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Turkey · TRY

Istanbul real estate

Istanbul is many cities on one tapu system: European-side apartments, Asian-side family stock and Bosphorus trophies do not share a lira yield — and all of them sit near the North Anatolian fault.

Tapu-verified title
DASK & code year checked
3D map
4%tapu harcı on the declared deed value
DASKcompulsory earthquake insurance, not optional
Taputhe title deed is the sale, not the reservation form
Military checkstill required on some parcels for foreigners
Buying in Istanbul

The statutory lines of an Istanbul purchase

The lines that decide the real cost and the paperwork: the 4% deed fee, VAT on new builds, compulsory DASK cover and the citizenship threshold.

Deed fee (tapu harcı)
4%
VAT, qualifying new home (≤150 m² net)
1%
Citizenship threshold
$400,000
DASK earthquake cover
Required at title transfer

VAT ceilings and the citizenship threshold are set by Presidential decree and change — check the current decree before relying on them.

What a purchase really costs

Buyer costs in Istanbul, as a share of price

Tapu harcı (title deed fee) (4%)
4%
Döner sermaye & registry service fee
0.2%
Sworn translator, notary & power of attorney
0.3%
Agency, buyer side (2% + 20% KDV)
2.4%
Total on top of the price
6%

≈ +6% over the price. The deed fee is 4% of the declared value, legally 2% from each side and in practice usually carried by the buyer. Declaring below the real price to shave the fee is tax fraud and it caps your future capital-gains base. DASK earthquake cover is mandatory before utilities connect, and some parcels still need a military-zone clearance before a foreigner can complete.

Rentals run on rules

The rent side, in three lines

  • Residential leases run one year and renew automatically; the landlord cannot simply decline to renew without a statutory ground.
  • Annual increases are tied to the twelve-month average CPI — a headline lira rent is not a free-floating number.
  • Deposit is capped at three months’ rent under the Turkish Code of Obligations.

Seasonal coast rent and Istanbul long-let are different products. A summer gross yield is not an annual one.

Cities

Six metros, one tapu system

The deed fee is national, the risk is not. Building code year, fault geometry and site (HOA) fees decide whether a cheap lira price is a bargain or a liability.

Building code year is the first question, not the last. The 1999, 2007 and 2018 revisions each raised seismic standards, and the kentsel dönüşüm urban-transformation programme is actively replacing pre-2000 stock. DASK is compulsory; it is also a minimum, not full cover.

Title duty, a sworn translator at the tapu office, and a military-zone check where applicable sit between reservation and keys. Foreign-ownership quotas apply per district and can block a transfer outright.

Rents are reset annually against the twelve-month CPI average, which makes a lira yield a moving target. This is not an Antalya holiday-home page.

FAQ

USD or TRY?
Asks wander between both. The tapu and the taxes are Turkish. Underwrite the currency you will actually settle and receive rent in.
Citizenship via this flat?
Thresholds move by circular. Treat a developer’s “passport included” slide as marketing until the official gazette agrees.

All markets: sivrce.com · Georgia marketplace: sivrce.ge · Prices and availability are published only when a verified listing exists. Market currency: TRY.

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