How Can Overseas Property Owners Attend Urban Transformation Meetings in Turkey? (2026 Updated Guide)

Learn how foreign and overseas property owners can participate in urban transformation meetings in Turkey in 2026 through legal representation, powers of attorney, voting rights and owner meeting procedures

A property owner who lives abroad does not necessarily have to travel personally every time owners meet to discuss an urban transformation project. Depending on the nature of the meeting, the decisions to be taken and the authority granted, an overseas owner can arrange appropriate representation and remain actively involved in the process without being physically present.

This is particularly important because the urban transformation process does not automatically stop merely because one owner lives outside the country.

Once the risky-building determination has become final, the owners can move toward decisions concerning the new development. Current official guidance confirms that a meeting for the new project can be held at the request of an owner without waiting for the risky building to be physically demolished. The meeting is held with owners representing at least a simple majority according to their ownership shares, and the relevant decision is likewise taken with at least the required share-based simple majority.

For an overseas owner, the practical objective should therefore be to establish representation and obtain the relevant documents before the meeting rather than assuming that the other owners must wait until the owner returns.

Lawyer Fırat Fesih Kaya assists foreign and overseas property owners with owner-meeting procedures, powers of attorney, voting rights, reconstruction agreements and disputes arising when important urban transformation decisions are taken while an owner is abroad.

Does an Overseas Owner Have to Attend the Meeting Personally?

Not necessarily.

Physical presence and legal participation should be distinguished.

An overseas owner may arrange representation where the necessary authority has been properly granted. This can be particularly useful when the owner lives permanently abroad, travels infrequently or cannot return before an important meeting.

The appropriate authority should be determined according to what the representative is expected to do.

There is an important difference between authorizing someone merely to obtain documents and authorizing that person to participate in substantive decisions affecting redevelopment, contracts and valuable property rights.

For that reason, the power of attorney should be reviewed before the meeting.

Why Are Urban Transformation Owner Meetings Important?

These meetings are not merely informal discussions among neighbors.

They can become the basis for major decisions concerning what will happen to the property after the risky building is demolished or redeveloped.

The owners may consider a contractor proposal, a reconstruction model, the future building, distribution of independent units, additional payments and other conditions governing the new development.

If unanimity cannot be achieved, current official guidance permits the relevant decision to be taken by the simple majority according to the registered ownership shares.

This means an overseas owner should not ignore a meeting simply because that owner expects to vote against the project.

The meeting may still produce a legally significant majority decision.

Must the Building Be Demolished Before the Owners Can Meet?

No.

This is an important point for owners who assume they have plenty of time because the old building is still standing.

Current official guidance states that once the risky-building determination becomes final, a meeting concerning the new application can be held at the request of an owner without requiring the risky structure to have already been demolished.

Therefore, the decision-making process can advance earlier than an overseas owner expects.

A foreign owner should begin monitoring the owner-meeting process as soon as risky-building status becomes final.

How Is the Majority Calculated?

The relevant majority is calculated according to ownership shares.

It is not simply a headcount of the people in the room.

It is also not necessarily determined by counting apartments on a one-unit-one-vote basis.

Current official guidance confirms that the meeting and relevant new-development decision operate according to the owners’ registered shares and that the applicable threshold is a simple majority of those shares.

This distinction can materially affect the outcome.

An owner with several independent units may hold a different total ownership share from another owner with one unit. Likewise, several co-owners may collectively hold rights in a single independent unit.

The current title information should therefore be checked before calculating whether the required majority exists.

Can a Lawyer Attend the Meeting for an Overseas Owner?

Appropriate legal representation can be arranged where the lawyer has the authority required for the intended participation.

For an overseas owner, this can provide a practical way to monitor what is proposed, examine the documents and communicate the owner’s position.

However, the authority granted should correspond to the acts the lawyer is expected to perform.

If the lawyer will only observe the process and obtain documents, one level of authority may be relevant.

If the lawyer is expected to vote, approve a redevelopment proposal, negotiate contractual terms or sign legally significant documents, the scope of authority becomes considerably more important.

The owner should therefore determine the intended role before preparing the power of attorney.

Can Another Representative Attend Instead of a Lawyer?

The legal sufficiency of representation depends on the applicable procedure, the authority granted and the act to be performed.

