To date, the Mass Housing Administration (TOKİ) has completed projects in 81 provinces, 880 districts and 2,246 construction sites, delivering a total of 760,894 homes. TOKİ aims to raise that number toward around one million units in the coming years. Under the legal framework, TOKİ was established to help citizens—especially low- and lower-middle-income households—become homeowners. Key duties and services of TOKİ include:
- Issuing state-backed securities, including domestic and foreign bonds guaranteed by TOKİ
- Providing housing loans and facilitating credit access so citizens can purchase homes
- Offering financial support to banks so they can extend mortgage loans
- Providing financial and social assistance for industrial and residential construction projects
- Ensuring the state has an active role in housing and real estate projects
- Offering interest-subsidized or phase-free housing loan options
Within this remit, TOKİ works to ensure all low-income families across Turkey—from İzmir to Ağrı—can access housing. In many cases, arrangements with Ziraat Bank make the process even easier.
What are the initial eligibility requirements for those in lower-income brackets?
Low-income applicants who wish to benefit from TOKİ’s affordable housing programs need to learn how and where to apply through the online system. If candidates do not follow the proper application steps, they risk missing opportunities such as the 2018 listings. The basic eligibility conditions to apply for a TOKİ home are:
- Residence or registration in the province or district where the project is located for at least one year
- Not having previously benefited from TOKİ housing sales or received a housing loan—either full or partial—from the Mass Housing Administration
These are the primary prerequisites applicants must meet.
Where are initial mass housing applications submitted?
For the 2018 application rounds, required documents typically included a residence certificate, an identity photocopy (original available if requested) and details of any guarantor. Applications may be submitted at the governor’s office (valilik) or district governor’s office (kaymakamlık) in your province or district. Before applying, you must take an income test through the Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundation to prove that you are in the low-income bracket. If the income assessment determines you belong to a higher income group, you will not qualify for TOKİ benefits. The municipality, governor’s office or district office will direct you to Ziraat Bank to pay the TOKİ application fee. Bank staff will inform you of the fee, which varies by location, but averages around 700 TL.
How do you find your TOKİ application number?
Because TOKİ sells units at prices significantly lower than market levels, demand for projects is very high. To avoid confusion, TOKİ issues an application number to each applicant. Your application number is provided by the valilik or kaymakamlık where you applied. Check the “Announcements” section on TOKİ’s official website and refresh the page regularly to see whether your application number was selected in any project draws.
Do the same procedures apply to TOKİ shop (commercial) sales?
On TOKİ’s official website, the sales section lists categories such as property sales, real estate certificates and workplace (shop) sales. You can follow the listings and apply for workplace sales when available. For example, on May 29 there may be dozens of workplace properties put up for sale. If you want to purchase one of these commercial units, you can apply through branches of Ziraat Bank or Halkbank. These sales are also conducted by lottery; if the draw awards you a unit, TOKİ completes the transfer in your name.
Has TOKİ been active in restoration projects recently?
Following some poor outcomes in restoration work in recent years, TOKİ has emphasized its willingness to provide loans for projects aimed at improving historic urban fabric, particularly those led by local governments. Restoration requests accepted from April 6, 2018 were scheduled to continue through the end of May, according to the agency’s announcements. TOKİ set the restoration grant ceiling at 150,000 TL. If local governments require funds that exceed TOKİ’s available support, they may seek additional grants from the Ministry of Tourism. Under certain payment campaigns, if local authorities repay restoration installments early, they may be eligible for discounts—TOKİ has offered up to 40% reductions for early payment in some programs.
How should citizens apply for TOKİ projects in Istanbul?
Citizens who want to benefit from nationwide TOKİ opportunities should submit applications via the municipality in their district, particularly for Istanbul projects in 2018. As noted earlier, after submitting the required documents, the lottery will determine whether you can benefit from TOKİ opportunities based on your application number. If selected and you proceed to take delivery of the home, you must present the documents required for title deed transfer. If you live in Istanbul and win a TOKİ unit in the 2018 round, you will typically be asked to provide:
- A clear photocopy of your national identity card
- Your copy of the real estate sales contract signed by TOKİ
- If the purchase is to be made by proxy, the original power of attorney and a color photocopy
- A receipt or document showing payment of any applicable VAT amount
Can a TOKİ application be cancelled?
If a purchaser of a TOKİ apartment fails to pay one or two required installments and the total unpaid installments exceed one-tenth of the sale price, TOKİ may terminate the contract after issuing two notices. Once the contract is terminated, the TOKİ application is effectively cancelled and interest charges may be applied retroactively. Taxes and bank commissions are not refunded. The amount already paid—down payment, cash payments and rent-equivalent fees applied during the period between delivery and termination—will be deducted according to TOKİ’s accounting procedures.
Is the application fee refunded if a TOKİ application is cancelled?
Applicants for TOKİ programs aimed at pensioners or low-income households can cancel their application at any time prior to purchasing a unit. If you cancel before a purchase is made, the application fee you paid to enter the draw is refunded. The refund process is carried out to prevent applicants from suffering financial loss, provided the cancellation occurs before signing a purchase contract and starting installment payments. After purchasing a TOKİ home and beginning installment payments, cancellation and refund procedures change and are subject to different contractual terms.