Article by: mike.dunkerley@thegpg.com (Mike Dunkerley) Published: 30/06/2009

Process for re registration of Turkish Property deeds – TAPU. PART 2

Friday – Returned to the TAPU Office at 3pm we asked for the chit for the 125 lira fee per property so we could go to the bank and pay it in and start the next stage of the process going - but we were told that it was too late to issue a chit. There was not enough time left for the entire process to be completed before the office closed at 5pm. It seems that matters cannot be carried over to the following working day – they must be completed on the day the money is paid.

Monday – Arrived early at the TAPU office so that the chit and banking process could be completed asap. On arriving back from the bank we had to engage the services of an official interpreter once again regarding the document splitting our building into two semi detached properties. (Why this could not have been done on Wednesday I do not know). As before she explained what the document said and we each had to write ‘I hear and understand’ and then sign the document. The new TAPUs were then printed off, our photographs attached and sent through to be signed by the office manager and to have the official stamps imprinted. Finally at 11 am we had our new TAPUs.

Conclusion – For us the elapsed time was 8 days with 5 days actually spent visiting various offices. I don’t think the process can be done in under 3 days. Costs will vary. We spent 872 lira between us on official fees. Out of gratitude to our Turkish friend for his invaluable help we gave a generous ‘tip’. At the time of writing (June 2009 with just 6 months to go) an estimated 90% of the properties in the town had not been re-registered. Indeed many properties have not been correctly registered at all and still await original documentation. This overly bureaucratic process is designed to sort out this situation. Whether it will remains to be seen. Most Turks are ignoring it, betting on a two year extension of the deadline (2011) and then they will probably leave it to the last minute again. There is a 1000 lira fine if you do not have the new correct TAPU but how do the authorities know except if you want to sell up and you and the purchaser have to visit the TAPU office. If that possibility is 10 years in the future many people will decide to wait and just pay the fine as part of the future sale process. However, some Brits like myself are just too law abiding – to the amusement of our Turkish friends.

Article Link: http://www.property-partnership.com/overseas-property-guides/overseas-property-guide.cfm?id=232

Please contact the author at mike.dunkerley@thegpg.com for more information.