An overseas owner should not assume that a relative, tenant, property manager or neighbor automatically has authority merely because that person has been looking after the property.

Where another person is expected to make decisions affecting valuable ownership rights, the representative’s authority should be documented appropriately.

Informal trust and legal authority are not the same thing.

This becomes particularly important if a reconstruction agreement or other binding document is later signed in the owner’s name.

What Changed About Owner Meetings in 2026?

The meeting procedure became more formally documented in 2026.

The competent authority announced that amendments published on February 4, 2026 added specific documentation including the Meeting Notification Form, the related Meeting Notification Form Record, the Meeting Information Note, and the Resale Notification Form.

These documents are particularly significant for owners who live abroad.

If an overseas owner later discovers that a meeting took place without actual personal awareness, the analysis should not be limited to asking another owner what happened.

The formal meeting-notification documents, meeting minutes and subsequent records should be obtained and reviewed.

What Should an Overseas Owner Do After Receiving a Meeting Notice?

The owner should first determine the exact purpose of the meeting.

Is the meeting merely discussing potential contractors?

Is a particular reconstruction proposal going to be voted upon?

Will the owners decide the allocation of replacement units?

Is an agreement already prepared?

Are additional payments proposed?

Will owners be expected to sign documents immediately?

These questions determine how the owner should prepare.

The owner should then obtain the proposed agreement and relevant documents before deciding whether to attend personally or through a representative.

Can an Overseas Owner Give Voting Instructions to a Lawyer?

Yes, representation can be organized around the owner’s instructions, subject to the scope of the authority granted and the requirements applicable to the transaction.

This can be particularly useful where the owner has already reviewed the contractor proposal and wants the representative to communicate a defined position.

For example, the owner may support reconstruction in principle but disagree with the proposed replacement unit or additional payment.

The representative should understand whether the owner intends to approve, reject or negotiate the proposal.

A power of attorney should not be treated as permission for the representative to make unlimited commercial decisions without consulting the owner.

Can an Overseas Owner Vote Against the Project?

An owner can communicate opposition through the appropriate procedure and representation.

However, voting against the proposal does not necessarily prevent the project from proceeding.

Where unanimity cannot be achieved, current official guidance permits the relevant new-development decision to be taken by the simple majority according to ownership shares.

Therefore, an overseas owner should consider not only whether to vote against the proposal but also what happens if the majority approves it despite that opposition.

This second question can be considerably more important.

Does the Foreign Owner Have a Veto?

Not merely because the owner is foreign or lives abroad.

The same share-based decision-making framework applies.

If the overseas owner controls enough ownership share to affect whether the statutory majority exists, that owner’s position can obviously be significant.

But where the remaining owners already hold the required majority, one dissenting owner does not necessarily possess an absolute veto.

This is why foreign owners should approach meetings strategically rather than simply refusing to participate.

What Happens If the Overseas Owner Does Not Attend?

Failure to attend does not necessarily prevent the meeting from taking place.

If the applicable meeting and majority requirements are satisfied, the other owners can potentially make the relevant decision.

The foreign owner may then find that a majority-approved reconstruction arrangement already exists.

The process can subsequently move to notification of that decision and the agreement conditions to owners who did not participate in the majority.

Therefore, nonattendance should not be used as a strategy for preventing the project.

Does Nonattendance Mean the Owner Agreed?

Nonattendance should not automatically be confused with affirmative contractual consent.

An owner who did not join the majority decision remains in a materially different position from an owner who signed the approved agreement.

However, remaining outside the majority arrangement can have serious consequences.

Once the prescribed notification process is completed, failure to join the majority-approved arrangement can eventually expose the owner’s land share to the statutory sale mechanism.

Therefore, nonattendance is not the same as agreement, but neither is it consequence-free.

How Is the Majority Decision Communicated to an Owner Who Did Not Attend?

Current official guidance requires the majority decision and the offer containing the agreement conditions, or information identifying where that offer can be examined, to be communicated to owners who did not join the decision.

This can be done through a notary or by a fifteen-day announcement at the relevant local administrative office. Where an electronic mail address has been provided to the title system, notification is also made electronically.

This stage is extremely important for overseas owners.

The owner should not assume that no legally relevant deadline can run merely because no document arrived by international post.

Can the Owner Join the Agreement After Missing the Meeting?

