Property Scams in Türkiye and How to Avoid Them: Fake Agents, Title Deed Checks, Off-Plan Risks (a Guide for Foreigners)

Property scams in Türkiye follow familiar patterns: an unlicensed "agent", a seller who does not own the home, a project never finished, or a deposit sent to a stranger. This guide explains the common tricks and the official checks that protect you, as of November 2026.

Key points

• Only businesses holding a property trade authorisation certificate (taşınmaz ticareti yetki belgesi) may act as estate agents. Since 1 January 2025, online listings must pass the Ministry of Trade’s verification system, EİDS.
• A photocopy of the title deed (tapu) proves nothing. Get a current record of restrictions (takyidat) and check it again just before the transfer.
• An off-plan home may only be sold to a consumer after a building permit is issued, and the contract must be made at a notary or completed with the title deed transfer.
• Declaring a lower price on the deed is not a harmless "saving". The penalty for under-declaring rose to one times the lost fee in December 2025.
• Never send a deposit to a personal IBAN for a home you have not seen.

This is general information, not legal advice. Use a licensed lawyer who works only for you, and check the title yourself.

Scam 1: Fake or unauthorised agents

Under the Regulation on Real Estate Trade (Taşınmaz Ticareti Hakkında Yönetmelik), property trading may only be carried out by businesses that hold an authorisation certificate in their own name. The regulation also requires a written authorisation contract (yetkilendirme sözleşmesi) between you and the agency.

Since 1 January 2025, the Ministry of Trade’s Electronic Listing Verification System (EİDS) has allowed sale or rental listings only from the owner, close relatives, or a licensed agency the owner has authorised through e-Devlet, the state’s online portal. Verified listings carry an EİDS logo.

What to do:

• Check the agency’s certificate number on the ministry’s system at ttbs.gtb.gov.tr.
• Look for the EİDS logo on the listing.
• Remember that EİDS authorisation only lets an agency advertise. It is not a power of attorney and does not allow any title deed transaction.

Scam 2: Selling property the seller does not own, or that carries a lien

Forged identities cause the worst losses. In October 2025, gendarmerie in Antalya, Istanbul and Samsun detained six suspects, including a lawyer, after a plot in Alanya belonging to an owner living in Germany was sold at the land registry for 24 million lira by a man using a forged passport in the owner’s name, according to reports by Diken and Türkiye Gazetesi.

A property can also carry a mortgage (ipotek), a creditor’s attachment (haciz), a court injunction (ihtiyati tedbir) or annotations (şerh), such as a lease or a promise to sell to someone else.

How to check:

• Get the record. The owner can see all restrictions on Web Tapu and e-Devlet. Others need a legitimate interest, so ask the seller for a current title record (tapu kaydı) with restrictions, or have your lawyer obtain it.
• Read every entry, not just the şerh box: owner and share, mortgages, attachments, declarations (beyan) and rights of use.
• Mortgages survive a sale unless removed. Usually the loan is paid from the price and the mortgage lifted the same day. Do not buy until any attachment is lifted.
• Check again as close to the transfer as possible. Lawyers warn a new attachment can be registered within days.

Scam 3: Off-plan (projeden) sales that are never delivered

Buying off-plan carries the highest risk, because you pay before the home exists. In July 2026, buyers of an unfinished project in Karşıyaka, İzmir, filed criminal complaints alleging that the contractor had sold the same flats to several people, according to reports by Yeni Asır (via İHA) and Ensonhaber. The claims had not been tested in court.

The Regulation on Pre-paid Housing Sales (Ön Ödemeli Konut Satışları Hakkında Yönetmelik) protects consumers buying from a developer:

• Building permit first. A seller cannot sign a pre-paid sale contract with a consumer before obtaining a building permit (yapı ruhsatı).
• Form. The contract is valid only if made in writing together with registration at the land registry, or as a promise-to-sell contract drawn up at a notary (satış vaadi sözleşmesi). Otherwise it is invalid.
• Delivery deadline. Since 1 October 2022, delivery cannot be later than 48 months from the contract date. It was previously 36 months.
• Completion guarantee. Projects with 30 or more homes must provide building completion insurance (bina tamamlama sigortası), a bank guarantee, a progress-payment system, linked credit or another method approved by the ministry.
• Withdrawal. You can withdraw within 14 days without giving a reason or paying a penalty, by notice through a notary. Later withdrawal is possible on payment of compensation, starting at up to 2% of the price in the first three months.

