Buying a Home in a Residential Complex: Dues, Bylaws and Common Areas

Security, parking, green space and social facilities make units inside a residential complex (site) attractive and generally create a value premium. In exchange, the dues, common-area costs and the quality of management directly affect the unit's cost of living and how easily it can be resold later.

What do the dues cover?

• Security and cleaning staff
• Electricity, water and maintenance of common areas
• Maintenance of the elevator, generator, pool and sports facilities
• Landscaping and garden upkeep
• Management company fee and insurance
• Central heating and hot water, where provided

What matters is less the amount of the dues than how sustainable they are. A complex with very low dues may have been deferring maintenance; a large extra charge can appear later.

Management plan (yönetim planı)

The management plan is the contract that governs the relationship among unit owners: how shared costs are split, and rules on pets, subletting, use of common areas, and how the management is chosen, among other things. The declarations section of the title deed refers to the management plan. Ask for the plan and read it before buying.

How are costs shared: equally, or by land share?

Unless agreed otherwise, the law splits shared costs in proportion to land share; the management plan can also assign some costs equally. Larger units generally have higher dues. Compare your unit's land share and the dues table.

Questions to ask

• The last two years' budget and dues increases
• The proportion of owners with unpaid dues (if high, the budget is under strain)
• Any major repairs planned, and whether there is a renewal fund
• Whether the complex is a multi-block development and how management works across blocks