Choose the work before choosing the package
Write down whether you need a tenant, collection of rent from an existing tenant or ongoing management including care coordination. Record the property’s district, occupancy, furnishing and known outstanding jobs. These facts help define the brief without assuming every owner needs the same service.
Compare the published package responsibilities before handing over keys. Tenant placement is different from monthly collection, and monthly collection is different from full management. Confirm what remains with you as well as what the manager undertakes.
Build an opening file, with gaps clearly marked
Use a document checklist rather than sending an unstructured folder. For an occupied flat, put the current lease, payment history, deposit evidence, inventory, key list and outstanding requests together. Record the date and period covered by each payment record. A missing document should remain marked missing; a verbal recollection is not proof of payment.
For an empty flat, begin with dated condition photographs, the available inventory and access arrangements. Separate work required before listing from optional improvements. Do not include identity or bank documents in an initial public enquiry; agree an appropriate handover channel.
Agree access, communication and approval limits
Record who currently holds the keys and how access will be arranged. For a tenanted property, agree visits with the tenant. Choose one routine contact channel, a time that works across time zones and where decisions and supporting documents will be retained.
Distinguish day-to-day instructions from legal authority. Record which quotations, expenditure and tenant or sale decisions need your approval, and which tasks fall within the agreed authority. If formal authorisation is required, its wording and suitability must be confirmed for the particular transaction; a general checklist is not a substitute.
Review the first reporting period against the handover
If your agreed service includes a monthly owner statement, compare its first reporting period with the opening file. Check which rent period each receipt belongs to, whether deductions have supporting invoices and approvals, and how the net transfer relates to the statement. If you retain rent collection, make the same checks against your own records. Keep deposit records separate from ordinary rental receipts.
If something does not match, identify the item and request the missing record rather than assuming that every difference is a loss. Keep unresolved items visible in your next review or report until the supporting information has been reconciled.
Prepare formal authority for the actual task
1. List the actions you want delegated and the decisions that stay with you. Separate rental management from any proposed sale. Give that task list to the professional handling the transaction and ask which authority, wording and supporting documents the receiving institution will accept. Agree the intended duration and how changes will be communicated before signing anything.
2. If a Turkish consular notarial appointment is the confirmed route, check the relevant consulate’s current appointment and document instructions before booking. Its requirements depend on the transaction; photographs and property information may be needed, especially for a land-registry task. Identity and representative details alone are not a complete checklist.
3. If you are considering a document issued by a local authority abroad, ask the institution that will use it about acceptance, certification and translation before paying for it. Check the relevant jurisdiction on the HCCH Apostille Convention status table where that convention matters; a country list copied into a guide may be outdated. Obtain transaction-specific professional confirmation before relying on the document.
Plan the bank transfer and tax follow-up
1. Before instructing a transfer, ask the bank holding the funds which account holder or authorised person may give the instruction, which source-of-funds and recipient details it requires, and which transfer and currency options it can offer for your case.
2. Ask for the applicable charges and exchange-rate basis, and compare the estimated net amount at the recipient account with the transfer fee alone. Confirm the instructions and any limits with the bank rather than assuming a particular route, currency, timing or cost.
3. After a transfer, retain the bank records showing the currency, conversion date, charges and amount sent; compare them with the amount received and ask the bank to explain any difference. Do not assume that combining payments always reduces the total cost.
Keep leases, receipts and expenditure records ready for the professional reviewing your tax position. Ask them to confirm the relevant year, residence status, applicable obligations and deadlines in Turkey and your country of residence. Do not assume that living abroad removes reporting duties or that the management package includes tax preparation; confirm the agreed service scope separately.
Opening checklist
| Item | What to record |
|---|---|
| Property file | Available title/property details, occupancy and condition records; missing items identified. |
| Existing tenancy | Lease, payment history, deposit evidence and open requests. |
| Access | Key holders, agreed visit arrangements and contact person. |
| Authority | Tasks to delegate, approval limits and transaction-specific professional confirmation. |
| Money | Payment records, agreed reporting period and bank instructions. |
| Next actions | Each outstanding task, responsible person and follow-up date. |