Our guide to buying property in Turkey as a foreigner covers the full process.

Scam 4: The under-declared price on the deed

Sellers sometimes suggest a lower deed price to cut the title deed fee. Law No. 7566, published on 19 December 2025, changed the rules: the declared price cannot be lower than the property’s tax value, and the penalty for under-declaring rose from 25% to one times the lost tax.

According to an April 2026 report by GZT, any unpaid fee is collected with the penalty and late-payment interest, and the tax authorities compare deed prices with bank transfers, valuation reports and listing data.

A low deed price also weakens your proof of payment in a dispute. For citizenship by investment, the price on the deed, the value in the valuation report and the payments made must each meet USD 400,000.

Scam 5: Inflated valuations for citizenship

Every sale in which a foreign individual is the buyer or seller needs a valuation report from a licensed firm, ordered through Web Tapu. Since the end of September 2026, reports for citizenship checks can be prepared by any valuation firm licensed by the Capital Markets Board (SPK), not only the state-linked firm used before. Our valuation report guide explains the process.

On 21 September 2026, the Interior Ministry said an Istanbul prosecutor was investigating citizenship obtained through sham property sales, and that fake and irregular valuation reports had been found. After inspections by the land registry, tax inspectors and the police, the investment certificates of 1,150 investors were cancelled, and citizenship decisions for 5,391 people, including family members, were annulled, Habertürk and Ekotürk reported.

If anyone offers to "arrange" a qualifying value, walk away. See our citizenship by property explainer.

Scam 6: Misused or forged powers of attorney

A power of attorney (vekaletname) is easy to abuse. In April 2025, NTV reported that 38 suspects had been detained in eight provinces in an investigation centred on Didim into property transfers made with forged powers of attorney. In May 2025, Sabah and TGRT Haber reported that the group had targeted foreign owners, mainly living in the UK, who had not visited for two or three years. According to those reports, it forged British notary seals and applied through Web Tapu using its own phone numbers, so verification messages never reached the owners.

Protect yourself:

• Give only a special power of attorney for one named property and transaction, with an end date. See our power of attorney guide.
• Check which powers of attorney exist in your name on e-Devlet, under the Union of Turkish Notaries’ "Kişi Vekaletnameleri Sorgula" service.
• Revoke an unwanted one at any land registry office, or online through Web Tapu where available. Revocations go into the nationwide Türkiye Azil Sistemi. Fax, email and post are not accepted.
• Owners can also file a declaration through Web Tapu asking that no transaction be made on their property unless they attend in person.

Scam 7: Fake rental listings and deposit fraud

Rental scams usually start with a cheap listing. The "owner" is out of town, asks for a deposit (kapora) by bank transfer, then disappears.

In a holiday-rental variant reported by GZT in July 2026, fake villa listings offer a discount for paying a personal IBAN outside the booking platform.

View the home, meet the owner or a verified agent, see the title deed and ID, and pay traceably. Our guide to renting a home in Turkey explains contracts and deposits.

Scam 8: Payments outside the title deed process

A large payment before the transfer leaves you exposed. Lawyers say payment and signing of the official deed should happen at the same time, through a bank, and that a deposit receipt signed at an agent’s office is not a valid sale contract.

The state’s Secure Payment System (Güvenli Ödeme Sistemi) is designed so that title and payment change hands at the same time for sales paid in cash, by bank transfer or by EFT. The start date was postponed, and the system is due to become mandatory on 1 December 2026. See our report on the postponed secure payment system.

Scam 9: Homes without an occupancy permit (iskan)

An occupancy permit (iskan) confirms the finished building matches its permit and plans. Without one, buyers may face problems with utilities and bank loans, delays to full condominium title, and extra scrutiny for citizenship. A title showing "kat irtifakı" (construction servitude) rather than "kat mülkiyeti" (condominium ownership) often means the building is unfinished or lacks iskan.

