Earthquake insurance and earthquake safety are two different things. DASK is the compulsory policy that pays out after a building is damaged — covered separately in our guide on DASK in Turkey: The Compulsory Earthquake Insurance Step Every Foreign Owner Must Complete. This article is about the step that comes first: confirming, before you sign, that the building you are buying was actually built and inspected to Turkey's seismic code. That verification is structural due diligence, and it is the buyer's responsibility.
Why the construction date is your first signal
Turkey's current seismic building code is TBDY 2018 (Türkiye Bina Deprem Yönetmeliği), prepared by AFAD and in force since 1 January 2019. It is applied together with TS 500 for reinforced-concrete design, and it requires the structural system to reflect the site's soil class, the building height, and the local seismic hazard.
That makes the permit/construction date a first-order risk signal:
| Permit / build era | Governing standard | Buyer read |
|---|---|---|
| Before 2000 | Pre-modern codes | Highest caution — require detailed engineering inspection |
| 2000–2018 | Post-1999 earthquake codes | Earthquake-resistant design required; still verify inspection records |
| After 1 Jan 2019 | TBDY 2018 + TS 500 | Strictest current standard; confirm the iskan and reports exist |
A newer permit is not a guarantee, but a pre-2000 building demands far more scrutiny than a post-2019 one.
The yapi denetim inspection regime
Building inspection in Turkey is governed by Law No. 4708 (2001). Independent inspection firms, accredited by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, inspect a project at every phase — from foundation to completion — and verify structural safety, material quality, and conformity to the approved plans. A building that passes receives an official report and its iskan (occupancy certificate, issued under Zoning Law No. 3194).
Ask the seller for the name of the inspection firm and the phase reports. The iskan is the single most useful document to request: no iskan often means no completed, signed-off inspection.
Soil survey and ground class
The 2018 code makes a soil survey (zemin etüdü) mandatory for every construction site. It establishes the ground class and confirms the foundation suits the local geology. Prefer buildings on solid, rocky ground over soft or reclaimed land, and request the zemin etüdü report as part of due diligence.
A permit is not proof of safety
This is the trap that catches uninformed buyers. Turkey has periodically granted zoning-amnesty (imar barışı) exemptions that let owners bypass safety certification for a fee. A building permit therefore does not prove TBDY compliance — you have to verify the actual inspection documentation. Treat missing or vague paperwork the same way you would treat the red flags in our guide to Property Scams in Alanya: How to Protect Yourself as a Foreign Buyer.
Older buildings: retrofit vs new build
For older stock, urban-transformation Law No. 6306 (2012) governs risky-building assessment (riskli yapı tespiti). Licensed institutions test the structural system, material quality, prior alterations and seismic performance, then issue a technical report. If a building is certified risky, the choices are strengthening (güçlendirme), designed under Law No. 4708, or demolition and rebuild. Always obtain the full technical report — and any municipal notices — before buying into a building that may face transformation.
What a foreign buyer should commission before signing
- Verify title and building history at the Land Registry (Tapu ve Kadastro Genel Müdürlüğü).
- Request the building permit (yapı ruhsatı), the iskan, the soil survey, the structural project, and the yapı denetim phase reports.
- Check for any riskli yapı tespiti status under Law No. 6306.
- Commission an independent, licensed civil engineer (inşaat mühendisi) to inspect the structure and review the structural project.
Budget for that engineer's fee the same way you budget the other transaction line items — see our Budget the Extras Before You Offer: A Pre-Offer Closing-Cost Checklist for Alanya Buyers. A few hundred euros of independent survey is cheap insurance against a structurally compromised purchase.