By Voices News Desk

If you buy an apartment or villa on a complex in Türkiye, you automatically become part of the site management system — known in Turkish as site yönetimi. Under the Kat Mülkiyeti Kanunu (Turkish Condominium Law), all owners in a residential complex share responsibility for maintaining the communal areas.

This includes swimming pools, gardens and landscaping, corridors and staircases, lifts, external and communal lighting, security systems, perimeter walls and shared infrastructure.

While for some people this may seem unnecessary, especially if you only visit a couple of times a year, having good site management means leaving the worries and admin of maintaining all the shared parts of your complex or building to someone else.

“But I only come for two weeks of the year and I don’t even use the pool / hallway / garden. Do I still have to be involved?”

Yes, even if you never, visit the property you are equally responsible for contributing to site maintenance, and you also have an equal say in how it’s run.

What Is “Aidat”?

All property owners pay a monthly maintenance fee called aidat. This fee covers cleaning and gardening, pool servicing, electricity for communal areas, minor repairs, building insurance (if arranged by the site), and management costs.

Aidat is legally enforceable, meaning owners are required by law to pay their share. Larger, one-off-costs are usually agreed separately to the aidat.

“Do all apartments have to have a site manager and pay aidat?”

No, only if there are 8 or more properties on your site. This can be a building with eight apartments or a complex with four villas and four apartments. If there are eight or more properties, legally a site manager must be appointed to deal with communal management matters.

Who Manages the Site?

Each complex must have a site manager (yönetici). This can be an owner elected at the Annual General Meeting, a small committee of owners, or a professional site management company.

Owners vote on budgets, fees and major decisions at the Annual General Meeting. The site manager can be given leeway by the owners to make decisions on certain matters without consulting owners on each individual point, an option usually chosen to make things happen faster.

“What happens if I’m away when the AGM is held? How do I get my say?”

The agenda of the AGM is set beforehand and circulated to all owners two weeks in advance, usually by registered post. If your site has a WhatsApp group, this is a good way to find out what’s going to be discussed and to ask for agenda items to be included. You must raise your points for discussion before the meeting notifications are sent out. The agenda has to be sent out in advance with the meeting notifications and it can’t be modified after this point. If you can’t attend the AGM in person you can ask to be represented in proxy. Anyone can represent you as long as you provide a written, signed authorisation for them to bring.

Important for Foreign Owners

If you live abroad and only use your property occasionally:

• You are still legally responsible for paying aidat
• You are still entitled to vote at meetings
• You are affected by how well (or badly) the site is managed

Good site management protects:

• Your property value
• Your rental income
• The appearance of the complex
• Your long-term investment

Poor management can lead to neglected facilities, unpaid bills, neighbour disputes and legal problems. Investing in your site management is as important as investing in your property.

If you’d like advice on site management or other aspects of looking after your property in Didim and the surrounding areas, our team is here to help you.

For more information, speak to Laura at Realty World via WhatsApp on +905468717025 or via email at laura.bower@realtyworld.com.tr