Real Estate Fraud: Opening the Electricity Meter

This series of real estate fraud articles is brought to you by Turkey Dream Apartment - Kamiran, which is doing everything in its power to clarify the correct information for investors and reveal the deceptive methods used by some fraudsters in the Turkish real estate market.
What are the procedures for opening the electricity meters in Turkey?
Go to the website of the Turkish electricity company in your area, which is responsible for providing the electricity meter operation service, with the following papers:
- The insurance paper or what is known as DASK: This paper is issued by any insurance company, and its cost depends on the area of the apartment and increases as the space increases.
A copy of the Turkish residency or passport for foreigners.
Electricity meter number: You can obtain the number by reading the number on the electricity meter connected to the apartment, or through previous electricity bills if the apartment was previously inhabited.
The title deed of the apartment in the case of the owner of the apartment or the lease contract in the case of the tenant.
A Turkish phone number to communicate when needed.
In addition to paying the fees for opening the electricity meter: which is considered a kind of insurance that the electricity company requires from the user.
Notes when opening the electricity watch in Turkey:
- It is preferable for the person who owns the ownership of the apartment or the tenant to open the watch himself, and in the event that the person is outside Turkey, he authorizes a reliable authority to carry out the procedure in his place.
It is important to know that the system for calculating electricity hours in Turkey is different from many countries. There is what is called peak hours, which is the time between five o’clock in the afternoon and ten o’clock in the evening, and the hourly price during these times is higher than the times of reduction, which are between twelve o’clock at night until six o'clock am.
After submitting the application papers in full, an employee of the electricity company will come to verify the meter number and open the electricity hour for the required apartment within one to three hours from the time of submission.
How to pay the electricity bill in Turkey?
There are many payment methods available in Turkey, the most important of which are:
-Payment at the operating company's collection centers or sales points licensed by the company, which are located in most shopping centers and between shops. Here, payment is usually in cash or through a bank card, where one Lira is added to the value of the invoice when paying.
- Through the bank account: It is the most common and easiest method, as payment via the bank account requires that the customer have an activated bank account on the Internet, and the deduction is made directly from your current account and transfer to the account of the electricity company, and some banks pay the bill on behalf of the customer and this It is called the automatic instruction method, where the bank pays the bill value to the electricity company and then deducts the bill amount from the customer’s account with it.
Electricity bills can also be paid at state postal centers or what is known as PTT
How does real estate fraud happen in opening the electricity meter in Turkey?
Real estate fraud occurs when some real estate companies offer the service of opening the electricity meter to investors for huge amounts, knowing that the cost of operating the electricity meter usually does not exceed $100. As we have seen, the steps to open the electricity clock are simple and can be implemented easily and without the need for the help of deceptive companies.