Site Fees and Shared Expenses: Which Documents Should You Request When Choosing a Home?

The sale price or rent is usually the first figure compared when choosing a home. However, regular payments after moving in also affect your budget. Before deciding solely on the advertised price, clarify management fees, shared utility charges and any additional expenses.

Whether considering an apartment in Çankaya or a villa within a development in Gölbaşı, ask the same question: which services does the stated monthly payment cover, and which document supports it? Comparing figures alone can mean treating different service packages as equivalent.

1. Request the current operating budget

Ask the management for the operating budget covering the period you are reviewing and its approval decision. Check how staffing, cleaning, security, maintenance and shared utility expenses are presented. Ask how the monthly payment relates to these budget items.

Check the period covered. Last year’s budget or an old payment receipt may not establish the amount currently payable. Ask whether the stated fee is based on a provisional budget or an operating budget approved by the owners’ assembly.

The Ministry’s announcement dated 22 May 2026 explains the owners’ assembly’s role in setting fees and the restrictions on a manager’s provisional operating budget. Do not interpret the revaluation limit mentioned there as a single increase ceiling applying to every fee decision. Establish the decision and budget supporting the amount being reviewed.

2. Include the management plan in your review

Request the current management plan and any amendments from the seller or relevant management. Review the provisions addressing common areas, management arrangements and expense allocation. Record any points needing clarification.

For developments with several blocks, ask separately about charges for the apartment’s block and charges for the whole development. Compare the stated conditions for using pools, gyms and parking with the written information.

3. Identify payments outside the regular fee

Clarify statements such as “heating included”. Does this refer to common-area heating, the apartment’s consumption or a particular advance payment? Ask whether hot water, electricity, parking or social facilities attract separate charges.

Use the same checklist for each home: regular management fee, separately billed consumption, periodic payments and usage-based services. This helps you assess what an apparently lower fee actually covers.

4. Ask about decisions on upcoming works

If façade refurbishment, lift replacement, roof repair or other substantial work is being discussed, request the relevant decisions. Distinguish proposals from approved works and check whether a payment schedule has been set.

For approved work, ask for the total budget, the amount attributed to the unit being considered and the remaining instalments. Do not treat an expectation communicated verbally as a confirmed payment; record the uncertainty in your comparison.

5. Obtain a current unit account statement

Through the seller, request a dated management account statement for the unit. It should distinguish charges, payments and any outstanding balance. Check the unit identification and statement date.

Clarify in writing how payments arising before transfer or tenancy will be handled between the parties. If responsibility for an expense is uncertain, do not decide solely because it is labelled a management fee; have its nature and supporting documents reviewed.

6. Compare the overall budget

Compare homes for the same period and scope of services. A service included in one property’s regular fee may be charged separately at another. Include document dates and unanswered questions in your comparison.

When considering homes with Başkent Zirve Emlak, keep verified expense information alongside the features you like. Clear, current documents help you plan your budget more realistically after moving in.

Official source and reference links

Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change — Site management fee announcement, 22 May 2026: https://meslekihizmetler.csb.gov.tr/haberler/site-aidatlarina-yonelik-duzenleme-resmi-gazete-de-yayimlandi-305297

Ministry of Justice — Condominium Law No. 634: https://mevzuat.adalet.gov.tr/mevzuat/103807

Sources checked: 24 October 2026. This guide relies on the Ministry’s announcement. The full statutory text could not be displayed during this review, so detailed deadlines, voting thresholds and liability rules are not reproduced. This is a general document checklist.