Attention home buyers and sellers! A new era in title deeds: The 'assessed value' game is ending

A new era is beginning in Turkey for title deed transfers, aimed at ending the practice of bypassing audits by declaring sales at or slightly above the assessed value. Under the regulation taking effect on January 1, the goal is to prevent discrepancies between the actual sale price and the amount declared on the title deed.

For example, showing a property with an actual value of 10 million liras as being sold for 3 million liras based on its assessed value significantly reduces the title deed fees that should be paid. This situation is noted to cause significant losses in public revenue.

ASSESSED VALUES DO NOT REFLECT ACTUAL SALE PRICES

It is stated that the amounts on assessed value documents obtained from municipalities are expected to remain below market values in many regions in 2026 as well. However, with the new practice, the close monitoring of money transfers through the banking system will make it mandatory for sales to be conducted at their actual value.

BANK TRANSFERS WILL BE UNDER MASAK AUDIT

According to NTV, with the regulation coming into force, for a real estate transaction to be carried out at the title deed office, the amount the buyer sends to the seller will be expected to be consistent with the sale price declared on the title deed. Banks may request documents and explanations regarding the money transfers made.

It is emphasized that if the transferred amount remains below the price declared on the title deed, the transaction may be considered "suspicious."

THE IDEA OF CASH PAYMENT WILL ALSO CARRY RISKS

For example, in a property sale where a title deed transaction will take place on January 2, 2026, if seller X receives the actual value of 10 million liras, buyer Y will also need to send this amount to seller X via a bank. It is stated that no other way will be possible, as banks will request documents and explanations regarding which sale the sent money corresponds to.

In this context, it is stated that the approach of "I will pay in cash, no one will notice" could also pose serious risks in the new audit process. It is reported that when withdrawing large amounts of cash from banks, it may be necessary to declare the purpose for which the money will be used, and if the seller later wants to introduce this cash into the financial system, documents and explanations regarding its source may be requested. It is noted that this information and documentation may be forwarded to MASAK when deemed necessary.