Missing the meeting does not necessarily mean that the owner can never join the majority arrangement.

The subsequent notification procedure provides an important opportunity to examine the majority-approved offer.

Current official guidance states that an owner who wishes to demonstrate agreement must sign the contract prepared according to the majority decision and the documents signed by the majority owners without conditions or reservations within the applicable process.

This creates an important distinction between negotiation and formal acceptance.

An owner who wants changes should attempt to negotiate them as early as possible rather than waiting until the statutory dissenting-owner process has advanced.

What Happens If the Overseas Owner Continues to Reject the Agreement?

If the required majority exists, the prescribed notification has been completed and the owner remains outside the majority arrangement, the owner’s land share can ultimately become subject to statutory auction.

This is why attending or being represented at the meeting can be valuable even where the owner expects to disagree.

Early participation may provide an opportunity to influence contractor selection, replacement-unit allocation, payment terms and contractual safeguards before the proposal becomes the formal majority decision.

Can the Owner’s Share Be Sold Merely Because the Owner Lives Abroad?

No.

Living abroad is not itself a legal basis for selling the owner’s share.

The statutory dissenting-owner procedure must be followed.

A qualifying majority decision, the required notification, failure to join the approved arrangement and the subsequent statutory sale process are relevant.

Foreign residence does not remove these procedural protections.

At the same time, living abroad does not stop the statutory procedure once its requirements are satisfied.

What Should the Representative Check at the Meeting?

The representative should know which owners are participating, what ownership shares they represent, what proposal is being considered and what documents are being signed.

The representative should also examine whether the contractor agreement presented at the meeting is the same agreement that was previously provided to the foreign owner.

Any material change should be identified.

The meeting minutes should accurately reflect the decisions taken.

The ownership-share calculation should also be checked carefully because it determines whether the required majority has actually been reached.

Should the Representative Sign the Meeting Minutes?

This depends on the representative’s authority and the owner’s position.

Signing attendance documentation should not automatically be confused with accepting every substantive contractual term, but the legal effect of any document should be understood before signature.

The representative should avoid signing documents whose meaning or consequences are unclear.

Where the document records a vote or approval, it should accurately reflect the owner’s instructions.

Can the Representative Negotiate During the Meeting?

Yes, where authorized and appropriate.

This may be one of the greatest advantages of representation.

An owner living abroad may have concerns about the proposed floor, orientation, size of the replacement unit, additional payment, temporary rent or construction deadline.

A representative who understands those concerns can raise them during discussions rather than allowing the proposal to proceed without the foreign owner’s input.

However, the representative should know the limits of the authority granted.

Negotiating a change is different from accepting any change offered.

Should the Reconstruction Agreement Be Reviewed Before the Meeting?

Whenever possible, yes.

A foreign owner should not wait until the meeting itself to see a major redevelopment agreement for the first time.

The agreement can govern the owner’s property rights for years.

Important provisions include the replacement unit, net and gross area, floor, orientation, parking, storage, future ownership structure, additional payments, temporary rent, construction deadlines, delay consequences, contractor security, termination rights and title-transfer provisions.

Reviewing these issues beforehand allows the owner to give meaningful instructions to the representative.

Can the Representative Sign the Reconstruction Agreement at the Meeting?

Potentially, if sufficient authority exists and the owner has decided to accept the agreement.

However, attendance authority and contractual signing authority should not automatically be treated as identical.

Signing a reconstruction agreement can create substantial financial and property obligations.

The foreign owner should therefore know in advance whether the representative is authorized merely to participate in the meeting or also to bind the owner contractually.

Be Careful With Broad Powers of Attorney

Foreign owners sometimes issue extremely broad powers of attorney because they want to avoid repeated travel.

This can solve one practical problem while creating another.

A broad document may contain authority concerning property sales, title transfers, mortgages, financial obligations, settlements or receipt of funds.

Not all of these powers are necessarily required merely to attend an urban transformation meeting.

The power of attorney should therefore be designed around the owner’s actual needs.

Can an Overseas Owner Participate Remotely by Video Call?

A video call can be useful as a practical communication method between the owner and representative or among owners discussing the project. However, foreign owners should not assume that informal remote participation alone automatically satisfies every formal requirement associated with a legally significant vote, signature or representation.

