This page describes what we do when you instruct us as a real estate lawyer in Turkey: how a matter is run, who it is for, and what we need from you. If you are after the legal framework itself, the rules on the land registry, condominium title and buying as a foreign national are set out on our Real Estate Law page.
Matters are conducted before the local courts, land registry offices and municipal authorities in Antalya, in Turkish. You are advised in English, German or Turkish. That gap is the point of the service: the record, the deed and the file are Turkish, and the decision is yours to make.
Been asked for a deposit?
Send us the property details before any money moves. Phone: +90 242 242 34 42 · WhatsApp · Get in touch
What we do
- Read the record and tell you what it says. Title register, the columns carrying mortgages and attachments, the municipal building file, and the approved project against what is actually built.
- Draft and negotiate the contract. Preliminary agreements, promises to sell before a notary, developer contracts, and the annotations that make an agreement hold against a later buyer.
- Act for you at the land registry. Under a power of attorney limited to the transaction, with a sworn interpreter where one is required.
- Structure the payment route. Which account, in which currency, against which document, and what has to exist before each instalment is released.
- Handle what comes after. Tenancies, building management, succession, sale on exit, and litigation when a deal has to be undone: developer delay, defects, correcting the register, eviction.
How a matter runs
1. First contact
You send the outline and the documents you hold. We say what has to be checked first. Scope and fee are agreed in writing before work starts.
2. Checks before you commit
We obtain the title record and the municipal file, compare them with what you were shown, and report back in your language: what is registered, what is missing, and what the risk is if you go ahead. Where a problem can be fixed before signing, we say how.
3. Contract and signing
We prepare or review the contract, tie the payment schedule to documents rather than dates alone, and attend the land registry. If you cannot travel, this runs on a power of attorney drawn for the specific transaction.
4. After completion
Registration is checked against what was agreed, the surrounding registrations are completed, and you receive the file. If the matter later turns into a dispute, it is run by the same office that holds it.
Who this is for
- Buyers abroad who cannot be present for the transaction.
- Buyers of off-plan property being asked to pay before completion.
- Owners selling, or transferring within the family.
- Heirs of an owner who died holding property in Turkey.
- Landlords dealing with rent, renewal or eviction.
- Anyone who has already paid and now has a problem.
Who you will be working with
The firm is run by two partners, and your file is handled by one of them from first contact.
Gamze Kunut founded the office in 2015. She read law at Akdeniz University and is registered with the Antalya Bar under number 4833. German is her first language, and German-speaking clients are advised by her directly. She also advises in Turkish and English.
Onur Kunut read law at Yeditepe University and is registered with the Antalya Bar under number 9569. He advises in English and Turkish.
Both are based in Muratpaşa, Antalya, and appear before the local courts and land registry offices in person. Pleadings, deeds and proceedings are in Turkish and are translated for you. Where a party does not speak Turkish, a sworn interpreter attends the land registry. Their profiles are on the Team page.
What we see go wrong
Four situations account for most of the files that reach us after the fact.
The deposit goes first, the title record second. A buyer pays a holding deposit on the strength of a listing and a handshake, and the register turns out to carry a mortgage from the developer’s own financing. The money is now in someone else’s account and the negotiating position is gone.
The building has no occupancy permit. The flat is finished, furnished and habitable, and the utility company will not connect it. Until the permit is issued the property cannot be lived in, and the seller has usually stopped answering by then.
The deed says kat irtifakı, not kat mülkiyeti. The buyer believes they own a flat. What is registered is a share in a plot with a future unit allocated to it, and the building is not finished as far as the register is concerned.
The power of attorney has no limits. A buyer abroad signs a general power of attorney so that someone on the ground can handle everything. It also lets that person sell the property, mortgage it and borrow against it, and it stays valid until it is revoked.
Which of these apply to you, and what else is in play, depends on the property, the seller and the draft contract. The rules behind each point are explained on the Real Estate Law page.
Not sure which of these applies to you?
Send the title record and the draft contract. We will tell you what is registered and where the risk sits. +90 242 242 34 42 · WhatsApp · Contact form
Related reading: Turkish citizenship by investment in real estate, due diligence when buying property, About the firm and the other practice areas.
Frequently asked questions
What do you need from me to start?
The property address or parcel details, the name of the seller or developer, any draft contract or listing you were given, your passport details, and a note of anything already paid.
Can you act for me if I am not in Turkey?
Yes. The transaction can be completed under a power of attorney drawn for that specific purpose, executed before a Turkish notary or a Turkish mission abroad. We prepare the wording so the authority covers the transaction and no more.
Will you tell me not to buy?
If the record says so, yes. Where a problem cannot be fixed before signing, we say that plainly.
I have already paid a deposit. Is it too late?
No, but the position is weaker. What can be done depends on the form of the agreement, what was paid and against what document. Send us the paperwork rather than waiting.
Do you work with the agent or the developer?
We act for you only. Where the other side has drafted the contract, we review it as the other side’s document.
How long will it take?
We do not give processing times, because they depend on the authorities involved. What we can tell you at the outset is which stages your matter has to pass through and what could hold it up. Statutory periods that do apply to your matter are identified as part of the advice.
Can you also handle the citizenship or residence permit application?
Those are separate applications with their own conditions, and buying property does not by itself lead to naturalisation. Where a purchase is meant to support one, that has to shape the purchase from the start.
Contact
Send us the property details. Tell us which property, which district, whether anything has been paid, and what documents you hold. We will tell you what has to be checked first and what it will take. Phone, WhatsApp and e-mail are below, or use the contact form.
Kunut Law Firm
Muratpaşa, Çatalköprü Cd. Çoruh İş Merkezi No:7 Daire:4
07030 Muratpaşa / Antalya, Türkiye
Phone: +90 242 242 34 42
WhatsApp: wa.me/905534163178
E-mail: info@kunutlaw.com
Enquiries: contact form
This page gives general information and does not replace advice on the individual case. Kunut Law Firm.