Wednesday

Buy a Tiny House in Turkey - Off or On Grid

The Tiny House revolution is here.

Can I buy Prefab Tiny houses in Turkey? Yes you can!

Maybe it's just me, but everywhere I look I see adverts for tiny houses. Not just on the internet, but in magazines, and on the side of the road on sales pitches. OK, maybe not in the UK, nut within a two hour drive in Turkey, there are four roadside tiny house, wooden house, and prefab house showrooms.

Buying land in the UK can be an expensive proposition, but land in Turkey, depending where you buy, can be extremely cheap. The further inland you go, away from the tourist areas by the sea, the cheaper it is. If you want a sea view, then your going to need a big bank balance. If you have money to burn, I doubt you will be looking at a tiny house, more a holiday villas in Turkey in Bodrum, Kalkan, or Antalya.

If you want the simple life, away from the crowds, and you do not mind goats, chickens and sheep, then maybe life in Turkey could be for you. 





Is Living in Turkey Good?

Before deciding on Turkey, you need to be familiarise yourself with the culture. Living near tourist areas like Izmir, Kuşudasi, Kalkan, Bodrum, Fethiye, Dalaman, Izmir, Side, Antalya, and Güllük to name a few, you may be in more contact with English speaking people. As you move more inland, then you will need to learn the basics of the language for an easier life. You need to be able to buy a loaf of bread unless you are going to make your own. 

Too many people take the plunge too early, and invest in land or property in Turkey, without doing their homework. Stay in the area for a week or two first. Turkey is a big country, 3.2 time the size of the whole of the UK, but with roughly the same population. So there is a lot of space. You just need to find the right area that suits you.

How much does land cost in Turkey?
Of course, there is no definitive answer to this as the location and size of land I small important. What you can be sure of, is that is the price  is far far lower than that of the UK, and most parts of Europe.

However, I can provide some examples to give you (the reader) a taster. 
215,000TL or about £30,000 for a 2 acre plot with Olive trees in a village about two hours north of Izmir.


Coming soon....


How much for a Tiny House in Turkey?

Can I Retire in Turkey 

Tiny House Books


NOTE: This post is for information purposes only. We are not anyway connected with property sales, and advise you to contact a registered estate agent when purchasing property in Turkey.











Thursday

At last - cost effective International Money transfers - made EASY


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We need to transfer funds from the UK to Turkey and visa versa, so we needed an alternative to expensive banking charges. We found Azimo easy to use, quicker than a bank and there is a mobile app available too.

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Why not give them a go and save money on your international transfers.



Azimo - Send money for less!

More Short-Term Property Rentals in Turkey

Short-Term Property Rentals in Turkey - New Regulations

9th May 2017
Overview
As many of you may already be aware, the regulations for renting-out your property for short-term lettings has changed. The new regulations have come into force affecting Short-Term Rentals and owners are required to register their guests to the government system.
The system is called ‘Geçici İkamet Yerleri ve Kimlik Bildirme Projesi’ (GİYKİMBİL) or (Temporary Residency and Identification Project).

You must also pay tax for your short-term rentals. This is not new, however, home owners must first set up a Turkish company (sole trader or limited company) in order to comply with tax regulations.



How to Register for GİYKİMBİL
You may visit your local Jandarma or police station in your district to obtain the necessary software (free) and you may also purchase additional software to send the xml files. Companies such as Akçam Bilişim or 3T Bilişim provide this software ('Kimlik Bilgilenirme' Program)

Please note: Rental properties such as Villas or Apartments are classified as 'Pensions'. And these properites will require a license. This must be obtained from the Municipal Council. For this you must set up a Turkish company or register as a work permit holder.

Some of details requested for GİYKİMBİL include:


- Nationality
- Full name
- Date of birth
- Male/Female
- İdentity Number (passport number)
- Arrival dates & Exit dates to the property


Fines
Fine for NOT Registering your Property 10,383 TL
Fine for NOT Reporting guests 700 TL per day


Aware

According to some district Police & Jandarma (depending on which city you live in)  If the property is rented to family or friends without any commercial interest then you are not required to inform the authorities via the GIYKIMBIL System.

However, you should be aware that if an incident was to occur at the property (without the owner being present) and the guests where not registered via the GİYKİMBİL system, this may cause issues for the home owner.

We suggest you check with your local authority as this information is not consistent throughout the major cities in Turkey. 
Or if you prefer to register every guest regardless of whether or not they are paying, you may do so.
 
We also provide this service on behalf of the home owner for the Muğla regions & Kaş & Kalkan. (Antalya) Please see below.


Company Set-up
If you would like to set-up a company (sole trader or limited company) for the purposes of short-term rentals we provide a service for company set-up. However, this may not be an economically viable option for property owners with only 1 or 2 properties for Short-Term Rentals.

Saturday

Holiday rentals in Turkey 2017

ButThere has been information available for months about the new registration for short term holiday apartments and villas. The problem is as always  Turkey, laws are general issued, without enough information and with very little organisation. Headless chickens come to mind.
Although this new law may well be aimed at controlling the information required to track people location, it is clearly politically motivated against foreign property owners.
Hotels have had it rough, so what better way on ensuring a better season than by restricting foreigners rent is my their properties out. After all it is the rich that have politicians in their back pockets and rich people own hotels. İt is the same the world over.
So here is a very informative article from the Fethiye Times.

Sunday

March in Akyaka, Turkey

A gloriously sunny day in Akyaka Beach in Gokova Bay.
Temperatures about 20deg, slight breeze, and clear blue skies.
A perfect day to sit on the beach relax and have a beer, Turkish tea or coffee.

