How to choose a real estate management company in Alanya: a checklist and 9 questions

Once an apartment in Alanya has been purchased, the second, less romantic part of the story begins — what happens to it 365 days a year while the owner is thousands of kilometers away. Some people try to manage everything themselves through WhatsApp and a cleaner they know. Most eventually turn to a property management company after six months or a year — simply because the difference in stress is nowhere near worth the savings.

But the property management market in Alanya has grown so much in recent years that choosing a management company is now almost as difficult as choosing the apartment itself. “Property management” signs can be found at half of the real estate agencies in the city, and far from every one of them has a real team behind it rather than just one person with a phone and the keys to a dozen apartments.

What does “property management” actually include?

Before comparing companies, it is useful to understand what the service actually consists of — otherwise, the comparison becomes nothing more than comparing numbers without understanding what stands behind them.

Full-service property management usually includes: preparing the property for guests and cleaning between stays, communicating with tenants and handling check-ins, paying utility bills and aidat, monitoring the technical condition of the property (plumbing, air conditioners, household appliances), listing the property on platforms such as Booking.com and Airbnb, financial reporting to the owner and — something that is often overlooked — compliance with Turkish legal requirements: registering guests in the Kimlik Bildirim system and, for short-term rentals, having a tourism rental permit for the property under Law No. 7464.

If a company offers “management for 10% with no paperwork whatsoever” — that is a reason to be cautious, not excited.

9 questions to ask before signing a contract

1. Do you have a license and official registration as a property management/rental company? The answer should be specific — a number, a document, not “we have been working for years, everyone knows us.”

2. How do you register guests for short-term rentals? Under Turkish law, every guest staying in a property rented on a short-term basis must be registered in the Kimlik Bildirim system — this is a legal requirement, not a formality, and the penalties for non-compliance are real.

3. Who is responsible if a tenant damages the furniture or appliances? A good company should explain the procedure in advance: security deposit, photographic documentation of the property’s condition before and after the stay, and the compensation process.

4. How often and in what format do I receive financial reports? “Once a year as one lump sum” is a bad answer. Standard practice is monthly reporting with a breakdown of check-in dates, income, and expenses.

5. How and how quickly do I receive my rental income? Clarify the transfer method, currency, and payment schedule — “within the month” and “by the 10th of the following month” represent very different levels of operational organization.

6. What is included in the management commission, and what is charged separately? The management fee and the cost of cleaning, linen replacement, and minor repairs are different expense categories, and the contract should clearly separate them rather than hide everything under one line.

7. Who physically services the property — your own team or one-off contractors? An in-house team of cleaners, technicians, and managers generally means more consistent quality than a collection of random contractors.

8. How do you find tenants, and on which platforms do you list the property? If the answer is “word of mouth and one company website,” your reach will be limited and vacancies will likely be more frequent.

9. What happens if I decide to terminate the contract? The notice period, early termination penalties, and the procedure for transferring keys and access credentials are details that are better known in advance rather than discovered during a dispute.

   Red flags

   Be cautious if a company cannot show you actual properties under management, refuses to provide a written contract “until we meet in person,” cannot explain the difference between long-term and short-term rentals in terms of licensing requirements, or if all communication goes through the personal phone number of a single manager with no legal entity behind them.

   How Qoople works

   At Qoople, we originally built the company not as an agency that sells apartments and forgets about them after the transaction, but as a property management organization with its own team: cleaners, technical staff, and a 24/7 tenant support service. We currently manage more than 150 properties and have our own IT platform through which owners can see the status of their apartment, bookings, and financial reports at any time — without making calls or sending reminders like “could you please send me the report for March?”

   We do not hide the fact that property management is a percentage of rental income, not a free service. But it is precisely the transparent structure of that percentage and clear reporting that usually distinguishes a professional property management company from an intermediary with a good-looking website.

   FAQ

   How much does property management cost in Alanya?
   Property management companies in Alanya typically charge 10–20% of the rental income received, depending on the scope of services. For properties that are not being rented out, a fixed annual maintenance fee is often charged.

   Is a license required to rent out an apartment in Turkey?
   Yes. For short-term (tourist) rentals of up to 100 days, a permit issued under Law No. 7464 is required; long-term rentals are subject to different rules.

   What is the difference between a property management company and a real estate agency?
   A real estate agency generally earns money from buying and selling transactions, while a property management company earns from ongoing services: preparing the property, renting it out, maintaining it, and providing reporting throughout the entire ownership period.

   Can I change property management companies if the property is already being rented out?
   Yes. If the contract clearly specifies the termination conditions, switching to another property management company usually takes anywhere from a few days to a month.