The current official framework emphasizes formal meeting notification and documented decision-making. The 2026 amendments added specific meeting-notification documents, reinforcing the importance of a properly recorded process.

If the owner cannot attend physically, properly documented representation is generally a safer approach than relying solely on an informal video connection.

Can the Owner Send Written Instructions From Abroad?

Written instructions can be extremely useful in the relationship between the owner and representative.

They can define the owner’s position on contractor selection, additional payment, replacement-unit characteristics and contractual safeguards.

However, private instructions to the representative should be distinguished from the formal authority required to perform legally significant acts on behalf of the owner.

The power of attorney determines the representative’s legal authority; instructions determine how that authority should be exercised.

Both should be clear.

What If the Owner Was Never Told About the Meeting?

Obtain the meeting-notification documents immediately.

Do not rely solely on the statement:

“Nobody contacted me.”

The February 2026 procedural changes introduced formal documentation specifically concerning meeting notification.

The owner should obtain the Meeting Notification Form, relevant record, Meeting Information Note, meeting minutes and any documentation showing how the meeting process was carried out.

The analysis should then determine whether a concrete procedural defect exists and whether that defect affected subsequent decisions.

Can an Owner Challenge a Meeting Held While They Were Abroad?

Physical absence alone is not sufficient.

A stronger challenge requires a legally relevant defect.

Possible issues can include problems with the meeting-notification process, incorrect ownership-share calculations, lack of authority of persons purportedly representing owners or inconsistencies between the recorded decision and what was actually approved.

The meeting documents and current title records should therefore be compared carefully.

Can an Incorrect Majority Be Challenged?

Potentially, yes.

Because the relevant majority is calculated according to ownership shares, an incorrect calculation can materially affect the validity of the claimed decision.

The title record should be checked as of the relevant stage.

Particular attention may be required where there are multiple co-owners, inheritance issues, recent transfers or discrepancies between independent units and registered land shares.

A statement that “most apartment owners voted yes” does not by itself establish that the required share-based majority existed.

What If the Representative Exceeds the Owner’s Instructions?

The power of attorney and the owner’s instructions should be examined separately.

If the representative performed an act the owner did not want, the legal consequences may depend on whether the representative nevertheless possessed legal authority to perform that act.

This is why foreign owners should not grant unnecessarily broad authority and then rely solely on private verbal limitations.

Where a significant transaction has already occurred, obtain the signed document and power of attorney immediately.

What If Someone Attended the Meeting Without Any Authority From the Owner?

A relative, tenant or property manager should not automatically be treated as the owner’s legal representative merely because that person attended the meeting.

If another person purported to vote, approve a contract or sign documents for the foreign owner, the authority relied upon should be obtained and examined.

This can become particularly important if the owner’s alleged vote was necessary to establish the required majority.

What If the Owner Learns About the Meeting Only After the Majority Decision?

The owner should immediately obtain the meeting file and majority-approved agreement.

Determine whether the required majority genuinely existed.

Then identify whether the majority decision and agreement conditions have already entered the statutory notification process.

Current official guidance requires those conditions to be communicated to owners who did not join the majority before the dissenting-share procedure advances.

At that point, the owner should decide quickly whether to accept, negotiate where still possible, or investigate a concrete legal defect.

Does Filing a Lawsuit Automatically Stop the Majority Decision?

No automatic suspension should be assumed.

A legal challenge and an effective judicial measure preventing implementation are different matters.

If the owner believes the meeting or subsequent process is unlawful and demolition, share sale or another irreversible step is approaching, the availability of interim judicial protection should be considered separately.

Waiting until the ownership share is already at auction can materially reduce practical options.

What Documents Should an Overseas Owner Keep?

The owner should create a complete digital file.

This should include the current title record, risky-building documents, relevant notifications, Meeting Notification Form, Meeting Information Note, meeting minutes, attendance information, ownership-share calculations, contractor proposals and the final reconstruction agreement.

If the owner did not join the majority decision, preserve the subsequent notification of the majority-approved offer.

If a statutory share sale begins, add the sale request, valuation and auction records.

For an overseas owner, a well-organized digital file is particularly valuable because decisions may need to be made quickly without travelling.

