Property for sale in Fethiye

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the minimum amount of money we will need to completely furnish a property?
There are a wide range of furniture and electrical goods shops in Turkey, and prices vary according to shop and quality of goods. To furnish a two-bedroom apartment with all the basic necessities, and not including air conditioning, should cost you around £3000.

A waiter/barman I know has told me about a great bargain of a property. Should I buy from him?
You should not purchase such a large thing as a property via a local worker. However well you may know him, and however trustworthy he may be, he is not in the real estate business, and cannot know the law as the professionals do. Only through an established agency , can you be completely sure that everything is done properly and legally, and that all eventualities are covered. Most ‘outsiders’ selling property are on a massive commission, sometimes adding on as much as 20% to the selling price for their pockets. Or with other words, you would not buy a house from fish and chips shop in Uk so why would you like to do it in Turkey.

How do I obtain a residency permit?
Once you have own a property this is relatively easy. You need to take all the documents required (a list is available) to the Passport Police who will then send off the application on your behalf. Apple Estates will help you during the procedure.

What is the average cost of living in Turkey?
Water approx. 10-15 GBP per 2 months Electicity approx. 10-15 GBP per 2 months Bread approx. 0.10 GBP per loaf Beer approx. 0.60 GBP per can Minibus (Fethiye-Oludeniz) approx 1.20 GBP per person Haircut men: 2-5 GBP Haircut ladies: 4-10GBP

What are the size limits for buying?
The maximum size of total lands/properties that can be purchased by a real foreign person cannot be more than 25,000 m2. The Council of Ministers is authorised to increase this threshold to 300,000 m2 per person. The maximum size of (cumulative) lands that can be purchased by foreign real persons in a province shall be capped by the Council of Ministers and this cap cannot be more than 0.5% of the total area of the whole province

Can I purchase more than 1 property?
Yes. One can purchase as many properties as they want.

If I die, will the Turkish Government have any claim to my property?
No, it wont. The same rules apply to English law in that the husband/wife and children will then inherit the property.

A lot of properties have the facility of solar heating panels. Can these also be used in the winter?
The solar panels are the cheapest way for hot water in Turkey but during winter months you might need a electric back up , which we may have it arranged it for your house.

I plan to live in Turkey. Can I open an interest account? How much interest will I get?
It is possible to open an interest account. Apple Estates can assist with this. Interest rates are currently between 13 – 16%.

Can I have satellite TV installed?
You can have a satellite dish installed for satellite TV, so you can watch programmes such as BBC World, BBC Prime, CNN International, Eurosport and some other English programmes.

We will be moving to Turkey permanently and want to bring our furniture with us. Is this a good idea?
Electrical goods are taxed heavily when entering Turkey. The cost of furniture is so reasonable in Turkey that it would be a better idea to sell your furniture in the UK and use that money to buy new furniture here. If you still want to move your furniture to Turkey please contact us first for free advice as we have many experience in moving furniture from UK to Turkey.

I am travelling with children (and/or babies), do they need a visa?
Yes, children of any age do need a visa to enter Turkey. There are no age limitations for visas

What is the difference between a licensed and non-licensed agency? And what are the implications for me when purchasing property?
A licensed agency is an agency that pays tax and therefore operates legally. You can check this by looking for offices that display a tax certificate outside their premises. Some non-licensed agencies operate from bars, restaurants, shops or even hotels. There have been examples of people purchasing from non-licensed agencies, friend working in restaurant or hotel, and as a result have lost thousands of pounds and not ended up with a property.

Can we take our money back out of Turkey if we sell our property?
Yes, you are able to take money back out of the country in pounds sterling. Via a bank is the preferred option, as this registers the money both arriving into and departing from the country.

If I buy a property in Turkey, will this give me any citizenship or any citizenship rights?
This does not give you any citizenship rights or immediate citizenship. A residency visa is still to be applied for, should you wish to stay in the country for long periods of time.

