The EİDS era in housing listings has officially begun: Those who do this will face a 684 thousand TL fine!

A new era has officially begun against fake and misleading listings, which have long been a subject of debate in the real estate market. With the Electronic Listing Verification System (EİDS) implemented by the Ministry of Trade, the process of posting listings has changed fundamentally.

Under the new regulation, it has become mandatory for citizens who want to sell their homes to perform both identity and listing verification via e-Devlet. The system, which requires property owners to grant listing authorization to the real estate business they will work with via e-Devlet, was first applied to rental properties.

According to the report by Sabah, the scope of the application was later expanded to include commercial real estate. In the final stage, residential properties for sale, which make up the largest part of the market, were also included in the EİDS scope.

IF THERE IS A CONTRACT BUT NO AUTHORIZATION, THERE IS NO LISTING

The application, which started in pilot provinces as of February 1, became mandatory for "all real estate for sale listings," including residential properties for sale, after February 15. The Electronic Listing Verification System, which was put into effect to prevent fake and misleading listings and manipulative price increases, now covers all real estate for sale.

From this stage on, simply making a contract with a real estate office is not considered sufficient. Authorization must be granted via e-Devlet for the listing to be published.

INDIVIDUAL SALES ARE OUTSIDE THE SYSTEM

The mandatory authorization requirement only covers those who will post listings through a real estate office. While this condition is not sought for those who want to post individual listings, individual listings can only be posted by the owner of the property, the owner's spouse, or first and second-degree blood relatives.

The system does not allow listing entries by anyone other than these individuals. At the individual listing stage, the property number must be entered into the listing platform. The system automatically checks owner information and kinship, and if the conditions are met, the listing process is completed.

If the property owner is to conduct the sales process with a real estate office, the first step is to make a written authorization contract. This contract must be drawn up in at least two copies, with one copy remaining for each party.

THOSE SHOWING LOW VALUES IN TITLE DEEDS ARE NOW BEING TRACKED

One of the methods frequently used to reduce title deed fees in real estate sales is to show the property's sale price below its actual value. For example, while the title deed fee for a house sold for 10 million TL is 400 thousand TL, this figure drops to 160 thousand TL when the value is shown as 4 million TL.

According to experts, in addition to existing practices aimed at detecting such irregularities in title deeds, the EİDS system will also constitute an important oversight mechanism.

According to information provided by industry representatives, the system works in integration with the Land Registry and Cadastre infrastructure, and a special identification number is generated for each property. Through this number, the listing price can be compared with the value declared in the title deed. Thus, transactions that hide the real value will be detected more easily.

HOW WILL THE AUTHORIZATION PROCESS WORK?

• The property owner will enter the EİDS authorization section via e-Devlet and select the property they want to sell.
• They will enter the authorization certificate number of the real estate consultant they will work with into the system and determine the authorization period.
• They will convey the "property identification number" generated by the system to the real estate consultant.
• The real estate consultant will create the listing on the listing portal with this number.
• If authorization verification has been performed, the listing will be published.

AUTHORIZATION PERIOD AND CANCELLATION DETAILS

The authorization period granted to a real estate business cannot be shorter than 3 months. Although it is possible to cancel the authorization, the cancellation process does not immediately remove the listing from publication. Cancellation only prevents new listing entries or the renewal of the existing listing when it expires.

The authorization period can be extended, provided that it is again at least 3 months. It is specifically emphasized that this authorization granted to the real estate agent is not related to title deed transactions. This permission only allows for the publication of listings on listing platforms and does not allow for any transactions to be made at the land registry office.

A BLOW TO UNAUTHORIZED REAL ESTATE AGENTS

Industry representatives state that one of the biggest risks of the system is that authorization can be given to more than one real estate agent for the same property. This situation can lead to both listing clutter and disputes regarding service fees.

Hacı Ali Taylan, President of the Turkey All Real Estate Consultants Federation, stated that the system has created a significant transformation in the sector and said that the application will largely solve the problem of fake listings and unauthorized real estate agents.

Stating that the system, which was previously used for rental listings, is not foreign to the sector, Taylan used the following expressions:

"We have conveyed our requests regarding some issues that we think are missing in the system to the necessary authorities. The system is seriously regulating the sector; unauthorized real estate agents, whom we call 'illegal runners,' will disappear completely. There can be many fake listings on listing platforms; the regulation also prevents such fraud. The fact that the application has started for properties for sale, in addition to rental properties, will have positive effects for both the consumer and the sector."

RECORD FINE FOR FALSE DECLARATION: 684 THOUSAND TL

Mustafa Hakan Özelmacıklı, Chairman of the Board of Altın Emlak Global, emphasized that the regulation is extremely critical against fake listings and unauthorized portfolio entries.

Özelmacıklı said, "It will no longer be possible to post listings through anonymous accounts. Only real estate businesses with an authorization certificate will be able to be included in the system. This application will protect both the consumer and the industry representatives who work in a registered and compliant manner."

HOW WILL IT BE IN SHARED TITLE DEEDS?

Stating that the approval of one shareholder will be sufficient in shared title deeds, Özelmacıklı said that for properties where inheritance transfer has not been completed, title deed registration procedures must be finished first in order to post a listing. Properties without title deeds, properties belonging to foreigners, and properties with special status such as associations and foundations are kept outside the system.

Özelmacıklı also emphasized that severe sanctions will be implemented in case the property owner type is declared contrary to the truth, stating that processes extending to the cancellation of the authorization certificate and administrative fines of up to 684 thousand 214 TL can be applied.