Why Earthquake Insurance Sits at the Center of Any Turkish Property Purchase
For Russian buyers evaluating residential or commercial property in Türkiye, earthquake risk is not a peripheral concern to be handled after closing. It is a regulatory prerequisite. Since the mid-1990s, and with sharply tightened enforcement after the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes, Türkiye has required a valid DASK policy, the Compulsory Earthquake Insurance (Doğal Afet Sigortaları Kurumu), before certain property transactions and utility connections can proceed. Understanding how this system works, and where it stops, is essential due diligence before any purchase agreement is signed.
What DASK Covers and What It Does Not
DASK is a state-backed catastrophe insurance pool covering physical damage to a building's structure caused by earthquake and earthquake-triggered fire, explosion, tsunami, or landslide. It applies to residential units within municipal boundaries and to buildings registered in the land registry (tapu). Coverage is capped at a set insured value per unit, recalculated annually, and the premium is calculated based on square meterage, construction type, age of the building, and seismic zone classification of the plot.
What DASK does not cover matters just as much to a buyer. It excludes contents, furnishings, and personal belongings, it excludes commercial equipment and business interruption losses, and it does not cover damage from ground settlement unrelated to seismic activity. For any property beyond a basic residential unit, especially retail, hospitality, or light industrial assets, DASK functions as a base layer only. Investors typically need to pair it with a supplementary private policy (often called a DASK-tamamlayıcı or comprehensive earthquake extension) to insure contents, income loss, and any value above the DASK cap.
Why This Matters at the Point of Purchase
A valid DASK policy is required to register a new utility subscription (electricity, water, natural gas) in a buyer's name, and in practice notaries and title deed offices routinely ask for evidence of DASK coverage before finalizing certain transactions, particularly for newly registered independent sections. A property without an up-to-date policy can create delays at the tapu office or when transferring utilities, both of which are avoidable with basic pre-closing preparation.
For Russian investors purchasing through a Türkiye-based company structure, additional care is needed. DASK is tied to the individual unit and its registered owner, so a change of ownership, whether personal or corporate, requires a new or reissued policy in the new owner's name. This step is often missed in fast-moving transactions and should be built into the closing checklist rather than treated as an afterthought.
Seismic Zone and Building Age: The Real Risk Variables
Premiums and insurability vary significantly by location. Istanbul, İzmir, and much of the Marmara and Aegean regions sit in higher seismic hazard zones than, for example, parts of the Central Anatolian plateau. Buildings constructed before the 1999 building code overhaul, and especially those predating the post-2018 code revisions, carry materially different risk profiles and, in some cases, different insurability terms. A seismic risk assessment of the specific building, not just the region, should be a standard part of technical due diligence, alongside a review of the building's structural permit history and any retrofit or reinforcement records.
Practical Steps for Investors
Before signing any purchase agreement, request confirmation that the seller's existing DASK policy is current and obtain the building's earthquake risk report if one exists. After closing, arrange the policy transfer or reissuance promptly, ideally within the same week as the tapu transfer, since utility providers may otherwise suspend or refuse new subscriptions. For commercial or income-generating assets, budget for a supplementary policy from the outset rather than treating it as an optional add-on once the base coverage proves insufficient.
How Eurasia Experts Supports This Process
Eurasia Experts works with Russian investors to verify DASK status, coordinate supplementary coverage where warranted, and confirm structural and permit records before a purchase moves forward. Earthquake insurance compliance is a small line item in a transaction budget, but getting it wrong at closing can stall registration, utility transfer, and ultimately the investor's ability to use or lease the asset on schedule.