Genel Iskan and Ferdy Iskan: what is the difference and is it possible to buy a home without Iskan

When buying or selling real estate in Turkey, the term “search” is often heard in the list of documents. For a person who does not speak Turkish, this can be a problem. What does this mean and why is it so important? Today I will explain all this to you, friends.

The word “iskan” in Turkey refers to two similar, but at the same time different documents. It’s about Genel Iskan and Ferdi Iskan. This, respectively, is the technical passport for the house and the act of putting the apartment into operation.

I want to draw attention to this difference: during the transaction, the home buyer draws up Ferdi Iskan – a document that is attached to a specific apartment, and not to the entire building (Henel Iskan). Ferdi Iskan is the same Henel Iskan, only supplemented with details about a specific apartment or apartments.

Genel Iskan or technical passport is issued for the building as a whole, including all apartments and other premises, as well as infrastructure. The developer receives it after the first two floors are erected and the project of the residential complex is considered to have taken place.

Genel Iskan is needed to connect communications to the house and inside the house – electricity, water, gas, etc. It may also be required by the bank when applying for a mortgage – if this document is not available, then the bank may refuse a loan due to the fact that the housing is at too early a stage of construction.

The second document, Ferdi Iskan , describes a specific apartment within a residential complex. Without it, for example, they will not be able to connect the apartment to house communications. In fact, this is still the same technical passport, but for a separate apartment, and not for the entire complex. There is a brief description of the whole house, but the emphasis is on a specific apartment – this is important when registering housing in the municipality as part of the transaction.

There is another important difference between these documents. The technical passport for the building – Genel Iskan – is drawn up by the developer and he also pays all duties and fees. But Ferdi Iskan – the act of putting your home into operation – must be paid by the first owner of the apartment or apartment. If housing is bought in the secondary market, then such a document should already be. But even if it is not, it can be re-issued simply by contacting the municipality.

The cost of registration of Ferdi Iskan depends on the area of housing, but on average it costs about 2000 lira. Although our experts will be able to answer this question only by knowing the specific characteristics of your home, you can always contact us with such a question. The processing time is 7-10 days.

And at the end of the article, I will answer the main question: is it possible to buy a home without Genel Iskan and Ferdy Iskan? Yes, you can, but be careful. Since Ferdi Iskan is issued at the very end of construction, the sale of housing even before the registration of this document at the stage of excavation or at an early stage of construction is a common practice.

With Genel Iskan, everything is a little more complicated – it is possible to make a deal on the purchase of a home even before the registration of this document, the legislation allows it. However, for this, special conditions must be spelled out in the contract.

In particular, it should be explicitly stated that housing is bought at the stage before receiving Henel Iskan. It is also necessary to make a clause stating that the developer undertakes to obtain a registration certificate, and in what time frame. If the construction company does not want to make these changes to the contract, then something is wrong. Perhaps the construction technology is violated and the house will not be accepted for operation at all, or it will require additional investments from the owner.

Also, the status of Iskan is important when concluding an installment agreement – if it is concluded in the early stages of construction, then it is necessary to include in the document not only the above points, but also to tie the payment of funds to the stages of building a house. This is necessary so that the company does not require you to pay for housing if it itself disrupts the construction time.

If you are not a lawyer with in-depth knowledge and experience in the Turkish market, then there will always be a risk of manipulation and fraud. For this reason, we always advise you to contact professionals to conclude real estate transactions – such as in the
Expert Property
agency. Housing is not a banana in the bazaar – any mistake here can be very expensive. Much more expensive than the services of our lawyer.

Do you still have questions about Iskans and other documentation? Then feel free to write to me or leave a request on our website so that the best specialists of the Expert Property agency can promptly respond to your problem!