How Are Apartment Maintenance Fees Calculated in Turkey? Equal Shares, Land Shares and a Worked Example

Short answer: unless the unit owners have agreed otherwise, the Turkish Condominium Law (Kat Mülkiyeti Kanunu, KMK) splits caretaker, boiler attendant, gardener and night watchman costs equally, and other costs such as insurance, upkeep and repair of common areas, the manager's pay and the running costs of shared facilities by land share (KMK Art. 20). A management plan or an agreement between owners can set a different split. The monthly maintenance fee (aidat) is the advance shown for each unit in the operating budget (işletme projesi).

Last checked: 27 September 2026. Includes the operating budget changes made by Law No. 7579, in force since 22/05/2026.

What the law says

Condominium Law No. 634, Article 20, first paragraph (our translation):

"Unless they have agreed otherwise, each unit owner is liable to contribute: a) equally to caretaker, boiler attendant, gardener and night watchman costs and to the advances collected for them; b) in proportion to their land share to the building's insurance premiums, the upkeep, protection, strengthening and repair costs of all common areas, other costs such as the manager's pay, the running costs of shared facilities, and the advances collected for these costs. c) Unit owners cannot avoid paying these costs and advances by giving up their right to use common areas or facilities, or by claiming that the situation of their unit means they have no need of them."

Three points follow:

• Equal sharing covers a short list: only the caretaker, boiler attendant, gardener and night watchman. Lift maintenance and common-area electricity are not on it.
• The default rule is land share: costs not on the list are split by land share unless owners have agreed otherwise.
• Not using something does not remove the debt: an empty unit, or never using the lift, does not exempt an owner from their share.

Can the management plan set a different split?

Yes. The article starts with "unless they have agreed otherwise", and the management plan is a contract binding all owners (Art. 28). Many management plans, for example, split all costs equally. But a management plan cannot override mandatory provisions of the law (Art. 27); for example, the rule that not using a facility does not remove the share applies regardless of the plan.

Changing a management plan needs the votes of four-fifths of all unit owners (Art. 28). Multi-block developments have a separate rule: the votes of two-thirds of the units represented by the members of the development's board of representatives (Art. 70, as amended by Law No. 7579).

How each cost is split

The table shows the split set by law where the management plan or an agreement between owners does not say otherwise.

Central heating: in buildings with central heating, units are fitted with metering equipment. 70% of the total heating cost is split by metered use, and 30% (common areas, system losses and minimum heating) by each unit's heated floor area; the caretaker's flat is metered as well. Example: a monthly heating cost of ₺60,000; a 100 m² unit (2,000 m² in total) used 5% of the metered heat: 18,000 × 100/2,000 = ₺900.00 + 42,000 × 5% = ₺2,100.00 → ₺3,000.00.

Worked example (2026)

Assumptions: a 20-unit building; the management plan says nothing special about the split; land shares add up to 1,000/1,000; the caretaker is on the minimum wage and the premium support conditions are met (see the caretaker pay guide). No central heating.

1. Cost shared equally

2. Costs shared by land share

3. Fee per unit

Rounding: 2,010.70 × 20 = ₺40,214.00, 3 kuruş short of the caretaker cost. State in the resolution how the difference is handled (for example, corrected in the next period).

Comparison: if the management plan split all costs equally, it would be ₺52,214.03 ÷ 20 = ₺2,610.70. Flat A would pay more and flat B less. That is why you read the management plan first.

The basis for the fee: the operating budget

The monthly fee is the advance shown for each owner in the operating budget (Art. 37). Since 22/05/2026 the operating budget is approved by the owners' assembly. If there is no approved budget, the manager promptly prepares a provisional one; it is notified to owners and decided by the assembly within three months. Where a budget is in force, the amount in the provisional budget cannot rise by more than the revaluation rate for the previous year. Until the budget is approved, the manager can collect advances (Art. 35/d).

So "no fee can ever be charged without an operating budget" is not correct, but the fee must have a basis: an approved budget, a provisional budget or an assembly resolution. See the operating budget guide.

Is the tenant liable for the fee?

• Towards the management: the tenant is jointly and severally liable with the owner for costs, advances and the late payment penalty, but only up to the rent they owe, and what they pay is deducted from the rent (KMK Art. 22).
• Between owner and tenant: the lease decides who pays the fee. If it says nothing, the landlord bears ancillary costs relating to the use of the property (Code of Obligations, Art. 303).

Common mistakes

1. Treating lifts and common-area electricity as "equal". The law shares only caretaker, boiler attendant, gardener and night watchman costs equally.
2. Splitting costs without reading the management plan. If the plan sets a different split, it applies.
3. Leaving empty units out. Not using a unit or facility does not remove the share (Art. 20/1-c).
4. Treating the tenant as liable without limit. The tenant's liability is limited to the rent (Art. 22).
5. Charging amounts with no basis. Keep the budget or resolution behind the fee, and proof that owners were notified.
6. Ignoring rounding differences. Kuruş differences add up over the year; decide how to settle them.

Maintenance fees in Yonevo

• Fee charges: the main amount is charged to each unit as a fixed amount, or a total is split by land share, net or gross floor area.
• Mixed split: each additional item is split by its own method (fixed, equal, land share, floor area). For example, you can charge the caretaker cost equally and other costs by land share in the same charge.
• Per-unit amounts and exclusions: where the management plan or a resolution requires it, you can enter an amount for a unit or leave a unit out of a charge. Use these only when you have a basis for them.
• Budget screen: splits the annual fee target between units by one method (land share, floor area or equal). For an item-by-item split, use the additional items in the fee charge.
• Automatic monthly charges, late payment penalties and the resident portal: residents see their balance in their own panel.

Frequently asked questions

Who sets the fee? The owners' assembly approves the operating budget. If there is no approved budget, the manager prepares a provisional one, which the assembly decides on within three months (Art. 37).

Our management plan says all costs are split equally. Is that against the law? No. The split in the law applies "unless they have agreed otherwise", and the management plan is such an agreement.

What can be done about an owner who does not pay? Any other owner or the manager can take legal action or start enforcement proceedings; a late payment penalty of 5% a month applies (Art. 20). More in our guide on what to do when an owner does not pay.

Sources (in Turkish)

• Condominium Law No. 634, Art. 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 35, 37, 42, 43, 70
• Turkish Code of Obligations No. 6098, Art. 303
• Regulation on sharing heating and hot water costs in central systems (Official Gazette 14/04/2008, 26847 bis), Art. 7–8