Buyer Questions for Building insurance A buyer should ask whether the policy shown matches the exact unit/address and is current through the relevant handover/closing period. Check the insured party and policy number rather than accepting a generic building certificate.
Ask separately what DASK covers and what additional policy covers: insured perils, building versus contents, liability, exclusions, limits and deductibles. Do not interpret “insured” as “all-risk.” For apartments, ask who insures common areas and major building systems, whether the management can provide current evidence, and what the buyer must arrange personally after transfer.
Also ask how any open claim or recent damage is documented.
Insurance is separate from structural safety
DASK states that the policy term is one year and must be renewed annually, and that coverage responsibility ends at the policy expiry date if renewal does not occur. Match the insured/right holder, address and address code, construction type, construction year, area and policy dates through a current policy query. Good buyer questions ask for a specific document, number or date, not an unsupported yes/no answer. AFAD’s updated Türkiye Earthquake Hazard Map entered into force on 1 January 2019 and uses point-based hazard values rather than the old numbered “earthquake zone” concept.
It describes site hazard, not the structural performance of a particular building. Paper evidence does not replace physical or engineering inspection where the issue concerns condition; the document must be reconciled with what is actually observed in the unit, building and site. Property review must therefore separate insurance status from engineering assessment of the building, materials, alterations and local ground conditions. A DASK policy proves compulsory earthquake-insurance cover within its scope; it does not prove structural safety and its insured amount is not the property’s market value. For each response ask: what is the source, what is its date, does it concern this exact unit, and what changes if the answer is wrong?
Permit, occupancy and fire safety
For each response ask: what is the source, what is its date, does it concern this exact unit, and what changes if the answer is wrong? Ministry of Environment guidance makes clear that the competent municipality or administration handles permitting and occupancy according to location, and project/legal compliance is separate from finish quality. On 22 May 2026 a new periodic fire-safety control system was announced, with controls by the local fire service or authorised fire-safety experts when applicable and duties on owners and managers to arrange them. An old fire certificate is therefore insufficient after a change of use, systems replacement or major renovation.
Review escape routes, alarm and suppression systems, test and maintenance logs, open deficiencies and the evidence that each deficiency was closed. Paper evidence does not replace physical or engineering inspection where the issue concerns condition; the document must be reconciled with what is actually observed in the unit, building and site. Building compliance cannot be reduced to construction age. Check the building permit, occupancy/use permit where applicable, approved project, later alterations, actual use and maintenance history. Good buyer questions ask for a specific document, number or date, not an unsupported yes/no answer.
Budget and management decisions
On 22 May 2026 the Ministry of Environment announced a new site-fee framework aimed at transparency and placing fee-setting authority with unit owners through the owners’ decision process; the current resolution and budget therefore matter more than a WhatsApp message or an agent’s quoted amount. On a management handover, reconcile bank balances, receivables, claims, suppliers, contracts, the resolution book and renewal dates. Good buyer questions ask for a specific document, number or date, not an unsupported yes/no answer. Separate an existing debt of the unit from future management obligations and from a capital expense approved by owners but not yet collected.
Apartment dues and site management cannot be audited from a single monthly figure. Paper evidence does not replace physical or engineering inspection where the issue concerns condition; the document must be reconciled with what is actually observed in the unit, building and site. Read the management plan, period budget, owners’ resolutions, allocation of common expenses and advances, the unit ledger, major supplier contracts and any extraordinary collection. For each response ask: what is the source, what is its date, does it concern this exact unit, and what changes if the answer is wrong?