Life after buying real estate in Turkey

With the advent of the coronavirus pandemic, the Turkish real estate market has attracted an even larger flow of Russian-speaking buyers than it was before. This is primarily due to the fact that over the past year and a half this country has become one of the few where our compatriots can come to purchase local housing in the same format as before - buy a plane ticket, fly in and decide on the spot on a specific object. Nowadays, not all countries that are popular for buying affordable real estate are open to us. The increased demand from foreigners is also facilitated by the depreciation of the Turkish lira.

In addition, many buyers choose Turkey not only as a holiday destination, but above all as a safe place to live during a pandemic. A favorable climate, a picturesque and warm sea, modern construction standards, high-quality and cheap food, vegetables and fruits, a high standard of living and medicine, many high-level educational institutions, offices of international companies - the list goes on and on.

Religion

When moving to Turkey, it is worth remembering that this is a Muslim country, but representatives of other religions also live here - for example, there are also large Orthodox Russian-speaking communities in key cities of the country. At the legislative level, religion is separated from the state and freedom of religion, it is guaranteed to every resident of the country, but it is important to remember that Islam predominates here anyway, so you need to be prepared for religious events - Muslim holidays and fasts, as well as fashion features, etc. .d. The closer to the resort area the area of residence is, the more this issue goes to the side and vice versa.

Public Utilities

The owner of Turkish real estate, after receiving all the necessary documents on property rights, should deal with the issue of registration of utilities. First of all, you will need to connect energy and water supply meters in your name - this process takes place once. The initial connection of electricity in a new building will cost 400-600 Turkish liras, water - 600 liras, natural gas - from 700 to 1200 liras, depending on the area of the apartment. This amount will also include a returnable deposit, which the owner can collect when, for example, he decides to sell his property. Connecting a secondary facility to communications will cost less.

For the subscriber registration procedure and installation of meters for electricity, water and natural gas, the following documents will be required:

- copy of the owner's passport

- copy of TAPU (certificate of ownership)

- copy of ISKAN (building operation permit)

- copy of DASK (compulsory real estate insurance against earthquake)

- TIN in Turkey

- application (to be filled in at the offices of the water utility and the energy company).

Phone and Internet

Most often, for telephone and Internet services in Turkey, they turn to the country's largest telecom operator, Turk Telekom. To do this, you first need to call the hotline there and find out if the line has been drawn to the purchased property. To connect, you can invite a field manager or drop into the office to choose a convenient tariff and sign an agreement. It is important to know that you will need a valid residence permit in order to receive Internet or telephone services in Turkey on an ongoing basis. After that, within two to three days, service representatives install a modem for free, connect the Internet and a telephone (or one of the client's choice).

Typically, the monthly fee for home Internet services is 140-205 liras (10-15 dollars). When signing an agreement for the provision of network access services with a Turkish provider, it should be borne in mind that the agreement is concluded for two years and involves penalties for early refusal in the amount of about 500 lira (about $ 90).

Superonline, which specializes in fiber-optic communications, is recommended as an alternative Internet provider. The connection procedure and conditions are the same with Turk Telekom, but the tariffs will be slightly different. In the event that none of the providers has yet brought the network to the house, it is worth talking to the neighbors, collecting three to five signatures and applying for a connection, and within a month the building will be connected to the network. You need to be careful: the contract with the provider is often concluded for a period of two years, and if it is terminated early, the subscriber will have to pay a fine.

The medicine

As in most countries in the world, clinics and hospitals in Turkey are public and private. Public services in the field of medicine can usually be used by the one whose employer has issued him a "cigort" insurance, which applies not only to the employee himself, but also to his spouse and children. National insurance covers more than just everyday treatment - for example, laser vision correction can be done for free. In addition to medical services, state insurance in Turkey provides for various types of payments: retirement, disability, unemployment. Our compatriots should understand that there are no district doctors here - if necessary, the patient seeks medical help, contacting directly to a specific institution.

If we are not talking about labor registration in Turkey, and a foreigner is going to live in the country for more than one year, then he needs to issue a medical policy (private compulsory medical insurance), without which it will be impossible to obtain a residence permit. There are two types of state insurance: SSK - for working citizens and foreigners and bakur - for entrepreneurs. Until 2012, the insurance covered only local citizens and their families who are insured at the place of work or study. But since January 1, 2012, amendments have been made to the law, which now apply to all residents of Turkey, including foreigners. There was even a fine of 886.5 liras for untimely appeals on issues of obtaining insurance.

A document is drawn up in the relevant SGK offices: for Russian citizens the cost is - 213 lira per month (but in different cases it can reach 1000 lira), and for business owners about 400 lira per month. In case of outpatient treatment, this insurance covers up to 60% of the costs and covers up to TL 2,000 of costs within one year. Moreover, if inpatient treatment of a patient is required, the insurance company pays for 100% of the services provided. The insurance does not cover chronic illnesses - it only covers accidents.

Purchases

The agricultural sector is well developed in Turkey, therefore food products are of great choice and high quality. Local residents often buy them in small shops, where prices may be slightly higher than usual, but most of the products are usually purchased at more affordable prices in chain stores - MIGROS, GIMA, TEKPA, MAKRO, BIM. And, of course, Turkey has excellent food markets - the range of prices there is quite large, so in the beginning you should ask the price for different places of this kind. It should be noted that food prices in major resort cities and in Istanbul are always significantly higher.

Turkey is known all over the world for its textile industry - fabrics are made here, including for the world's leading fashion houses, and the country is also famous for the production of clothes from natural leather. On the central streets of cities, prices will most often be overstated, so it is better to look for shops at factories. As for casual clothes, as in all countries, it is best to buy them in numerous shopping centers.

Thank you for your help in preparing this article:

Sergey Volchenkov, Development Director of Tolerance

Ksenia Baldzhi, Director of the Sales Department of Liga Real Estate