Closing-Day Check for Tenant occupancy status On closing day, verify occupancy again physically or through a reliable same-day handover process. Confirm keys/access devices, occupants, meter readings and whether any personal property remains if vacant possession was promised.
If a tenant remains, reconcile the current lease, rent paid-to date, security deposit, arrears/notices and the point from which rent belongs to the buyer. If vacancy is required, obtain the agreed surrender/termination evidence rather than relying on a promise to leave later.
Do not release a vacancy-dependent payment while the factual condition is unresolved. Record same-day photos/handover minutes where appropriate and make the closing statement address deposit/rent allocation and responsibility for any unresolved occupant.
Lease, occupancy and payment evidence
Reconcile them with the final signing version before transferring funds or rights. The Turkish Code of Obligations has special rules for residential and roofed-workplace leases; where security is required, Article 342 limits it to three months’ rent and regulates how monetary security is held. Rental disputes entered mandatory pre-litigation mediation from 1 September 2023, subject to specified procedural exceptions. A dispute, eviction undertaking or arrears should never be inferred from one party’s statement: inspect the original instrument, its date and signing circumstances, actual bank payment evidence and any existing court, mediation or enforcement record.
An error here can change who has possession rights, the valid security/deposit position, eviction risk, or net income after dispute and costs. A lease file should prove the current relationship, not merely preserve an old contract copy. Match landlord, tenant, property, start date, term, rent, payment dates, deposit, amendments and notices to actual occupancy and payment records. On closing day use fresh evidence for facts that can change: party identity, representative authority, registry and restrictions, payment status and expiring documents.
Payment trail and beneficiary proof
Match beneficiary name, bank account, currency, amount and transfer reference to the contract and to the seller or properly authorised recipient, and independently verify any change in payment instructions before sending funds. A request to use a new account, a third party or a route outside the agreed structure is a stop signal until authority and reason are resolved. On closing day use fresh evidence for facts that can change: party identity, representative authority, registry and restrictions, payment status and expiring documents. TKGM also has specific foreign-exchange purchase-document instructions for foreign transactions where they apply, so not every bank receipt serves the same legal purpose.
Preserve the transfer order, bank confirmation, posting evidence and a reference linking the transfer to the exact instalment. Keep a reservation deposit, sale price and brokerage commission separate, and never replace an auditable banking trail with an oral confirmation. An error here can change who has possession rights, the valid security/deposit position, eviction risk, or net income after dispute and costs. The payment path is part of transaction due diligence, not a separate bookkeeping step. Reconcile them with the final signing version before transferring funds or rights.
Taxes that depend on year and owner status
On exit, disposal of certain real property within five years of acquisition can fall under value-increase gain rules of the Income Tax Law, subject to the owner’s circumstances and statutory exceptions. Keep returns, receipts and cost evidence because they affect both verification and resale analysis. A property tax file is not proved by one receipt. On closing day use fresh evidence for facts that can change: party identity, representative authority, registry and restrictions, payment status and expiring documents.
Municipal property tax depends on the tax value, property category and location, and GİB states that values calculated for 2026 are subject to a specific cap relative to 2025 values; obtain the current value and debt position from the competent municipality when it matters rather than carrying an old figure into a new year. Rental income is governed separately by GİB rules, so distinguish rent actually received, deductible expenses, the chosen expense method and the resident/non-resident position of the owner. An error here can change who has possession rights, the valid security/deposit position, eviction risk, or net income after dispute and costs. Reconcile them with the final signing version before transferring funds or rights.