registry, bank and your adviser before booking travel or signing appointments.

Compare the building with its documents

Review the relevant building permit, occupancy documentation and approved plans with a suitable professional. Check alterations such as enclosed balconies, additional rooms, pools or outbuildings rather than assuming that their current use establishes their legal status.

Distinguish the parcel area from the home’s gross and net floor areas. For a garden property in Gümüşlük, confirm whether the garden is separately owned, shared or subject to an exclusive use arrangement. Check parking and storage rights against the relevant records and management plan.

Keep known defects, previous repairs and available maintenance records in the file. An estate agent’s inspection does not replace a technical assessment of damp, structural concerns or building services. Verified information also makes your listing photographs and description clearer.

Keep a practical sale file

• Current title and ownership information.
• Registered restrictions and any agreed action.
• Relevant building documents, plans and management rules.
• Lease and occupation information, where applicable.
• Representation documents, where needed.
• Confirmed measurements, usage rights and known condition issues.

This is a preparation checklist rather than a universal list of documents required by the land registry. Your transaction may need additional checks. Share unresolved points with your agent and lawyer before accepting terms, then use the verified information to set a realistic asking price.