Home and Car Insurance Guide for Residents of İstinye and Emirgan

İstinye and Emirgan are two Sarıyer neighbourhoods on the Bosphorus shore, known for their long-established residential character. Emirgan is associated with its grove, İstinye with its bay. For the families who live here, including many expat and international households, insurance needs usually fall under two main headings: the home and the car. This guide explains how to handle both within one family budget and routine, rather than as separate chores.

As Ailenizin Sigortacısı, we have served clients from Maslak since 1996 and work with more than one insurance company. That means we can review your home and car policies with you across different options, without being tied to a single insurer.

How does the neighbourhood affect your insurance needs?

In İstinye and Emirgan you find buildings from different periods, apartment flats and detached houses side by side. Living close to the shore, sloping streets and limited parking are everyday realities worth keeping in mind when you plan insurance. The goal is not to draw a special risk map for the area; it is to reflect the real conditions in which you use your home and car accurately in the policy.

For example, you may be asked whether you park on the street or in a covered car park, which floor your flat is on and whether you keep valuable items at home. Giving accurate answers is the first step towards avoiding problems at claim time.

The home: DASK and home insurance together

For homes with a title deed, DASK, the compulsory earthquake insurance, is mandatory under Law No. 6305 and is requested for title deed transactions and electricity and water subscriptions. But DASK only covers earthquake damage to the building, up to a set limit. For your belongings, flooding, fire or theft you need separate home insurance.

Topics that often come up when preparing a home policy:

• Setting realistic sums insured for the building and contents,
• Liability cover for damage to neighbours, for example water leaking into the flat below,
• Whether valuable items at home should be declared separately,
• Whether the home stays empty for long periods, for instance during trips abroad,
• If you rent, how the landlord’s policy and your own policy are separated.

The car: traffic insurance is compulsory, kasko is a choice

Traffic insurance, the compulsory motor third-party liability cover, is required under Law No. 2918, the Highway Traffic Law, and pays for damage you cause to others within policy limits. Damage to your own car needs kasko, which is comprehensive motor insurance. When you think about parking on narrow streets, small scrapes while manoeuvring or damage while parked, kasko becomes less a preference and more a need for many families.

Looking only at the total price can be misleading. Which garages can carry out repairs, how glass damage is handled and whether a replacement car and roadside assistance are included are what really separate two quotes. If you are curious about add-ons, see which casco extras are actually worth it, and for details visit our comprehensive car insurance page.

Managing home and car on one calendar

Within a family, policies are often in different people’s names and end on different dates. One person’s traffic insurance ends in spring, another’s DASK in autumn, and the home policy is forgotten. A simple method reduces this scatter:

1. Gather all household policies in one folder or a single note on your phone.
2. For each policy, write down the insured person, the type of policy and the expiry date.
3. Set a reminder a few weeks before each expiry date.
4. At renewal time, review all the policies together and report changes such as a move, a new car or renovation.

Keeping your policies at the same agency makes this easier. We also try to share upcoming renewals with you in advance so you are not left with the last day.

What information do you need for a quote?

You are welcome to visit our office, but if your time is limited we can do everything remotely. For the home, the address, building details and any existing DASK policy; for the car, the ruhsat (vehicle registration) details and the current policy’s expiry date are enough to start. Residents with a residence permit should also have their foreign ID number (Yabancı Kimlik No) ready. With this information we prepare quotes from several insurers and explain the differences clearly.

Points for tenants and homeowners

Both owners and tenants live in İstinye and Emirgan, and the two situations create different responsibilities, so the policy should be prepared accordingly.

• If you own the home: DASK for a titled home is your responsibility; you can consider home insurance for the building and your belongings. If you let the home, state this in the policy.
• If you rent: the landlord’s policy usually does not cover your belongings. You can take out your own home policy for your belongings and for damage you might cause to neighbours.
• For the car: whose name the car is registered in, who drives it and where it is parked should be declared accurately, whether you own or rent your home.

Remember to update your policies when you move, buy a new car or renovate. A small change can affect how a policy is applied at claim time.

If you would like to review the policies for your home and car in İstinye or Emirgan together, visit our office at the Maslak Atatürk Oto Sanayi Sitesi, or call +90 530 375 89 61 or message us on WhatsApp for quotes from several insurers. We offer support in English and, with experience going back to 1996, prepare your policy with you in plain language.