Our services and fees: what we do and how fees work

Turkey Flat For Sale is a brand of Servet Property, a property and consultancy company based in Levent, Istanbul. Our team supports buyers from A to Z: from the first phone call in your language, through the airport pick-up, project tours, title deed and residence or citizenship paperwork, to interior design, rental management and after-sales care. This page explains each service in detail, how an engagement runs, what is and is not included, how agency fees are regulated in Türkiye, which third-party costs you should expect, and how we confirm our own fee in writing.

What we do for you

Our services follow the path a foreign buyer usually takes: first understanding the market from abroad, then visiting, choosing, completing the purchase and finally living in or letting the property. You can use the full journey or only the parts you need. Here is each service in more depth.

• Phone consultation Our investment consultants listen to your expectations by phone, in the language you speak, and suggest suitable projects for the budget you have decided.
• Airport pick-up and transfer Once you have decided on your investment and planned your visit, our team welcomes you at the airport and takes you to your hotel.
• Free consultancy and project tour A presentation at our head office on investing in Türkiye and the opportunities available, followed by on-site visits with our field consultants.
• Legal consulting After you choose a project, our legal department supervises the procedures of your investment, including payment, title deed processes and the application for your investment certificate.
• Residence permit and citizenship If you are applying for a residence permit or Turkish citizenship by investment, our legal team handles the process on your behalf.
• Design, rental and after-sales Turnkey interior design and furnishing on request, rental management with tenant finding and maintenance support, and an after-sales team that keeps you informed.

Phone consultation

The first conversation is about you, not about a specific flat. Our consultants ask what the property is for — a home, a holiday base, rental income, or a purchase linked to a residence or citizenship application — and which budget you have decided on. They ask which city you prefer, and whether you are open to both Istanbul and Bodrum. From that, they suggest projects and listings that fit. We currently publish listings across many Istanbul districts and in Bodrum, and you can browse them yourself on our property search.

To make this call useful, prepare a clear budget range and say whether it includes purchase costs. Tell us your preferred timing, whether you need a mortgage abroad or will pay from savings, and any must-haves such as a sea view, a school nearby or a ground-floor garden. The more concrete you are, the shorter the shortlist.

Airport pick-up and transfer

When you have planned a visit, our team meets you at the airport and takes you to your hotel. This saves your first hours in the city from taxis, traffic and language barriers, and gives you a first briefing on the programme. Please send us your flight number and hotel address in advance. Our guide to planning an inspection trip explains how to prepare the visit itself.

Consultancy presentation and project tour

This part of our service is free. It starts at our head office in Levent with a presentation on investing in Türkiye: how the buying process works, which areas match your goals, and what the realistic options are within your budget. Our field consultants then take you to the projects on site. On a tour you see the building, the flat, the finish quality, the surrounding streets and the travel times with your own eyes.

Under the Regulation, an agency that shows you a property may ask you to sign a property showing document (taşınmaz gösterme belgesi). This records which properties you were shown and when. It matters because the Regulation says an agency is still entitled to its fee if you buy directly from the owner, bypassing the agency that showed you the property, while its authorisation contract is in force. Read what you sign, and keep a copy.

Legal consulting

After you choose a project, our legal department supervises the steps of the investment. This includes how and when payments are made, the title deed process, and the application for your investment certificate. In practice this means checking that the documents match the property, coordinating appointments, and making sure the paperwork required from a foreign buyer is ready on time. That paperwork includes the passport translation, the valuation report and photographs. We explain every step in our buying process guide.

Our legal consulting supports the transaction. It does not replace advice from an independent lawyer who acts only for you. Many buyers choose to have one, especially for off-plan purchases or large amounts, and we welcome that.

Residence permit and Turkish citizenship processes

If your purchase is linked to a residence permit or to Turkish citizenship by investment, our legal team handles the process on your behalf. That covers preparing the file, the property-related documents and the follow-up. The rules for eligibility, required values and the conditions attached to the title deed are set by law and change from time to time. We summarise the current rules on our Turkish citizenship page. Whether an application is approved, and how long it takes, is decided by the authorities. We do not promise an outcome.

Interior design and renovation

On request, we provide turnkey design and furnishing services and manage the whole process for you. This suits owners who live abroad and want a flat ready to live in or to let without flying back and forth. The scope, budget and timing of design work are agreed separately for each project. Furniture and materials are costs in their own right.

