Apartment-building management: understand who decides, how money is collected and how records are kept
Managing an apartment building or residential complex in Türkiye involves much more than collecting aidat and cleaning corridors. The Condominium Ownership Law regulates the owners’ board, manager, management plan, common expenses and records. Management quality directly affects lifts, façade, security, heating, budgets and resale value. A buyer should therefore investigate the governance of the building as carefully as the condition of the apartment itself.
Know when a manager is mandatory
Under Article 34 of the Condominium Ownership Law, a manager must be appointed where the main property has eight or more independent sections. Management can be given to an individual owner, an outside person or a three-person board. The manager is appointed by the required majority of owners by both number and land share under the statutory framework.
Read the management plan
The yönetim planı is a core document governing administration, use of common areas and rights and duties within the legal framework. Do not rely on a broker saying the rules are “standard”. Review clauses on parking, storage, animals, common facilities, cost allocation and manager powers. The plan can explain why apparently similar units face different operational obligations.
Understand the owners’ board
The kat malikleri kurulu is central to many building decisions. Review minutes from prior meetings, attendance levels, major decisions, objections and postponed works. Several years of records are more informative than one meeting because they show whether the building can make decisions and maintain itself or is repeatedly paralysed by disputes.
Review the operating project and budget
The legal framework requires an operating project showing estimated annual income and expenses, the amounts expected from owners and advances required. Owners should request the operating project currently in force together with the relevant owners’ board decision rather than relying on an old budget, because planned expenses, advances and management decisions can change from one administration period to the next.
Understand what aidat pays for
Aidat can fund security, cleaning, lifts, landscaping, central systems, employees, management, insurance and other facilities. Ask for the budget breakdown rather than only the monthly total. A complex with pools, multiple lifts and staffed entrances but unusually low aidat may be deferring maintenance or relying on frequent special assessments.
Review how expenses are allocated
Not every common expense is necessarily divided by exactly the same formula. Article 20, the management plan and the nature of the expense can affect allocation. Before buying a particularly large or small unit, understand how the owner’s share of staffing, lifts, heating and capital repairs is determined. Use documents, not a verbal rule supplied during the viewing.
Check special assessments and major projects
Lifts, façades, roofs, waterproofing and garages can require expenditure well above the routine monthly budget. Review previous special assessments and identify approved but unfinished work or building debt. A buyer can acquire a unit shortly before a large capital call and face a substantial payment soon after closing.
Check recordkeeping
Article 36 requires the manager to record decisions, protocols, summaries of notices and notifications and expenses and to preserve supporting documents. Proper books, invoices and contracts make management reviewable. A building that cannot produce basic budget, meeting or expense documentation deserves closer investigation.
Review insurance
Building management has insurance-related responsibilities under the statutory and management framework. Understand the role of DASK and any additional policies covering common property, liability or facilities. One policy does not automatically cover every risk. Obtain current policy details, limits, exclusions and renewal dates where relevant.
Review supplier contracts
Lifts, security, cleaning, central heating, pumps, generators and technical services may operate under annual contracts. Check duration, price-adjustment terms, response standards and warranties. A cheap supplier that fails during breakdowns can be more expensive over time. Strong management keeps service and maintenance history rather than merely paying recurring invoices.
Measure arrears and collection health
High owner arrears reduce building cash and can delay necessary work. Ask for aggregate arrears and collection ratios without demanding unnecessary personal information about individual owners. Understand how late contributions are followed. A budget that depends on a small group of punctual owners effectively financing everyone else has higher operating risk.
Treat management as part of asset value
Two apartments can have similar size and price while one sits in a building with clear records, reserves and functioning governance and the other in a building that postpones repairs because owners are in conflict. The first is often easier to occupy, rent and resell. Building management is not background administration; it is part of the quality of the real-estate asset and should be reviewed before purchase and monitored during ownership.