Buyer Questions for Structural inspection
Core question
Practical cure
Failure scenario
Failure example: structural looks correct, but official belongs to a different date, unit or transaction.
Independent check
Decision rule
AFAD ties seismic design to code requirements, ground conditions and engineering services, so distinguish preliminary screening from a decision-grade report. A rapid structural screening is not a detailed seismic-performance report.
who issued the evidence?. The building earthquake code sets minimum design conditions considering hazard and ground characteristics; assessing an existing building therefore requires building, structural-system and ground evidence, not the map colour alone.
does it identify this exact unit?. In Istanbul, municipal rapid-screening information can be used as an initial signal where available, but it does not replace a detailed engineering assessment when structural safety is material.
when was it updated?. AFAD’s Türkiye Earthquake Hazard Map has been in force since 1 January 2019 and expresses hazard by location coordinates; it is a hazard tool, not a certificate that a specific building is earthquake-resistant.
Buyer questions should expose the limits of a structural report
“Is the building safe?” is too broad. Ask what type of inspection was performed, which areas were accessible, whether materials were tested, what models/assumptions were used and whether the review covered apartment alterations or only the common structure. Ask the engineer to explain inaccessible or unverified elements. If the document is a municipal rapid screen, understand its screening purpose rather than treating it as a detailed seismic-performance analysis.
Ask about damage, repair and alteration history and any post-earthquake report, then reconcile the engineer’s findings with official records and any risky-building process. The AFAD hazard map describes location hazard, not the condition of the building. If the purchase depends on a specific structural capacity, obtain evidence that directly answers that question rather than inferring it from building age or DASK coverage.
What should not be inferred from marketing material — structural inspection and risky-building review?
Which authority or document controls the answer — structural inspection and risky-building review?
Revalidate legal status and the list/role of authorized institutions through current Ministry material before relying on a structural-risk document.
Work backward from closing and payment. begin with structural and inspection and make sure both relate to the same asset, party and review date.
Check buyer independently from the person or document that supplied structural. If it conflicts with questions, identify the authoritative owner of the fact and obtain a fresh record.
Buyer Questions for Structural inspection Core question Work backward from closing and payment.
Verified information for Structural Inspection and Risky-Building
Verified information for Structural Inspection and Risky-Building
compare documentary status with the physical, payment or operational reality relevant to the topic and write down every unexplained difference before commitment.
convert each unresolved difference into a named condition: evidence required, person responsible, deadline and the consequence if the condition is not satisfied.
Verified information for Structural Inspection and Risky-Building
Verified information for Structural Inspection and Risky-Building
date inspection Independent check Decision rule