A New Era for Residential Service Charges: What Should Developers Change Before Handover?
May 2026
The dues and operating model take shape during the project phase
In Turkey, residential complex dues have long been treated solely as an operating expense. However, dues are the financial counterpart of the project's design, common areas, technical systems, service level, and management model during the period of use.
Short answer: Dues and operating costs are not issues that arise after delivery; they are operating decisions shaped during the project phase with the design, service level, and management model. Therefore, cost, transparency, and resident experience must be planned together; digital processes should be supported with technology solutions like Nesta Living when necessary.
Amendments made to the Condominium Law in May 2026 clearly regulated the approval of the operating project at the general assembly of property owners and limited the period during which the manager can prepare a temporary operating project.
It would be incomplete to view this amendment only as a legal regulation concerning current residential complex managements. It also carries an important message for residential projects still in the development or construction phase:
The operating model cannot be established after the project is delivered. It has to be part of the design and development process.
Where does the dues problem actually start?
Discussions about dues usually start after the amount is announced. However, a significant portion of the costs was determined years ago, when the project concept and technical design were being created.
Large but underutilized social areas, high-energy-consuming systems, complex landscaping, services requiring intensive personnel, or materials that are expensive to maintain may make the project look attractive during the sales phase. These same choices can turn into high common expenses during the usage period.
For this reason, the developer should not only evaluate the question "Will this feature contribute to sales?" but also the following:
What is the annual operating and renovation cost?
How many independent sections will share the cost?
Will residents actually use this service?
Is the proposed level of dues sustainable for the target audience?
How will the maintenance and renovation of the systems be managed five or ten years from now?
Just as much as the high amount of dues, the inability to explain why they are high also damages trust.
Transparency is now part of the operation
The new regulation makes it more important for managements to prepare more understandable and defensible operating projects.
It is not enough for the budget to be correct; it must be explainable. Security, energy, maintenance, cleaning, landscaping, and personnel costs need to be broken down in a way that residents can understand.
Likewise, being able to see the difference between the budget approved at the beginning of the year and the actual expenditures, and keeping a record of the decisions made, is part of the management's credibility.
Digital records do not eliminate all disputes; however, they strengthen the institutional memory and transparency of the management.
What can we learn from the Soft Landings approach?
The Soft Landings approach, used in international building and real estate management, does not view the transition of a building from design to operation as a single-day handover process.
Operational needs are taken into account during the design phase, technical information is handed over in a structured manner, and performance continues to be monitored after delivery.
The main message of this approach for residential projects is simple:
Physical delivery is not the end of the customer experience; it is the point where the actual performance of the building begins to be measured.
Developers in Turkey can also create a similar approach by involving the management team earlier in the process, making operating costs part of design decisions, and planning the first year after delivery as a structured transition period.
Five basic steps for residential developers
1. Model the operating cost during the design phase
Estimated operating costs of common areas, technical systems, and service levels should be evaluated during the concept stage. Different occupancy and cost scenarios should be studied.
2. Involve the management team in the process before delivery
It is late for the professional management team to start on delivery day. Preparations such as system tests, warranty certificates, maintenance contracts, asset inventory, and resident communication should start earlier.
3. Design the process and data model before the technology
A resident app or management software cannot fix disorganized processes on its own. First, data ownership, user permissions, payment systems, request categories, and workflows must be defined.
4. Treat dues as a trust system
Sending payment reminders to residents is not transparency. Budget realizations, planned maintenance work, service levels, and major decisions should be shared clearly.
5. Use the first 12 months post-delivery as a measurement period
The first year of use is the period when malfunctions, unnecessary costs, underutilized areas, and resident expectations are most visible. The data obtained during this period should be used not only to improve the current project but also to be transferred to the developer's subsequent projects.
Where does technology create value?
A well-designed digital management infrastructure can create significant value in areas such as presenting payment and accrual information, keeping records of requests, measuring service performance, keeping documents accessible, and centrally managing resident communication.
However, technology cannot fix a poorly designed operating model.
Therefore, the correct order is:
First, the operating strategy.
Then, the process and data model.
Finally, technology.
Conclusion
The new regulation on dues can accelerate the transition to a more participatory and explainable operating model in the housing sector. However, the permanent solution is not only to change who approves the budget.
Developers need to consider the operating cost of design decisions, management readiness, digital infrastructure, and communication to be established with residents together, right at the project phase.
A successful housing project is not just a well-built and sold structure. It is a living space that can be operated with sustainable costs over the years, whose performance can be measured, and that can maintain the trust of its residents.