2026 Practical Legal Strategy

An overseas owner should first determine whether risky-building status has become final and whether an owner meeting is already being organized. A meeting concerning the new development can occur before physical demolition once the applicable risky-building stage has been completed.

Second, obtain the meeting documents before deciding how to participate. The 2026 framework includes specific Meeting Notification and Meeting Information documentation.

Third, check the registered ownership share. Voting power and the relevant majority depend on shares, not merely the number of owners attending.

Fourth, arrange an appropriately tailored power of attorney if personal attendance is impractical. The representative should have enough authority to perform the intended tasks without automatically receiving unnecessary powers over the property.

Fifth, review the contractor proposal before the meeting. Do not wait until the vote to discover the replacement unit, additional payment or title-transfer conditions.

Sixth, give the representative clear instructions concerning approval, rejection and negotiable terms.

Seventh, do not treat nonattendance as a veto. A qualifying share-based majority can potentially approve the new development despite one owner’s absence.

Eighth, monitor the post-meeting notification process if the owner does not join the majority. The decision and agreement conditions must be communicated through the prescribed procedure.

Ninth, do not ignore the statutory response period. Remaining outside a valid majority arrangement after the required procedure can ultimately expose the owner’s land share to sale.

Finally, intervene before the dispute reaches the auction stage whenever possible.

The central principle is clear: living abroad does not prevent a property owner from participating in urban transformation, but it also does not stop the other owners from making legally significant decisions. Appropriate representation, careful review of meeting documents and timely participation allow an overseas owner to protect voting and property rights without necessarily travelling for every meeting.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do I have to travel personally to attend an urban transformation meeting?

Not necessarily. Appropriate representation can be arranged depending on the meeting and the acts the representative will perform.

2. Can my lawyer attend the meeting for me?

Yes, where the lawyer has appropriate authority for the intended representation.

3. Can my lawyer vote for me?

This depends on the authority granted and the particular decision involved. The power of attorney should be reviewed before the meeting.

4. Can the meeting take place if I am abroad?

Yes. Your physical absence does not automatically prevent the meeting. Once risky-building status is final, a meeting concerning the new development can take place without waiting for physical demolition.

5. What majority is required?

Current official guidance applies a simple majority calculated according to registered ownership shares for the relevant new-development decision where unanimity cannot be achieved.

6. Does missing the meeting mean I accepted the decision?

No. Nonattendance should not automatically be equated with affirmative contractual consent. However, a valid majority decision can still be taken and subsequently notified to owners who did not join it.

7. Can I join the agreement after missing the meeting?

Potentially, yes, depending on the stage reached. Owners outside the majority must be given the prescribed notification concerning the majority decision and agreement conditions.

8. Can my share be sold if I continue to refuse the agreement?

Potentially, yes. Where a valid majority exists and the prescribed dissenting-owner procedure is completed, the land share can ultimately become subject to statutory auction.

9. Can I participate only through a video call?

A video call may assist communication, but it should not automatically be assumed to satisfy every formal requirement for representation, voting or legally significant signatures. Properly documented representation should be considered where the owner cannot attend personally.

10. What should I do if a meeting already happened without my knowledge?

Obtain the 2026 meeting-notification documents, meeting minutes, attendance records, ownership-share calculation, majority decision and reconstruction agreement. Then determine whether the meeting and subsequent notification procedures complied with the applicable requirements.

Representation of Overseas Owners at Urban Transformation Meetings

For a foreign property owner living abroad, missing an urban transformation meeting can have consequences far beyond missing an ordinary building-management discussion.

The meeting can determine the contractor, reconstruction model, replacement property and financial structure of the new project. If the required majority is reached, the process can continue even though one owner did not attend.

The most effective approach is therefore to establish representation early, review the proposed agreement before the meeting and give the representative clear instructions concerning the owner’s position.

Fırat Fesih Kaya Law Office provides legal assistance to foreign and overseas property owners who need representation during urban transformation proceedings.

Lawyer Fırat Fesih Kaya assists overseas owners with powers of attorney, owner-meeting representation, meeting-notification reviews, voting and majority calculations, reconstruction agreements, contractor negotiations, notification disputes, dissenting-owner procedures, statutory share sales and related judicial remedies.

Phone: +90 312 434 22 22
WhatsApp: +90 532 769 22 22
Email: info@firatfesihkaya.av.tr