Deadline Readiness Review — Independent Unit Number
An independent-unit number is not merely a convenient apartment label. In a Turkish condominium or construction-servitude record, the independent unit is the separately registrable part of the main property, and its legal identity is tied to the approved architectural project and the land-registry record. A sales brochure may call a flat “B-1207,” the building entrance may display “Daire 37,” and a utility bill may use another door number. Those descriptions can coexist, but none should be treated as the registered independent-unit number unless the evidence links them. The purpose of this review is therefore narrow: before a deadline that creates financial or legal commitment, prove exactly which registered unit is being bought, sold, mortgaged, valued or delivered.
Why timing matters
The most dangerous identification error is often discovered late, after a reservation deposit, preliminary contract, bank valuation or transfer appointment has already been arranged. At that point commercial pressure can turn an unresolved mismatch into an assumption. A deadline-readiness review reverses that logic. It sets a cut-off before each material step and asks whether the unit identity is sufficiently proven to proceed. The review is not satisfied by a long document file; it is satisfied when the documents describe the same legal unit without an unexplained conflict.
TKGM’s condominium guidance explains that an independent unit is registered in accordance with the approved architectural project. The 2021/4 circular, amended again by TKGM on 2 July 2026, remains a key operational source for condominium and construction-servitude transactions. For a live transaction, the current registry information and the current applicable TKGM guidance should control over an old sales schedule or an internal developer spreadsheet.
Evidence that must be ready before the deadline
Start with a current title or registry extract that identifies the main property and the independent unit. Record the province, district, neighborhood, block/parcel identifiers where relevant, independent-unit number, floor or location description, registered nature or use, land-share information and registered owner. Then obtain the approved project information or an official project-based source sufficient to confirm where that numbered unit sits in the building. If there is construction servitude rather than condominium ownership, identify that status explicitly; do not write “apartment number confirmed” when the evidence only proves a marketing label.
Next, reconcile the transaction documents. The reservation form, preliminary sale agreement, valuation instruction, bank file, invoice, payment description and final transfer application should all point to the same legal unit. If one uses a commercial unit code, create a documented mapping between that code and the registered independent-unit number. The mapping must come from a reliable project or registry source, not from a salesperson’s memory. Parking spaces, storage rooms and other annexes also require care: an annex attached to the unit is not automatically a separately registered independent unit, and a separately registered parking unit is not automatically included merely because the seller says it is “with the apartment.”
Door number, floor number and block name are not interchangeable
A common source of confusion is the difference between the independent-unit number and the physical door number. Municipal addressing, site-management numbering and developer numbering may change without changing the legal independent-unit number. Conversely, a project amendment, subdivision, merger or correction can affect the registered unit identity even when the door plate stays the same. The readiness file should therefore contain a simple cross-reference: registered independent-unit number; block/building; project floor and position; physical door number; marketing code; and any annexes. Every mismatch needs an explanation and supporting document.
Floor terminology deserves the same discipline. “Ground,” “entrance,” “garden,” “first normal floor” and mezzanine terminology may be used differently in listings and projects. Do not resolve a discrepancy by translating the words more confidently. Resolve it by locating the unit in the approved project and matching the registered identifiers. If the actual apartment visited cannot be linked to the recorded unit, the deadline is not ready.
Four deadline gates
Before a material deposit: confirm that the offer or reservation identifies a specific legal unit and that the seller or developer can demonstrate the mapping to the registered/project unit. Before a binding contract: freeze the unit identifier in the contract and list any annexes separately. Before valuation or finance: make sure the valuer and bank are instructed on the same unit; a correct valuation of the wrong unit is still the wrong evidence. Before title transfer: recheck the current registry, seller authority, unit number and transaction application on the day or immediately before the transfer.
Changes that require reopening the review
Reopen the check if the developer issues a revised unit schedule, the municipality changes addressing, the approved project is amended, units are merged or divided, the registered use changes, the floor or block description changes, a new valuation uses a different unit number, or the seller produces a “corrected” document after the file was previously approved. Do not overwrite the old version. Keep both, note the date and issuer, and record which downstream documents must be corrected.
Decision rule
The file is ready only when a second reviewer can answer, from the retained evidence, “Which exact legal independent unit is this transaction about?” without relying on oral explanation. If the registered unit and physical premises match, proceed. If the mismatch is administrative but documented, proceed only with the documented mapping. If the source conflict affects ownership, location, use, land share, annexes or value, suspend the affected commitment until the competent source resolves it. A deadline is a scheduling fact; it is never a reason to accept an unidentified unit.
Official sources to retain
- TKGM — Kat İrtifakı ve Kat Mülkiyeti 2021/4 and the amendment published 2 July 2026.
- Law No. 634 on Condominium Ownership, as published through the Ministry of Justice legislation system.
- TKGM Web Tapu / land-registry transaction services for current transaction and property information within their official scope.
- Where a project change is relevant, the competent municipality or authority’s approved architectural project and amendment records.