What does my Tapu say? What is a Tapu?
A Tapu for Turkish property is often referred to in English as a title deed, but it is not a deed. The term ‘deed’ has a specific legal meaning in English, and the legal meaning of the term ‘deed’ does not apply to a Turkish Tapu. On the top of a Turkish property Tapu is the title 'Tapu Senedi'. The term 'Senedi' refers to a type of 'bond' or 'obligation' originating from Ottoman property administration regime and practices, which in simple generalisation, are associated with the Unique Authority of the Sultans, having a context and meaning for which there is no equivalent in the English language. The Turkish cadastral regime and Land Registry framework has other similarly unique aspects and dimensions, that were inherited from the Ottomans by the cadastral regimes with other legal practices, in present day countries which were formerly lands of the Ottoman Empire, including Cyprus, Greece, Bulgaria, North Makedonya, and Albania, etc. These aspects are without equivalence in other regions of the World.
A Tapu is a certificate from a Turkish Land Registry providing a record of all ownership and cadastral information held on file for a property at that Land Registry. Yes a recently issued Tapu certificate does provide evidence of ownership on the date upon which it was issued, but only an inspection of the Land Registry files can be used as evidence of the current ownership. This is because in modern times there are no title deeds issued to secure ownership in real estate in Turkey. All ownership is recorded in a registry, at the Land Registry. This is where a property owners proof of ownership rests, at the Land Registry. A property owner may go there at will and obtain a Tapu as a record evidencing ownership of his or her property.
An owner may always go and get a copy of the Tapu from the Land Registry if an older version is lost or damaged.
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