DASK Explained: Turkey's Compulsory Earthquake Insurance
If you own property in Turkey, or are about to, you will run into DASK. It is compulsory, it is cheap, and it covers far less than most owners assume. This explains what it actually is, what it pays for, and where the gap sits.
What DASK is
DASK stands for Doğal Afet Sigortaları Kurumu, the Turkish Natural Disaster Insurance Institution. It administers Zorunlu Deprem Sigortası, the Compulsory Earthquake Insurance scheme.
It was created after the 1999 Marmara earthquake, which killed around 17,000 people and exposed how little of the damaged housing stock carried any insurance at all. The scheme pools risk across the country so that premiums stay low and payouts do not depend on a single insurer surviving a major event.
Who has to have it
The policy is compulsory for residential buildings within municipal boundaries that are registered under the property ownership system. In practice this covers most apartments and houses in Turkish cities.
The obligation sits with the owner of the individual unit, not with the building manager and not with the tenant. If you own an apartment, it is your policy.
You will be asked for a valid policy at several points whether you want one or not:
- Title deed transactions at the land registry
- Setting up or transferring electricity and water subscriptions
- Mortgage arrangements
This is how the scheme achieves coverage in practice. Most owners buy it because a transaction is blocked without it, not because they chose to.
What it covers
DASK covers physical damage to the building structure caused by earthquake, and by fire, explosion, tsunami and landslide arising directly from an earthquake. In practical terms that means the structural elements plus the fixed parts of the building: foundations, columns and beams, walls, floors, stairs, roof, and the building's shared areas.
What it does not cover, and this is the important part
Owners routinely discover the limits after an event rather than before.
| Not covered | What you would need instead |
|---|---|
| Contents: furniture, electronics, appliances, personal belongings | A separate home contents policy |
| Loss of rental income | Separate cover |
| Alternative accommodation while the property is uninhabitable | Separate cover |
| Damage above the maximum sum insured | A supplementary earthquake policy from a private insurer |
| Commercial premises, most industrial buildings | Commercial policies |
| Buildings without a valid construction permit | Not insurable under the scheme |
| Indirect losses: business interruption, loss of value | Not covered by any standard policy |
The maximum sum insured is the real limitation
DASK pays up to a maximum sum insured which is set nationally and revised periodically. It is calculated from the built area of your unit and a per-square- metre construction cost figure, not from the market value of the property.
The consequence matters. In a major city, the market value of an apartment can be several times its construction cost, and construction cost is what DASK is anchored to. If your building is destroyed, DASK contributes toward rebuilding the structure. It does not make you whole on what you paid for the property.
Two owners are affected differently by this. If you own a modest unit in a lower-cost area, the cap may be close to adequate. If you own in a high-value urban location, the gap between the cap and your actual exposure is large, and closing it requires a supplementary policy from a private insurer.
What it costs and how the premium is set
Premiums are set by a national tariff rather than by individual underwriting. Three factors drive the number:
- Earthquake risk zone of the location
- Construction type of the building (reinforced concrete, steel, masonry, other)
- Built area of the unit in square metres
Because the tariff is national, shopping between agents does not change the price. The premium is what it is; the only variable is whether you buy supplementary cover on top.
There is also a deductible: DASK applies a fixed percentage of the sum insured, and losses below that threshold are not paid.
Making a claim
- Notify DASK as soon as possible after the event. Do not wait for the building to be formally assessed.
- Photograph the damage before any clearing or repair work begins. This is the single most common reason claims get reduced.
- A loss adjuster is appointed and inspects the property.
- Payment is made to the policyholder up to the assessed loss, subject to the deductible and the maximum sum insured.
Keep the policy details, the title deed and the building's permit documentation together and accessible. If the property is uninhabitable after an event, retrieving paperwork from inside it may not be possible.
If you are a foreign owner
Foreign nationals owning residential property in Turkey are subject to the same obligation as Turkish citizens. Points worth knowing:
- You need a Turkish tax number to arrange the policy.
- Policies are issued through insurance companies and agents authorised by DASK; the product is identical wherever you buy it.
- The policy must be kept current. A lapsed policy will block a sale or a utility transfer, and it will not pay a claim.
- Address, built area and construction type on the policy must match reality. Mismatches surface at claim stage, which is the worst possible time.
Insurance is not the same as safety
DASK pays out after a building is damaged. It says nothing about whether the building is likely to be damaged in the first place, and buying it does not reduce your risk.
If the structural question matters to you, and for a property you intend to live in it should, the things to establish are the year of construction and which code era it belongs to, whether a soil investigation was done, whether the ground floor has been opened up for retail or parking, and whether any owner has removed structural walls or columns during renovation. Those determine your actual exposure. The policy determines what you recover afterward.
Conclusion
DASK is compulsory, inexpensive, and deliberately limited. It covers the structure up to a construction-cost-based cap and excludes your contents, your accommodation and your income. Treat it as a floor rather than as cover, and price the gap between the cap and your real exposure before you need to find out.
If you want an independent read on the structural condition of a Turkish property rather than the insurance side, book a call.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does DASK stand for?
Doğal Afet Sigortaları Kurumu, the Turkish Natural Disaster Insurance Institution. It administers Zorunlu Deprem Sigortası, the Compulsory Earthquake Insurance scheme, established after the 1999 Marmara earthquake.
Is DASK mandatory for foreign property owners in Turkey?
Yes. The obligation applies to residential buildings within municipal boundaries regardless of the owner's nationality, and it sits with the owner of the individual unit. You will need a Turkish tax number to arrange the policy.
Does DASK cover my furniture and belongings?
No. DASK covers physical damage to the building structure only. Contents, loss of rental income and alternative accommodation are all excluded and require separate policies.
Is DASK enough on its own?
Usually not in high-value urban locations. DASK pays up to a maximum sum insured calculated from built area and a construction cost figure, not from market value. Where market value substantially exceeds construction cost, the gap needs a supplementary earthquake policy from a private insurer.
Does having DASK make my building safer?
No. It is a payout mechanism after damage occurs and does not reduce risk. Structural exposure is determined by the construction year and code era, soil conditions, whether the ground floor has been opened up, and whether structural elements have been removed during renovations.