Credits, interest support and exemptions: what the Law provides

Which money supports does the Law name?

Rent aid and construction aid appear in article 5 for buildings evacuated by agreement and have their own chapter in this guide. Here we look at the rest: credit for acquiring a home or workplace, the housing certificate (konut sertifikası), interest support on bank credits, strengthening credit and the pricing of new units.

Most of these provisions share one feature. They are worded as something that may be granted, and the working rules are left to a Presidential decision or to the Başkanlık (the Ministry's Urban Transformation Directorate). Reading the Law therefore shows what is legally possible, not what will be applied to your own flat.

Who can be offered credit or a housing certificate?

Under article 6, paragraph 3, owners, and tenants or limited-right holders who have lived in the building or had a workplace there for at least one year, may be offered housing, a workplace, land, credit from the transformation account or a housing certificate. The Başkanlık sets the rules for the certificate.

People who want to build or buy their own home may be given credit, according to the same article. Those whom the Gecekondu Law (No. 775) counts as poor or low-income may be offered homes on instalment terms, and in some Başkanlık projects a right of residence can be granted.

We do not interpret what happens to a tenant's lease here. The lease and any notice period depend on the contract, so ask a lawyer.

What are interest support, strengthening credit and below-cost pricing?

Article 7, paragraph 6 says that when owners take bank credits for new or purchased homes and workplaces, interest support may be paid from the transformation account. Such credits count as housing-finance credits. The Law itself sets no conditions or rates for this support.

For buildings outside risk and reserve areas that can technically be strengthened, article 6, paragraph 8 allows strengthening credit under rules set by Presidential decision. Paragraph 4 adds that the prices of new independent units may, by decision, be set below construction cost or value.

All three are 'may' provisions. A rate or price you see in a news story or an advert may rest on a decision valid on that day, which still does not mean it applies to your building.

Which fee and tax exemptions are listed?

Article 7, paragraphs 9 and 10 exempt transactions under the Law from notary fees, land registry fees, municipal fees and charges, inheritance and transfer tax, stamp duty and the other items named in the text. The exemption from BSMV (banking and insurance transaction tax) reaches the credits of owners and of tenants with at least a year in the building.

Municipalities charge no fee for new construction up to one and a half times the existing construction area. Property tax (emlak vergisi) is not in the list, so do not treat it as exempt; for any cost you are unsure of, ask the Başkanlık, your municipality or a lawyer.

How do you find out which of them is open to you?

What the Law names and what is actually open at a given time are not the same thing. Check each support with a current source, and ask for the answer in writing.

If your building is in İstanbul, the İstanbul Yenileniyor platform and its call centre state their own application criteria; treat these as the platform's statements, not as a promise for every building. There is an e-Devlet service on turkiye.gov.tr for rent aid. For credit and interest support, the Kentsel Dönüşüm Başkanlığı and your municipality are the right places to ask.

• Is this support in use today, and on which decision does it rest?
• Do my building and my situation meet the conditions?
• Where and with which documents is the application made?
• Can I get the answer in writing?

Why no amounts, and where to ask?

The Law contains no amounts or rates; those change with decisions and announcements. Planning around a figure from an old story invites false expectations.

This chapter is general information and not legal or financial advice. For your own case, ask the Kentsel Dönüşüm Başkanlığı, your municipality or a lawyer. When you budget the temporary home and the move, it also protects you not to count on these supports before they are confirmed.