Ask the municipality for the building file and written iskan status. Our report on Türkiye’s zoning amnesty and building registration certificates explains the related rules.

How to report fraud

• Your bank. Call immediately to try to stop or trace a transfer.
• Prosecutor. File a criminal complaint with the chief public prosecutor’s office (Cumhuriyet Başsavcılığı), or with the police or gendarmerie. Bring receipts, messages and call records.
• Title problems. Contact the land registry or TKGM’s Alo 181 line.
• Consumer disputes. Disputes with developers or agencies under 186,000 lira in 2026 go to the Consumer Arbitration Committee, via e-Devlet. The Ministry of Trade’s ALO 175 line gives guidance.

Quick checklist before you pay

• Agency certificate and EİDS logo checked.
• Seller’s ID matches the deed owner.
• Current restrictions record, rechecked on the day.
• Off-plan: permit, notarised contract, completion guarantee.
• Real price on the deed; iskan status confirmed.
• Payment through a bank at the transfer.
• Your own lawyer and a sworn translator.

Frequently asked questions

Q: How do I know an estate agent in Türkiye is licensed?

A: Ask for its authorisation certificate number and check it on the Ministry of Trade’s TTBS system. Verified listings carry the EİDS logo.

Q: Is a contract with a developer valid if it is not signed at a notary?

A: No. An off-plan consumer contract must be a notarised promise-to-sell contract or be made with registration at the land registry.

Q: What happens if the price on the title deed is too low?

A: Since December 2025, the penalty for under-declaring is one times the lost fee, plus the unpaid fee and late-payment interest. It also weakens your proof of what you paid and can sink a citizenship application.

Q: How do I cancel a power of attorney I no longer trust?

A: At any land registry office, a notary or consulate, or through Web Tapu where available. The agent’s consent is not needed.

Q: Where do I report property fraud?

A: Call your bank first, then file a criminal complaint with the prosecutor, police or gendarmerie. Consumer disputes under 186,000 lira go to the Consumer Arbitration Committee.

Planning to buy a home in Türkiye? Download our free property guide for a step-by-step checklist.

