Recordkeeping for Condominium Ownership Status
Good recordkeeping for Kat Mülkiyeti is not a matter of saving every document that reaches the buyer. The objective is to preserve a clear evidence chain showing which independent unit was reviewed, what the official ownership status was at the relevant date, how any earlier Kat İrtifakı status was resolved, and which records supported the final conclusion. A later owner, lawyer, lender or auditor should be able to reconstruct the reasoning without relying on the memory of the original buyer or broker.
Keep the current official land-registry evidence as the anchor
The central record should identify the exact property: province, district, neighborhood, block and parcel, building or block, floor, independent-unit number, registered nature or use, owner and arsa payı. If an official extract or transaction record was used, save the date it was obtained and the channel from which it came. Do not overwrite an earlier record with a newer one. Preserve both when the change is material, because the earlier copy may explain the sequence of a conversion or correction.
Separate current status from historical documents
A file may legitimately contain both Kat İrtifakı and Kat Mülkiyeti records. TKGM explains that a structure with Kat İrtifakı can be converted to Kat Mülkiyeti after the occupancy-permit basis exists and the applicable registry process is completed. In such a case, label the documents by date and purpose: “historic Kat İrtifakı record,” “conversion evidence,” and “current Kat Mülkiyeti record.” This prevents a future reviewer from treating the older status as if it remained current or, conversely, from discarding evidence that explains how the current title arose.
Preserve the unit-matching material
If the project’s marketing number, door number or block label differs from the independent-unit description in the registry, keep the official or approved material that maps the two. Save the relevant page of the approved project or other competent-authority evidence used for the match. A note such as “sales unit B-1203 equals registered independent unit 87” is useful only when the file also contains the evidence supporting that mapping. The point of recordkeeping is reproducibility, not merely creating a narrative.
Keep arsa payı information with the unit file
TKGM defines arsa payı as the common land-ownership share allocated to the independent section and states that it follows the unit on transfer. Record the fraction exactly as shown in the official evidence. If a historic document shows a different fraction, do not silently edit the old file; retain the old value and add the official correction or explanation. Recordkeeping should show what changed, when it changed and which authority or document supports the change.
Distinguish ownership-status evidence from other due-diligence files
Do not place a mortgage release, DASK policy, structural report or tenant document into the Kat Mülkiyeti file as if it proved the ownership regime. Those materials may be relevant to the same transaction, but they answer different questions. Maintain cross-references where useful: for example, “see encumbrance file for mortgage discharge” or “see building-safety file for engineering assessment.” This separation reduces the risk that a later user assumes one document verifies a subject outside its scope.
What to record when a discrepancy appears
For every material discrepancy, keep a short resolution note containing: the two conflicting statements, the documents compared, the dates, the exact unit identifiers, the person or authority asked to clarify the issue, the response received, and the final basis for accepting or rejecting the explanation. If the issue remains unresolved, the file should say so. A blank section or missing document should not later be mistaken for a completed review.
Closing-date evidence should be preserved separately
Keep the fresh record used near or on transfer day. If the buyer approved the property months earlier, the closing record demonstrates that the key ownership status was rechecked. Where a conversion from Kat İrtifakı occurred during the transaction, retain both the earlier status and the final current registration. If the unit was corrected or renumbered, save the official evidence that links the old and new identifiers.
Recommended record index
- Current official Kat Mülkiyeti record and retrieval date.
- Historic Kat İrtifakı record, if relevant.
- Official conversion or registry evidence explaining the change.
- Approved project or unit-matching evidence used to identify the apartment.
- Arsa payı and registered-use information.
- Written resolution of every material mismatch.
- Closing-day recheck and final transfer record.
- Cross-references to separate encumbrance, technical, insurance and occupancy files.
Primary official sources
- TKGM, 2021/4 Kat Mülkiyeti / Kat İrtifakı guidance.
- TKGM Frequently Asked Questions on condominium ownership and conversion.