For years, the biggest bottleneck in Turkey’s urban transformation process was the voting threshold required for owners to reach a decision. In buildings with hundreds of units, or where inheritance had split ownership among many heirs, reaching a two-thirds majority was often practically impossible — and a single dissenting owner could block a building’s transformation for years. A regulatory change published in the Official Gazette on 4 February 2026 fundamentally changed this picture. This article looks at what the new system introduced, and who benefits and who carries more risk under it.
Why the Old System Was a Problem
Under the original implementation of Law No. 6306, critical decisions on risky buildings — demolition, rebuilding, and choosing a contractor — required at least a two-thirds majority based on ownership shares. This threshold was rooted in a strict view of property rights, but in practice it created serious difficulties:
- In buildings with many co-owners, especially those split by inheritance, reaching a near-unanimous threshold was extremely difficult.
- A single owner refusing to participate — for reasons ranging from price expectations to family disputes to simple unreachability — could lock the entire building out of the process.
- Buildings carrying genuine earthquake risk could remain untransformed for years due to this legal deadlock.
The Legal Groundwork
The first step toward resolving this problem was Law No. 7471, published in the Official Gazette on 9 November 2023, which created the legal basis for decisions to be taken by simple majority. This was then operationalized by the Regulation Amending the Implementing Regulation of Law No. 6306, published in the Official Gazette (No. 33158) on 4 February 2026, which restructured the procedural rules and put the simple-majority system into actual practice.
What the New “P+1” System Means
Under the new rules, decisions affecting a parcel with a risky building — demolition, rebuilding, choosing a contractor, or a sale — can now be taken by a simple majority based on ownership shares. The shorthand “P+1” refers to support from owners holding more than half of the total ownership shares; unanimity or a two-thirds majority is no longer required.
In practical terms, this means that with the backing of owners holding the majority of shares, a single dissenting owner in the minority can no longer bring the whole process to a halt.
The New Procedure: A Meeting Is Now Mandatory
Under the old practice, signatures could be collected directly without owners ever meeting. Under the new rules, a properly convened meeting is now mandatory for parcels with a risky building. The call to this meeting is made using the Annex-12 (Ek-12) form specified in the regulation; a request from even a single owner is enough to trigger the call.
Notification of the meeting call and of any decision taken must follow specific channels:
- Posting at the local muhtar’s office (the notice stays up for 15 days)
- Posting on the building’s entrance notice board
- Notification through a notary
- Electronic notification via the e-Devlet government portal
The last day of the posted notice is deemed to be the date on which all owners have been notified; deadlines run from that date. Meeting invitations and minutes must now be included in the application file.
What Happens to a Dissenting Owner
Once a dissenting owner (one in the minority against a simple-majority decision) has been formally notified, that owner has 15 days to review the offer and communicate a decision. If the owner does not consent within that period, their share of the land can be sold — to the other owners or to third parties — at a price no lower than fair market value. Where appropriate, the owner may also retain the right to acquire a unit or commercial space in the new building. We cover this in depth in a separate article in this series.
Consolidated Parcels
The regulation also provides that where several parcels are merged (tevhit) into a single new parcel, the same simple-majority rule applies to decisions on the resulting parcel. This standardizes decision-making for larger, block-level transformation projects.
What This Means for Property Owners
The new system allows owners holding a majority of the shares to move the process forward much faster. This does not mean a minority owner is left unprotected: the formal notification procedures, the 15-day response window, and the guarantee of fair market value are meaningful safeguards for minority owners. Every owner should follow any notification addressed to them closely and seek legal advice within the response period.
What This Means for Contractors
For contractors, this change significantly speeds up the start of a project — there is no longer a need to wait until every single owner is persuaded. At the same time, ensuring the meeting call, notifications, and minutes are handled exactly as the regulation requires is now critical to a complete application file; a procedural error in these documents can expose the whole process to later legal challenge.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly does “P+1” mean? It means support from owners whose combined ownership shares exceed half (P) of the total, plus one — a threshold based on ownership share, not a literal headcount of “51%.”
What if an owner doesn’t attend the meeting? Once proper notification has been given, not attending the meeting does not affect the validity of the decision; the absent owner’s rights to object and to respond within 15 days remain in place.
Does this change apply to transformation processes that were already underway? It applies to decisions taken after the regulation entered into force; for ongoing files, it is worth having a lawyer review the specific situation.
Conclusion
The 2026 change removed the single biggest practical obstacle in urban transformation and has significantly sped up the process. A faster process, however, does not make procedural compliance less important — if anything, getting the meeting, notification, and documentation rules exactly right now matters more than ever, for both owners and contractors.
This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for advice from a lawyer on your specific situation.
