Legal Services in Bodrum for Foreign Property Owners
Mert Çelik Avukatlık Bürosu is a two-lawyer practice in central Bodrum. Alongside our general Turkish practice we act for foreign owners of property in the Bodrum peninsula. The pages below set out how the main processes actually work — not a sales pitch, but the information we find ourselves explaining most often.
📌Who these pages are for
Bodrum has a large community of foreign property owners — British, German, Dutch, Scandinavian, Middle Eastern — and a recurring set of legal questions that are answered very differently in Turkish law than in their home jurisdictions. Ownership passing only on registration, tenancy law that does not let a landlord end a lease at term, reserved inheritance shares that a will cannot override, a foreign divorce that has no effect here until registered. These pages address those points directly.
📌How the practice works
The office is run by Mert Çelik (Muğla Bar Association No. 2039) together with Nurettin Çelik (No. 767). We handle criminal defence, enforcement proceedings, real estate and title disputes, tenancy, employment, family and administrative matters, with files across Turkish jurisdictions and a concentration in Bodrum and the wider Muğla region. Most matters for clients abroad are conducted under a power of attorney, without the client needing to travel.
📌Fees
Attorney fees in Turkey have a statutory floor: the Minimum Attorney Fee Tariff published annually in the Official Gazette by the Union of Turkish Bar Associations. No lawyer may charge below it. Above that floor the fee is agreed between lawyer and client, and where the subject matter is a sum of money the agreed percentage cannot exceed 25% of the amount in dispute. VAT is added at 20%. We set out the current figures and how the calculation works on the tariff page (in Turkish).
💡Practical points
- Buying property in Turkey — title transfer, the checks before you pay, restrictions on foreign buyers, off-plan risk
- Inheritance of Turkish property — which law applies, reserved shares, certificate of inheritance, renouncing an indebted estate
- Renting out your property — why a lease does not end at term, the increase cap, short-term letting permits, rental income tax
- Power of attorney from abroad — consulate or apostille, the special authorities that must be named, revocation
- Recognition of foreign judgments — recognition versus enforcement, the conditions, the fast route for divorce decrees
I handle written correspondence in English without difficulty — email, WhatsApp messages, contracts and documents. My spoken English is limited, so for anything detailed I prefer to work in writing, or to hold the call with an interpreter present. This affects only the channel, not the work itself: filings, hearings and correspondence with Turkish authorities are conducted in Turkish in any event.
This page is general information, not legal advice. It does not create an attorney–client relationship. Turkish law changes and outcomes depend on the facts of each case. For your own situation, please get in touch: +90 532 390 48 06 (WhatsApp) · mert@avukatmertcelik.com
written by
Av. Mert Çelik
Muğla Bar Association · No. 2039 · Bodrum · since 2018
NoteThis page is general information only; every matter has its own facts. Our office is in Bodrum, Muğla.
This page is for general information only and does not constitute a legal opinion or the provision of legal services. Turkish legislation changes; please consult a lawyer about your current situation.