Sources

• Taşınmaz Ticareti Hakkında Yönetmelik (RG 05.06.2018/30442): Art. 5 property trade only by holders of a yetki belgesi; Art. 15 written authorisation contract (Lexpera)
• Ministry of Trade: EİDS authority verification live 15 Sept 2024, mandatory from 1 Jan 2025; agencies without yetki belgesi cannot list; EİDS logo; certificate lookup at ttbs.gtb.gov.tr
• Emlakta doğrulanmış ilan dönemi başlıyor: EİDS from 1 Jan 2025; authorisation does not cover title deed transactions (NTV/AA, 13 Sept 2024)
• Bakan Bolat: Yetki belgesine sahip olmayan emlakçılar ilan girişi yapamayacak; e-Devlet authorisation (Bloomberg HT, 21 Aug 2024)
• Taşınmaz ilanlarında EİDS: mandatory for all sale and rental listings, social media listings covered (13 June 2026), authorisation is not a POA (Alomaliye, Sept 2026)
• Ministry of Trade FAQ, sectoral trade: yetki belgesi applications via TTBS, yetkilendirme sözleşmesi
• TKGM FAQ: who may obtain title records (owners; others with legitimate interest), takyidat, Web Tapu declaration preventing transactions without personal attendance, Alo 181
• Tapu kayıtlarında gizli şerhler nasıl sorgulanır (FFK Partner Hukuk, 2026): TMK 1020 legitimate interest, types of restrictions, recheck close to transfer
• Ev veya arsa alırken dikkat edilecekler (Kulaçoğlu law office): current takyidat not photocopy, mortgage removal, haciz, kat irtifakı vs kat mülkiyeti, real price, simultaneous bank payment, kapora receipt
• Sahte kimlikle başkasına ait arsayı satan şüpheliler: Alanya plot, owner in Germany, forged passport, 24 million lira, six detained incl. lawyer (Türkiye Gazetesi, 16 Oct 2025)
• Sahte pasaportla başkasına ait tapuyu satan beş kişi tutuklandı (Diken, 17 Oct 2025)
• Ön Ödemeli Konut Satışları Hakkında Yönetmelik, current text: Art. 6 building permit and form, Art. 8 14-day withdrawal, Art. 9 compensation from 2%, Art. 10 48 months, Art. 12 30+ units completion guarantee (Lexpera)
• Ministry of Trade: Ön Ödemeli Konut Satışları Hakkında Yönetmelik önemli düzenlemeler getiriyor (building permit, notary form, 30+ units guarantee, 14-day withdrawal, 2%)
• Ön ödemeli konut satışında azami teslim süresi 36 aydan 48 aya uzatıldı (Capital, 4 Aug 2022)
• İzmir’de büyük konut vurgunu: Karşıyaka unfinished project, alleged multiple sales, criminal complaints (Yeni Asır/İHA, 1 July 2026)
• İzmir’de aynı parselden çoklu satış: Yüzlerce kişi mağdur oldu (Ensonhaber)
• Law No. 7566 explanatory note: declared price not lower than property tax value; understatement penalty raised from 25% to one times; RG 19/12/2025 (İSMMMO)
• Tapuda gerçek beyan zorunlu oldu: 100% tax loss penalty plus interest; data comparison with bank transfers, valuation reports and listings (GZT, 16 Apr 2026)
• Your Key Türkiye property acquisition guide (TKGM): valuation report via Web Tapu, USD 400,000 three-value test, three-year annotation, sworn interpreter
• TKGM Circular 2024/2, current text: any SPK-licensed valuation firm may prepare citizenship reports; 12-month use period (memurlar.net copy)
• Changes to valuation in citizenship by property, effective 29 Sept 2026 (Yılmazlar law office, 1 Oct 2026)
• İçişleri Bakanlığı: 5 bin 391 kişinin vatandaşlık kararı iptal edilmiştir; 1,150 investors’ certificates cancelled; sham sales and fake valuation reports (Habertürk, 21 Sept 2026)
• İçişleri Bakanlığından vatandaşlık soruşturmasına ilişkin açıklama (Ekotürk, 21 Sept 2026)
• Aydın’da sahte vekaletname vurgununda 38 kişiye gözaltı, eight provinces (NTV, 18 Apr 2025)
• Yabancıların evlerini sahte vekaletle sattılar: Didim, UK-based owners, forged British notary seals, Web Tapu with own phone numbers (Sabah, 18 May 2025)
• Milyarlık emlak vurgununda casus program detayı (TGRT Haber, 18 May 2025)
• TKGM Circular 2025/6: Türkiye Azil Sistemi, revocation via Web Tapu, land registry, notary or consulate; fax/email/post not accepted; in-person declaration via Web Tapu (Hukuki Haber, 10 Dec 2025)
• Tapuda vekalet oyununa son: online revocation, agent consent not needed, e-Devlet Kişi Vekaletnameleri Sorgula (Sabah, 8 Dec 2025)
• Kiralık ev arayanlar dikkat: deposit scam, copied agency authorisation codes, offices never call about rentals, file complaint with prosecutor (Sözcü/AA, 22 Apr 2026)
• Kiralık villa ve yazlık dolandırıcılığı: off-platform IBAN discount trick; contact bank, prosecutor; 186,000 TL arbitration limit (GZT, 3 July 2026)
• Tapuda güvenli ödeme 1 Aralık’a ertelendi (Alomaliye, 28 Sept 2026)
• Güvenli ödeme sisteminin devreye alınma tarihi ertelendi: cash/transfer/EFT sales, mandatory 01.12.2026 (Ekonomim)
• Yabancı alıcı iskânsız daire satın aldığını sonradan öğrenirse (FFK Partner Hukuk, 2026): iskan meaning, utilities, bank loans, condominium title, citizenship scrutiny, municipal file
• Ministry of Trade: Consumer Arbitration Committees, 186,000 lira limit for 2026, e-Devlet/TÜBİS applications
• Ministry of Trade: ALO 175 consumer information line

Photo: Finnfrog99 / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons