Moving to Sarıyer: Insurance Checklist for DASK, Home and Car

Moving home means a long to-do list: removals, utility accounts, address registration, schools and work routines. Insurance often ends up at the bottom. Yet a home policy registered to your old address may not protect your belongings in the new one, and a home without DASK may be unprotected against earthquake damage. Whether you are buying or renting, and whether you are moving within Istanbul or arriving from abroad, this guide sets out what to check, in order.

First, are you the owner or a tenant?

• If you bought the home: the building and DASK (compulsory earthquake insurance) are your responsibility, and you arrange home insurance for your belongings.
• If you rent: DASK and building cover are generally the owner’s responsibility. You need home insurance for your belongings and for damage you might cause to neighbours.
• If you live in a residential complex: the management’s policy for common areas may not cover the inside of your flat or your belongings.

DASK: new home, new policy

Under Law No. 6305, DASK is compulsory for registered residential buildings and is requested for title deed transactions and electricity and water subscriptions. A DASK policy is tied to the property, not the person, so the policy on your old home does not cover your new one.

If you are buying, a valid DASK policy is checked during the title deed transaction. Still, make sure the policy is in your name and the address and building details are correct. Our DASK earthquake insurance page summarises how it works.

If you are renting, opening electricity and water accounts in your name requires a valid DASK policy for the property, so ask your landlord for it before you move. If you sold your old home, discuss that home’s DASK with your agency; if you still own it and let it out, renewing its DASK remains your responsibility. For background, see our guide to DASK compulsory earthquake insurance.

Home insurance: update the address and contents value

If you already have home insurance, it may not apply at the new address unless you tell the insurer. Whether the policy can be moved or a new one is needed depends on the product and insurer; a change is recorded with an endorsement.

A move is also a good time to rethink your contents value. New furniture, appliances and electronics may have changed it, and features of the new home, such as a garden-level flat, a detached house or an older building, need to be reflected in the policy.

On moving day

Damage to belongings during transport may fall outside your home policy. Discuss liability and any insurance with the removal company before the move, and photograph valuable items beforehand.

Security and neighbours

Change the locks, register any alarm in your name and check windows and balcony doors. Theft cover in home policies may depend on conditions such as forced entry. In an apartment, getting to know the neighbours above and below makes it easier to act fast if there is a leak.

Car and health policy updates

1. After registering your new address officially, give your agency your updated address and contact details for your policies.
2. If your kasko (comprehensive motor insurance) application asked where the car is parked, report the new arrangement.
3. Add the end dates of your traffic and kasko policies to your new calendar.
4. Check your health policy’s contracted hospitals near your new home.
5. If you work from home or moved your office, update your business policy’s address.

A note for international residents

Sarıyer, with the business centres in and around Maslak, attracts many international employees. Foreign residents can buy home, car and health insurance using a foreign ID number (Yabancı Kimlik No) or passport details. Since health insurance may be requested for a residence permit application, check that your policy meets the application requirements in advance.

First-month checklist

• Is the new home’s DASK valid and correct?
• Does my home insurance apply at the new address, and is the contents value current?
• If I rent, do I have a policy in my own name for my belongings?
• Are the address and contact details on my car policies up to date?
• Are all my renewal dates in one list?

If you have just moved to Sarıyer, our office at the Maslak Atatürk Oto Sanayi Sitesi is nearby. Call +90 530 375 89 61 or message us on WhatsApp, with support in English, and we will review all your policies and prepare quotes from several insurers.