Rental management and after-sales

We offer rental management, tenant finding and maintenance support. Our after-sales team handles every step and keeps you informed. For an owner abroad, this means one point of contact for a tenant's questions, repairs and routine follow-up. What exactly is covered, and on what terms, is set out in writing before the service starts.

How an engagement works, step by step

1. First contact You call or write to us. We agree a time for a phone consultation in your language.
2. Needs and budget In the consultation we clarify your purpose, budget, preferred areas and timing, and we suggest a first selection of projects.
3. Written terms Before any paid service begins, we confirm in writing which services you are engaging us for and the fee, as the Regulation requires a written authorisation contract.
4. Visit planning You plan your trip. We arrange the airport pick-up and the tour programme.
5. Presentation and tours You attend the free presentation at our head office, then visit the shortlisted projects on site with our field consultants.
6. Choice and checks You choose a property. Our legal department reviews the documents and plans payments and the title deed steps. You may also appoint your own lawyer.
7. Title deed and certificates The transfer is completed at the land registry. Where relevant, the application for your investment certificate and any residence or citizenship file follow.
8. After the purchase If you wish, we handle interior design, furnishing, rental management and maintenance, and our after-sales team keeps you updated.

What is included and what is not

The exact scope of any paid engagement is what we confirm to you in writing. As a general guide, these are the things our team does as part of its services:

• Phone consultation in your language and project suggestions for your budget
• Airport welcome and transfer to your hotel when you visit
• A presentation at our head office and on-site project tours with field consultants (free)
• Supervision of payment and title deed procedures by our legal department
• Handling of the investment certificate application, and of residence permit or citizenship files where relevant
• Coordination of design, furnishing, rental and maintenance when you ask us to

These are not part of our service fee and are paid separately, to the authority or professional concerned:

• Title deed fees, land registry charges, taxes and any VAT on the purchase
• The licensed valuation report required for sales involving foreign buyers
• Sworn interpreter fees at the land registry, and notary fees for translations or powers of attorney
• The compulsory earthquake insurance policy for buildings, which is listed among the title deed documents
• Fees of an independent lawyer you appoint yourself
• Government application fees for residence permits, and furniture or renovation materials

For a full breakdown of purchase taxes and fees, read our guide to buying costs in Türkiye.

How agency fees are regulated in Türkiye

Real-estate agency work in Türkiye is governed by the Real Estate Trading Regulation (Taşınmaz Ticareti Hakkında Yönetmelik). It was issued by the Ministry of Trade and published in the Official Gazette on 5 June 2018, issue 30442. It was most recently amended on 29 April 2026 (Official Gazette 33238). These are the rules most relevant to you as a buyer, as the text stood on 30 September 2026.

• 4% maximum agency fee for a sale, of the price excl. VAT (Regulation Art. 20, text in force 2026)
• 1 month maximum agency fee for a rental, one month's rent excl. VAT (Art. 20, 2026)
• 1 Oct 2026 date from which the secure payment system becomes mandatory for covered sales (Ministry of Trade)
• 0.1% notary fee on a notarised property sale contract, min. 500 TL, max. 4,000 TL (2026 notary tariff)

In plain terms, the 4% is a ceiling for the whole sale, not a standard rate. When the fee is shared equally, as the Regulation provides by default, each side's share is up to half of the ceiling. The parties can agree a different split in writing. VAT is charged on top of the fee.

The new secure payment system

The April 2026 amendment added a payment system for property sales. Where the price is paid wholly or partly in cash, by bank transfer or by electronic funds transfer, it must be paid through a system that lets ownership and money change hands at the same time. The system's usage fee is deducted from the sale price transferred to the seller. The Ministry of Trade first set 1 July 2026 as the mandatory date and then postponed it by three months, to 1 October 2026. Ask your adviser how this applies to your payment plan, especially for off-plan purchases paid in instalments. A further postponement to 1 December 2026 was reported on 28 September 2026; confirm the current start date with the Ministry of Trade before a sale.

Third-party costs a buyer may pay separately

Apart from taxes and title deed fees, foreign buyers often meet a few professional costs that have nothing to do with the agency. Here is what they are and, where an official figure exists, what it is.

• Sworn interpreter If a party at the title deed office does not speak Turkish, a sworn interpreter is required, as a government guide for foreign buyers lists among the sale documents.
• Licensed valuation report The land registry requires a valuation report for sales involving foreigners. Its cost depends on the valuation firm.
• Notary Passport translations, powers of attorney and other certified documents are charged under the annual notary tariff, plus fees and taxes.
• Independent lawyer Lawyers agree their fee with you. It may not be below the minimum fee tariff set by the Union of Turkish Bar Associations.

