Management of residential complexes in Turkey: what does it mean?

According to data and numbers from previous years, apartments in residential complexes in Turkey have been the most in demand by Turkish and international investors. The majority of Turks and residents were able to obtain apartments in residential complexes; however, why are residential complexes in particular in such high demand?

The reason for this is that residential complexes are always the best designed and offer their residents expert services. In addition to the existence of a variety of leisure activities for the children of the families in those residential projects .Furthermore, there is the factor of safety and round-the-clock protection that protects them and their children from any damage or disaster, which brings us to an essential question: who is managing these residential complexes?

Here is the bottom line, and we shall discuss it in more detail in our article today. Complex management is an extraordinary task that needs rigorous management to reach the objective. In this article, many questions, including the following, have been answered for you by DAMAS TÜRK Real Estate: "What exactly are residential complexes?" "How are they managed?" "Who is in charge?" "What services do you get?" "What is the typical monthly charge for this administration?" To get the answers to these and other questions, keep reading to the end.

What do we mean by residential complexes in Istanbul?

In general, a residential complex is a collection of residential structures surrounded by a wall and a security system backed by technology and security personnel devoted to safeguarding the complex and its occupants. Typically, the complex is overseen and managed by a single administration, and most residential complexes have a number of shared amenities for all residents.

The facilities vary from complex to another; however, in Turkey, there are some fundamental facilities that must be offered in all complexes, including swimming pools, gardens, restaurants, reception halls, playgrounds, sports clubs, and children's games. So residential complexes are a new type of contemporary and developed housing based on a special service and social structure with the purpose of achieving security and stability with differentiated services for all complex inhabitants. Yet, what are the most prominent of these distinctive services?

What does the management of residential complexes mean in Turkey?

The complex management is an integrated administrative body whose function is to maintain the conduct of business in the residential complexes, from the smallest detail to the largest. The functions of this body vary from one complex to another. This administration must be present in all buildings and residential complexes that have more than 6 apartments, according to the floor property law. What is this law? We will explain it in the next paragraph.

As a result, residential complex management is concerned with providing comfort to residents through full management of existing services, follow-up on collecting required fees, full supervision of buildings and complexes, and monitoring everyone who enters and exits these complexes to protect and achieve security for residents.

What is the floor property law “KAT MÜLKİYETİ KANUNU”?

The floor ownership law is represented by KMK, a law that is more than 5 pages long. It explains how to organize and elect an administrative body. In the case of a disagreement, the state steps in by appointing a body and a legal director to represent it. This law has a lot of significant information, but not everything in it is relevant and should be stated in this article, so we will provide you with the most important sections of it and explain its substance so that you can comprehend it.

Therefore, in order to maintain the basic and extra amenities in the residential complex and to offer the service to the maximum degree possible, the Residential Complex Management Law grants the inhabitants of these residential complexes the ability to conduct and manage the necessary construction projects. These tasks vary depending on the complex, but they often involve cleaning, maintenance, guarding, and managing public utilities, as well as organizing their usage by residents in these complexes.

The director of this authority is re-elected at the beginning of each year, and his success in accomplishing the tasks required from him in the residential complex is reviewed. Of course, this is legal, but on the ground, due to poor communication between real estate owners and management, renewal occurs every year without even notifying the property owner.

Another point that some residential complex owners may overlook is that when purchasing the property from the construction company and signing the contracts, there are items that are entered that include the approval of a special body approved by the construction company to conduct business in the complex. This is because the construction company is keen to provide the same content and services in all of its residential complexes.

As a consequence, there are seldom elections in the complexes, and it is only a matter of gathering opinions and evaluating those bodies, provided that the property owner has already agreed to the administration's establishment. This has both a positive and a negative aspect. The positive impact is that the number of properties in the complexes is large, and gathering the owners in one place is very difficult, so it is preferable for the body to be external and pre-approved.

The negative aspect, however, is the administrative body's entire control and the inclusion of circulars in the complexes based solely on its vision, ignoring all that the real estate owners in the residential complexes want. Unfortunately, this has directly irritated some of our clients, while others complain because they are unable to do what they want even in their own property, such as "the color of the glass on the apartment balcony." 

Who manages the residential complexes and how are they selected?

There are rules controlling the administration of these complexes based on the content of the floor ownership legislation, which state that the owners of real estate in the complexes are the owners' council, that is, those who have shares in the complex, and they are the ones who have the ultimate legal power in this complex, and they are the ones who have the right to decide the managers among themselves or an outside company to make it happen.

However, the basis is theirs, and they are the ones who evaluate the performance of the elected administration on a regular basis, and they have the right to intervene in its affairs and isolate it if it violates any of the conditions of the floor ownership law or what has been agreed upon between them and this elected administration. As a result, the administrative body is compelled to deliver high-quality service in order to satisfy the Owners Council, or "property owners."

What services are offered to Turkish residents by the residential complex administration?

• Follow up on technical matters in the residential complex

Daily maintenance and other malfunctions, as well as technical issues with elevators, the heating and cooling system, and other such complex issues that the property owner may be unaware of until the problem happens. As a result, there are technicians and professionals on-site at all times to offer the necessary assistance in the event of damage or malfunction.

• Providing security and permanent protection around the clock

In Turkey, residential complexes generally provide security services around the clock, from entry to exit, and do not allow any unauthorized person to enter the complex without an approved permit. There are also security guards at the reception who rotate through the complexes on a daily basis to ensure that nothing goes wrong. 

• Managing the accounting system and sending the consumption bills and other collections

There is always an accountant present in the administrative body of the residential complexes. This accountant's job is to collect fees from property owners in exchange for the services supplied to them, which is a defined amount depending on the availability of fixed monthly services such as entertainment centers within these complexes.

