How to read a Turkish property listing: a glossary from 2+1 to iskan

Open any Turkish property platform and you will see: “Satılık 3+1, 145 m² brüt, ara kat, doğalgaz kombi, site içerisinde, krediye uygun”. This guide is your glossary for reading those lines, and for spotting what a listing sometimes leaves out.

Number of rooms

• 1+0 (Stüdyo): a single open-plan room with a kitchen.
• 1+1: one bedroom and a living room.
• 2+1: two bedrooms and a living room.
• 3+1: three bedrooms and a living room.
• 4+2: four rooms and two living rooms, common in duplexes and villas.

We cover choosing the right size in the guide to choosing an apartment size.

Area

• Brüt (gross): includes the walls, and may include a share of corridors and common facilities.
• Net: the usable area inside the apartment.

The gap can be large, especially in complexes. Details in the guide to net and gross area.

Floor (Kat)

• Bahçe Katı: garden floor.
• Giriş Katı / Yüksek Giriş: ground floor, or slightly raised above ground level.
• Ara Kat: a middle floor.
• En Üst Kat / Çatı Katı: top floor or roof floor.
• Kot 1, Kot 2: floors below street level on one side.

To choose the floor and orientation, read the guide to floor and orientation.

Other key terms

• Bina Yaşı: building age. “0” or Sıfır means new.
• Isıtma: heating. Doğalgaz Kombi is a gas boiler for the apartment, Merkezi is central heating for the building, and Yerden Isıtma is underfloor heating. See the guide to heating systems.
• Site İçerisinde: inside a residential complex.
• Aidat: the monthly maintenance fee. See the guide to maintenance fees.
• Eşyalı: furnished.
• Krediye Uygun: eligible for bank financing, usually a good sign that its paperwork is in order.
• Tapu Durumu: the type of tapu (title deed), such as Kat Mülkiyeti or Kat İrtifakı or Hisseli. See the guide to title deed types.
• İskanlı: has an iskan (occupancy certificate). See the guide to the iskan certificate.
• Kimden: who is advertising: Sahibinden from the owner, Emlak Ofisinden from an estate agency, or İnşaat Firmasından from the developer.
• Takas: open to a swap.
• Cephe: the direction the front faces: Kuzey north, Güney south, Doğu east, Batı west.
• Deniz Manzaralı: with a sea view. See the guide to living with a sea view.

Signs of a misleading listing

1. A price far below the market with no convincing explanation.
2. Photos that do not match the description: a view from a higher floor, or a show flat instead of the unit on offer.
3. An inflated gross area with no mention of the net.
4. “Starting from”: the price of the smallest unit on the worst floor.
5. Pressure to pay quickly before a viewing or a check of the title deed.

More in the guide to property scam warning signs.

Verified listings

Turkey’s Ministry of Trade launched the electronic listing verification system (EİDS): it became mandatory for rental listings on 1 January 2025, and for sale listings across Turkey on 15 February 2026. The system checks that the advertiser is the owner or a relative, or a licensed estate agency authorised by the owner through e-Devlet (the government’s online portal). This reduces fake listings, but it does not replace checking the title deed and getting a valuation before you buy.

Summary

Read a listing as a summary that needs checking: compare the price per net square metre, look closely at the floor, age, heating, fees and tapu type, and treat anything that looks better than the market as a question, not an opportunity.

Start with the properties page (we state the net area, floor and maintenance fee clearly), or contact us and we will read any listing with you.