Valuation report

Since 4 March 2019, the land registry has required a valuation report showing the market value for sales in which a foreign national is the buyer or the seller, as Bloomberg HT reported at the time. Such a report is valid for three months from its date. Under the land registry's circular 2024/2 of 1 March 2024, reports for sales linked to citizenship by investment are prepared by GEDAŞ, the valuation company named in the circular. For other cases, any valuation firm licensed by the Capital Markets Board may prepare the report. Valuation firms set their own prices, so we do not quote a figure. Ask for a quote before ordering.

Notary fees

The 2026 Notary Fee Tariff was published in the Official Gazette on 30 December 2025 (issue 33123) and applies from 1 January 2026. The table shows the tariff items a buyer is most likely to meet. The notary's final bill also includes fees under the Fees Law, stamp duty and VAT where applicable, so the total for a document will be higher than these components alone.

Independent lawyer

The Minimum Fee Tariff for Attorneys was published by the Union of Turkish Bar Associations in the Official Gazette on 4 November 2025 (issue 33067). Lawyers may not charge below it. As reported by Habertürk, the tariff sets 4,000 TL for an oral consultation at the lawyer's office for up to the first hour, and 1,800 TL for each following hour. For a property purchase, lawyers usually quote a fee for the whole transaction. Ask for it in writing, and ask what it covers: title checks, contract review, attendance at the land registry, and any residence or citizenship work.

How we confirm our fee in writing

We do not publish a single price list, because what we do differs from one client to the next. One buyer needs only a project tour. Another needs a full purchase with a citizenship file, furnishing and rental management. What does not change is the principle: we confirm our fee in writing before any engagement begins.

In line with the Regulation, the written terms name the services you engage us for, the fee for each, who pays it, when it becomes due, and how long the agreement runs. If the fee for a sale is shared with the seller, the written terms say so. You can ask us any question about the terms before you sign, and you should never pay an agency fee that has not been agreed in writing.

Questions worth asking any agency

• What is your authorisation certificate number, and does it appear in your listings?
• Which services are included in your fee, and which are charged separately?
• Is the fee shared with the seller, and what share do I pay?
• When exactly does the fee become due?
• Which third-party costs should I budget for, and who arranges them?
• Who from your team will be my contact after the title deed is issued?

Frequently asked questions

Would you like to know which of our services fit your plans, and what they would cost? Contact us for a phone consultation in your language. We will confirm the scope and our fee in writing before anything begins. Our head office is at Esentepe Mah. Büyükdere Cad. Ferko Signature No: 175/7 Kat: B4, 34394 Levent, Şişli, İstanbul, open Monday–Saturday 09:00–19:00.

Sources

• Taşınmaz Ticareti Hakkında Yönetmelik, consolidated text (Lexpera) — authorisation certificate, written contract, 4% and one-month fee caps, fee sharing, showing document, advertising and conduct rules (accessed 30 September 2026)
• Amending Regulation, Official Gazette 29 April 2026 No. 33238 (Alomaliye) — payment system, usage fee deducted from the seller's proceeds (accessed 30 September 2026)
• Ministry of Trade press statement on the secure payment system for property sales (29 April 2026) (accessed 30 September 2026)
• Alomaliye — secure payment system postponed by the Ministry of Trade to 1 October 2026 (accessed 30 September 2026)
• Ministry of Justice — 2026 Notary Fee Tariff, Official Gazette 30 December 2025 No. 33123 (accessed 30 September 2026)
• Guide to property acquisition by foreigners in Türkiye (Konya Investment Office, government guide) — sale documents incl. sworn interpreter and earthquake insurance policy (accessed 30 September 2026)
• TKGM circular 2024/2 of 1 March 2024 (Lexpera) — who prepares valuation reports (accessed 30 September 2026)
• Bloomberg HT (25 February 2019) — valuation report required for all sales involving foreigners from 4 March 2019, valid for three months (accessed 30 September 2026)
• Ministry of Justice — Minimum Fee Tariff for Attorneys, Official Gazette 4 November 2025 No. 33067 (accessed 30 September 2026)
• Habertürk — 2025–2026 attorney tariff amounts for office consultations (accessed 30 September 2026)