Looking for a lawyer in Çatalca?

We provide clients who reach us from Çatalca and the surrounding area with legal advice and litigation across Istanbul from our office in Bakırköy. About 60 minutes to Bakırköy by the intercity connecting roads; meetings can also be held online.

Farmland and shared title deeds make actions for the dissolution of co-ownership prominent.

What do we handle in Çatalca?

Inheritance, real estate and title, family and divorce, and enforcement law are the headings that stand out in our Çatalca files. We take files in other areas of law as well; which court has jurisdiction becomes clear at the first meeting, according to the nature of the dispute.

Main neighbourhoods

Most enquiries come from around Ferhatpaşa, Kaleiçi, Ovayenice, Hallaçlı, Çanakça; we also take files from the other neighbourhoods of the district.

How does the meeting work?

So that travelling time is not spent unnecessarily, we usually hold the first meeting with clients in Çatalca by video. Once a power of attorney has been given, you do not need to come to Çatalca for hearings, site inspections or enforcement steps; if you prefer to come to the office, we plan the appointment so that everything is completed in a single visit.

The ban on dividing farmland, and co-ownership

The farmland around Ovayenice, Hallaçlı and Çanakça brings a legal framework of its own to Çatalca files: the Soil Conservation and Land Use Law.

Under that law, farmland cannot be divided so as to fall below the minimum size laid down. That has two practical consequences. First, farmland passing by inheritance cannot be shared out among the heirs; the heirs may ask for the land to be allocated to a qualified heir, for a structure to be set up under which ownership continues jointly, or for it to be sold and the proceeds shared. If the period passes, the relevant authority also acquires the power to bring proceedings on the point.

Second, in an action for the dissolution of co-ownership the route of division in kind is often closed; the court orders distribution by sale. As that can be an unexpected outcome for the co-owners, it should be assessed before proceedings are issued.

In addition, on shared title the pre-emption right must be exercised within three months of the sale being notified through a notary.

A practical note: When buying farmland, the title record should be checked to see whether the property has been allocated to a qualified heir or is subject to a family property partnership. Such entries restrict transfer and can later be made the subject of an action for annulment.

Which courthouse will your case be heard in?

Disputes within the boundaries of Çatalca are heard at the Büyükçekmece Courthouse. The courthouse has civil courts of first instance, family, labour, civil courts of peace and criminal courts of first instance, together with the enforcement offices. As it serves the districts at the western edge of Istanbul, it works heavily on files arising from land, zoning and site management in particular.