What it means for you
Ownership passes at the Land Registry Directorate (Tapu Müdürlüğü), not on signing a private contract. A contract with a seller, a payment receipt or possession of the keys does not make you the owner until the transfer is registered.
Commonly confused with
A promise-to-sell agreement made at a notary is not a tapu. It creates obligations between the parties, but the registry entry is what determines ownership.
Where you meet this word
At every property purchase; and in the checks a lawyer runs before you pay — mortgages, attachments and annotations all sit on the tapu record.
Statute: Land Registry Law No. 2644
How we help with this: Real Estate