Wednesday

Michael Berk on Turkey

http://www.fethiyetimes.com/travel-2/20877-michael-buerk-loves-turkey-problem-yok.html

Tuesday

New Holiday Rental Laws for 2017


If you are thinking about short-term rentals for your property in Turkey, read this first or you could land yourself in trouble.

www.fethiyetimes.com

If you rent out your Turkish holiday home or investment property via Airbnb, a holiday letting agent or via your own website, even to friends and family, you need to be aware of imminent changes to the law in Turkey.

Turkey is still under in a state of emergency following the attempted coup earlier this year.

The laws are said to help prevent terrorism following the attacks on Istanbul airport where the attackers rented temporary accommodation.

All landlords who rent their properties in the short term, even for a day, may need to register all bookings and occupants with the authorities.

Landlords who do not comply could be prosecuted.

New legislation for short-term rentals

Last week, the Turkish daily newspaper Hürriyet Daily News (HDNreported that in an endeavour to prevent terror related crimes, new legislation for rented properties is being introduced.

Referring to the original story in the Turkish language daily, Star, HDN explained that residential property owners and rental companies, letting their properties short-term without a contract, will be dealt with severely if they fail to register tenants’ information with the authorities and do not pay tax.

Tough penalties for Non Compliance

The paper added that, according to regulations drawn up by the Customs and Trade Ministry, those who fail to give notice of their tenants’ information, however temporary their occupation, could be faced with prosecution for activities related to terrorism.

Currently, rental management companies and homeowners are able to rent their residential property for a short period, even by the day and these transactions require no written record or contract.

The ministry are concerned that this informal arrangement increases the risk of aiding terrorist organizations in their criminal activities, including those relating to the sex trade, as it helps them to stay below the radar and avoid being spotted by the security services.

Active discouragement

In order to discourage these unlawful activities, the new legislation will require all private and commercial property owners to give the authorities all the relevant information on their tenants, whatever the length of their short-term rentals, for each and every rental activity undertake.

This legislation has already been introduced in parts of Istanbul, following the June 28 Atatürk Airport terrorist attack.

Those responsible were reported to have made a short-term rentals close to the scene of the attack.

Stay Alert

All landlords should therefore keep an eye on the passage of the legislation and ensure they comply with any requirements that are enacted.

Landlords should also ensure that their tax records are up to date to avoid any anomalies that could arise if data is cross matched.

As soon as we get any update on this, we will post here.

Happy New Year - 2017

We wish everyone a very HAPPY NEW YEAR and hope 2017 is awesome.

The New Year is here, so what a great time to revitalise the blog. I hope to be adding to the posts over the coming month as I have neglected to do so for some time now.

This is the new face for the IdealworldBodrum.com homepage. There is a lot of work to do to get the website up to speed and I hope to be doing that over the coming months.

A lot of information here needs to be updated, and it will be as time permits.

Thanks for reading.

A visit to Istanbul - The Basilica Cistern





  

The Basilica Cistern (Turkish: Yerebatan Sarayı - "Sunken Palace", or Yerebatan Sarnıcı - "Sunken Cistern"), is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul (that is formerly Constantinople), Turkey. The cistern, located 500 feet (150 m) southwest of the Hagia Sophia on the historical peninsula of Sarayburnu, was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I

History
The name of this subterranean structure derives from a large public square on the First Hill of Constantinople, the Stoa Basilica, beneath which it was originally constructed. Before being converted to a cistern, a great Basilica stood in its place, built between the 3rd and 4th centuries during the Early Roman Age as a commercial, legal and artistic centre. The basilica was reconstructed by Illus after a fire in 476.

Ancient texts indicated that the basilica contained gardens, surrounded by a colonnade and facing the Hagia Sophia.[1] According to ancient historians, Emperor Constantine built a structure that was later rebuilt and enlarged by Emperor Justinian after the Nika riots of 532, which devastated the city.

Historical texts claim that 7,000 slaves were involved in the construction of the cistern.

The enlarged cistern provided a water filtration system for the Great Palace of Constantinople and other buildings on the First Hill, and continued to provide water to the Topkapi Palace after the Ottoman conquest in 1453 and into modern times.

Measurements and data
Fifty-two stone steps descend into the entrance of the cistern. The cistern is surrounded by a firebrick wall with a thickness of 4 metres (13 ft) and coated with a waterproofing mortar. The Basilica Cistern's water came from the Eğrikapı Water Distribution Center in the Belgrade Forest, which lie 19 kilometres (12 mi) north of the city. It traveled through the 971 metres (3,186 ft)-long Valens (Bozdoğan) Aqueduct, and the 115.45 metres (378.8 ft)-long Mağlova Aqueduct, which was built by the Emperor Justinian.[1]

The cistern has the capacity to store 100,000 tons of water, despite being virtually empty today with only a few feet of water lining the bottom.

The weight of the cistern lies on the columns by means of the cross-shaped vaults and round arches of its roof.

The Basilica Cistern has undergone several restorations since its foundation. The first of the repairs were carried out twice during the Ottoman State in the 18th century during the reign of Ahmed III in 1723 by the architect Muhammad Agha of Kayseri. The second major repair was completed during the 19th century during the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II (1876–1909). Cracks to masonry and damaged columns were repaired in 1968, with additional restoration in 1985 by the Istanbul Metropolitan Museum. During the 1985 restoration, 50,000 tons of mud were removed from the cisterns, and platforms built throughout to replace the boats once used to tour the cistern. The cistern was opened to the public in its current condition on 9 September 1987. In May 1994, the cistern underwent additional cleaning.