Kağıthane has been among the fastest-changing districts in Istanbul in recent years. Former industrial and residential areas have given way to high-rise residences and mixed-use schemes, and that rapid change splits the district’s management needs sharply in two.
In new schemes the first year is decisive
In newly handed-over buildings the first year determines the cost of the years that follow. Three things stand out:
Developer handover. Common areas, fixtures and technical systems must be taken over under a signed record. Unfinished landscaping, equipment delivered incomplete or a warranty document never transferred will be paid for out of the building’s own budget a few years later if not caught.
Warranty periods. Lifts, the heating system, booster pumps and waterproofing have different warranty periods. When those dates are unknown, a fault that was covered gets paid for.
A realistic budget. First budgets in new buildings are usually set too low, because nothing has worn out yet. When the true maintenance cost surfaces in year two the charge rises sharply, and that breeds mistrust every time. We build the budget from the outset around the real maintenance calendar.
A high proportion of tenants in residences
In Kağıthane’s new residences a significant share of units are bought as investments and let. That has two concrete consequences.
First, assemblies struggle to reach a quorum, because owners do not live in the building. Second, the owner-tenant split of liability for common expenses comes up constantly.
In these buildings we issue meeting notices through two channels and keep owner and tenant records separately up to date. Owners who do not live in the building can see the income and expense statement and their own balance through NovaBina, wherever they are.
In the older stock
In neighbourhoods not yet redeveloped the priority is different: certifying the statutory ledgers, establishing balances flat by flat and documenting the dates of the last statutory inspections. In those buildings our first job is not to manage but to put the existing position on the record.