As for the unstable collections, they are related to the monthly consumption of real estate owners inside the apartments. There are consumptions that belong directly to the complex, such as water bills, which are the most common in complexes in Turkey, and the reason is because the complexes offer this service from dedicated water tanks rather than directly from state-affiliated water companies.  Thus, the fees are collected based on the monthly consumption, and it may be otherwise in other complexes as well.

• Providing other services related to the additions provided by the construction projects in the complexes as a luxury

Because the majority of residential complexes in Turkey have luxury services that require regular follow-up, there is a rotating crew on a daily basis to follow up on problems relating to these services, and specialists are required.

For example, the existence of outdoor swimming pools in complexes necessitates the installation of a water system to ensure their appropriateness for swimming around the clock! Saunas and Turkish baths, on the other hand, require an expert to administer them. Green areas, trees, and so on require regular monitoring, irrigation, and so forth.

What is the required fee for managing residential complexes in Turkey?

There are no set rates that explain this, but each complex has its own pricing based on specific criteria and expenses that are dependent on the number of existing properties and the quantity of services given; be careful to inquire before purchasing. The figure is normally based on each square meter of total apartment space; however, we have provided a table with the average fixed returns for flats in Istanbul in 2022 for your convenience.

Apartment type	Average area	Average fee value
1+1	60 square meters	650 Turkish Lira
2+1	120 square meters	790 Turkish Lira
3+1	155 square meters	980 Turkish Lira
4+1	210 square meters	1150 Turkish Lira

The most prominent services provided by the management of residential complexes in Turkey

• The complexes adopt spacious apartment spaces for an integrated family concept

The large areas of the apartments always indicate that the project is entirely family-oriented, which is what most Turkish or foreign families require. Thus, these residential complexes usually have styles ranging from two rooms and a salon to five rooms and a salon and even more. And this is one of the benefits of apartments, specifically in residential complexes.

• The complexes provide a conservative setting for children in order to help them integrate and establish a healthy environment for them

The professional services in the residential complexes that accompany these apartments are courteous, distinctive, and highly interactive, in the sense that these projects allow children to integrate and gain self-education. The environment in these initiatives promotes the notion of neighborliness through meetings, events, and activities, which is exactly what the family needs today for its children.

• The luxurious finishes that most of the residential complexes offer

The apartments in the residential complexes have conventional and luxurious finishes, which increases the demand for purchasing these apartments in the city of Istanbul's current residential complexes. In order to locate the finest solution for you and to create a comfortable and unique living area in Istanbul, all you need to do is click here if that is what you are looking for.

• The complexes geographical locations that are easily accessible from any area within the Turkish cities

The most important factor in Turkish complexes is location; for example, there is no residential complex that does not provide you with a map of access from the far north of Istanbul to the far south by utilizing sites with rapid transportation such as the metro and metrobus, and the majority of them are also located on major roads such as E-5 and TEM.

• The complexes in Turkey obtain distinctive views of water features and others

Residential complexes rely on the presence of beautiful views through their balconies, some of which are panoramic views of the city center, sea views of the Marmara Sea, lakes, the historical Bosphorus Strait in the heart of Istanbul, or vast green spaces. If there is no natural view, the complex itself provides you with attractive internal views of the green spaces and artificial lakes.

• The complexes provide round-the-clock security

The security aspect around the clock, which implies total safety for you and your properties at all times, is one of the most important reasons that motivates the purchase of apartments in residential complexes. Some residents of complexes need to travel at particular times of the year; thus, there are others who protect the apartments and check them on a regular basis.

• The complexes provide complete luxury services for their residents

As previously mentioned, the complexes in Turkey provide a range of services that differ from one another, but there are services available in all of them, and we will list the most important ones for you below:

• Summer and winter swimming pools;
• Turkish bath and sauna;
• Steam rooms, spas, and Jacuzzi;
• A variety of games that increase fun and entertainment: billiards, PlayStation, multiple playgrounds, gardens, cinema rooms, etc.;
• Fitness rooms full of modern tools;
• Car parking for hotel apartment projects;
• Meeting rooms and a cafeteria with a lobby serve the complexes.

A few notes before wrapping up

We did not discuss the text of the law and its complicated procedures, how to sequence activities in order to designate the manager, or other legal concerns that you may be confused with in our article. What is important in these laws is determining what you have and what you owe in the midst of it all, so the first thing DAMAS TÜRK Real Estate recommends when purchasing a property in Turkey is to inquire about the purchase contract items before signing. What does this imply?

Before you sign any contracts with construction companies, ask your real estate consultant who will lead the management of the smart residential complex in which you will invest. Find out how it formerly served residential complexes by conducting an Internet search for it and its services.

Another crucial question to ask before signing the purchase agreement is, "What is banned and permitted if I want to significantly modify my property, internally or externally?" If you do not know the answer to this question, you may later be disappointed to learn, for instance, that the construction or management firm forbids you from changing the layout of the apartment or the arrangement of the rooms.

Furthermore, ask about the value of the fixed monthly fees per square meter of your property, which is crucial because these fees in Turkey have grown significantly due to inflation and other increases; be aware of that and check about what will happen if you are late in paying.

When purchasing a property from a property owner in one of Turkey's residential complexes, you can ask the owner directly about the level of services provided and the monthly fees required. Moreover, go to the complex management and get a file that contains duties and prohibitions for each of the parties. Do not let the possibilities lead you in any unexpected direction.

In conclusion, it is fair to say that if you are interested in real estate investment in Turkey, buying real estate in Turkey, or gaining Turkish citizenship through its many procedures, DAMAS TÜRK Real Estate Company is your finest option for the best opportunities, real estate deals, and exceptional services.

Contact our professional staff right away; we would be happy to assist you.

Edited by: DAMAS TÜRK Realty©