How do we travel to Turkey?
The main points of entry for investors in Turkey are Dalaman or Antalya, with bookings from Turkish Airlines, North Cyprus Turkish Airlines, Onur Air, British Airways, Thomas Cook and Excel.

Does your social insurance scheme cover your health expenditures in Turkey?
If you reside in Turkey, your social insurance scheme (UK) could cover your health insurance expenditures in Turkey. Please contact the relevant organisation in UK for the details. Please note that Turkish health insurers provide very cheap insurance policies and cover diagnosis/treatment of lots of diseases. They are in connection with very good private hospitals, scanning centres, and medical laboratories. No waiting lists and instant diagnosis and treatment are in question. You can buy private health insurance policies at reasonable costs. 28 insurance companies offer health insurance products as of December 31, 2004. Health insurance products are usually, yearly renewable. Private companies offer in patient and out patient health services in private hospitals. There are travel assistance products, contract lengths are less than one year. They offer health services during the tourists journey in Turkey. Furthermore, prices of pharmaceutical products are very cheap in Turkey. If you work in Turkey, you are covered by the State health (social) insurance schemes which will let you utilise all covered health services.

Can you bring your pets to Turkey?
You can bring your pets to Turkey as long as you carry the live animals’ health/vaccination certificates with you. Veterinary health certificate must be issued not more than 10 days before departure. Rabies vaccination must be given the animal not more than 6 months ago and not less than 15 days before departure. None of the documents need to be legalised by either Foreign and Commonwealth Office Legalisation Department or Turkish Consulate General, provided that you accompany your pets. However, there is a legal limitation on the number of pets to be brought to Turkey. A person can bring 1 cat or 1 dog or 1 bird or 10 aquarium fishes at most.

Do I Need a Residence Permit?
If you would like to reside in Turkey longer than the normal period allowed to tourists, you will need a residence visa. All documents for a residence visa must be submitted to the Turkish Consulate General at least eight weeks before the intended date of departure. British nationals can also apply for residence visa while in Turkey. They need to apply to the nearest police headquarters after their 3 month-sticker type visa obtained at the border gate expires. Please note that applications must be referred to the relevant Turkish authorities for their approval. Therefore, applicants are advised to contact the Consulate to find out the outcome in due course. After obtaining the residence visa, you are required to register with the local police within a month following the arrival in Turkey in order to obtain a residence permit. If you wish to extend your permit for a further period, you should apply to the same police headquarters before the permit expires.

Do tenants in Turkey prefer furnished or unfurnished properties?
If you plan to rent out your property, it is worth understanding the tenancy propensities in Turkey. In tourism locations, districts close to main business centres or zones preferred by foreigners, most tenants prefer furnished properties. On the other hand, in other locations where Turkish families are intensive generally unfurnished houses are preferred.

Can you transfer the money you make through your property abroad?
You can freely transfer abroad the money you will make through either selling or renting out your property.

Electricity, gas, water, telephone, and heating issues & utilities?
Electricity and natural gas are provided by the local distributing and retailing companies. Natural gas is supplied to only a limited number of cities. Water is supplied by municipalities within the municipal borders. Water bills are charged on the basis of the amount of water you use. Electricity, natural gas, telephone, and water utilities are billed monthly, quarterly or semi-annually depending on the supplier’s choice. In cities where natural gas is supplied, gas central heating is the common practice. In other cities, communal heating or electric heating is more frequently observed. In coastal cities, solar energy heating and boiling systems are used very widely. All electricity, natural gas and telecom companies are audited by the relevant Regulatory and Supervisory Authorities. According to the relevant laws, subscribers can complain about their suppliers in case of any disputes. Moreover, the Consumer Protection Law and the Competition Law are the two laws targeting to protect all consumers in the country. It is suggested that as soon as you take over the ownership, you immediately subscribe to electricity, gas, water companies on behalf of your own name. All subscription transactions can be completed in a day. On the other hand, if you plan to rent your property out, make sure that the tenants register to the utility suppliers on behalf of their own names. Taking into account the average consumption figures of the Turkish residents, total cost of the utilities explained in this section is expected to range between £50 and £200 per month, depending on the features of the asset and the utilization of the utilities. Please note that many banks in Turkey provide ‘direct debit’ services especially for payments to utility companies. In addition, if you will stay outside Turkey, you can use management companies so that they will pay utility bills for you.

