BUYING PROPERTY IN TURKEY

British citizens can buy property in Turkey! but Turkish laws are quite different from English and Scottish Laws, whereconveyancing for example is carried out  differently. The Turkish system is similar to the French system whereby, the transfer of the  title deed to a property is made by entering the transaction in the log book of the deed office of the town of choice. The piece of paper which the Turkish people call the "deed" is not actually the deed in the British sense, it is merely the document which shows the owner of the property , the date it was issued by the deed officer. İt is not just a question of passing this document over to the prospective buyer.

When you want to buy a property, you or your proxy must visit the deed officer, together with the seller or his/her proxy, and declare your intention to purchase. All the proceedings with the deed officer are carried out under oath and in Turkish, with an interpreter present if necessary. Only once  the buyer and the seller have both signed the official sales contract, will the deed officer enter this transaction into the log book, and register the buyer's name as the new owner. The new owner will then be given this document which will show that at that particular date he or she has  bought the property.

Restrictions:
1. Foreigners cannot buy property in the small administrative units called villages. In Turkish, the word for village is "köy". No matter how attractive the offer may be, you must know that it is impossible - unless of course the law is amended.

2. If you intend to buy a plot of land larger than 30 hectares (about 74 acres) you must have the Turkish Cabinet Ministers' approval.

3. No matter where the land or house may be situated, if the buyer is a foreign person, the deed office has to officially ask  permission from the highest military command of the area before the title can be transferred. This is to ensure that foreign buyers will not acquire a property within militarily sensitive zones. Even if you are willing and prepared to pay the price and buy immediately,  the sale cannot be completed before this  permission  is granted and this can take up to three months to obtain.

 Problems

The most frequent problem  which crops up if a  British citizen wishes to buy a property, is if the sellers will not agree to wait and reserve the property for them until the military command's authorisation is obtained. So do your homework!Before buying any land or property, find out if there are any restrictions to the sale a solicitor can do this for you.

Sale of Property owned by Foreigners

The good news is that the sale of a property owned by a British citizen to a Turkish citizen is easier !. No military authority permission is required . However, if the buyer is another foreigner, the rules and procedures stated above apply.
A foreign seller may, according to the current rules and regulations, transfer the proceeds of the sale back to his/her country.

Conclusion

All the information given above is correct at the time of writing . However,we strongly recommend that you to take legal advice before purchasing any property.