what About My Pensions in UK?
Your UK pensions are not be taxed in Turkey. Furthermore, such an income is not gained as a result of a commercial activity carried out in Turkey. In this regard, you can freely transfer your pensions to Turkey. You can either have your pension transferred to your bank account in Turkey or prefer getting cheques sent to you. Please note that an average Turkish household lives on an average monthly income much less than an average UK pension. Thus, your pension itself will allow you to have a financially-comfortable life in Turkey.

What Happens when we divorce?
When a married couple gets divorced and one of the parties is to transfer the ownership of his/her property (or a share) into the name of the other party, then this transaction is not subject to any tax. Similarly, in Turkey, subsistence payments to be made by a divorced party to the other party are all tax exempt.

Preparation of wills and transfer of property to the heirs
Wills prepared by foreign nationals in their own countries can be executed in Turkey so as to transfer the ownership of a property to the individual(s) stated within the wills. To carry out the property transfer pursuant to a will, a heir has to gather a court letter confirming the will from the relevant court of his/her own country and to have it ratified at the Turkish Consulate General. Then he/she has to submit that letter to the relevant court of the province in Turkey where the property is located. Then, the Turkish Court issues an official document which allows the transfer. Finally, the heir presents the document granted by the Court to the Tapu (Land Registry) Office as well as other documents required for the transfer of ownership. These transfers are exempt from any military clearance and the other restrictions applied to foreign nationals. Please note that transfer of ownership of a property to an heir is subject to inheritance tax. Thus, if the heir sells out his inherited property, he is not subject to any personal income tax based on the capital gains.

What should i check when buying off-plan property?
If you are to buy a building under construction, make sure that the contractor is financially viable and legally authorised. Furthermore, you are recommended to put some special clauses in the contract with the contractor such as a date of completion, list of materials to be used, indemnities etc.

Can we open Joint Accounts?
Joint accounts can be opened. A joint account is an account on which two or more people do have certain rights. While opening joint bank accounts, make sure whether the other party has the right of withdrawing money from this joint account without your consent or not.

What do I need to open bank account in Turkey?
You can open accounts at Banks in Turkey in your own name. All you need to do this is just to have a tax number from a local tax office, which takes only few minutes, and then to submit it and a copy of your passport as well to a Bank branch you want to use.

Which currency should be used during trabsactions?
You can make your payment in GBP, YTL, Euro or Dollars, but we strongly advice to use GBP as not to encounter any possible conversion error.

Are there any (universal) mortgage companies in Turkey?
There had been no universal mortgage system in Turkey untill 6 March 2007. However, the mortgage law was adopted by the Turkish Parliament and published in Official Gazette on 6 March, 2007. The new law makes mortgages available over long periods to house buyers. The new law is expected to transform both the housing market and the Turkey’s urban environment.

Can you have a Power of Attorney prepared in UK?
You do not have to go to Turkey to prepare a Power of Attorney. You can have it prepared in UK. In that case, please make sure that it is legalised so that it can be an acceptable/valid document in Turkey. You can have it done in Turkish Embasy in London.

Are the properties you are selling Freehold or Leasehold?
All the properties we sell in our books are freehold.

Will Tapu be in my Name?
Tapu can be registered either in joint names or a single name.

What is a TAPU? What does it look like?
A TAPU is an official document which shows you have ownership rights over the real estate. The owners full name and photograph, and detailed information on the asset appear on this document.