Bebek and Rumelihisarı: A Guide to Home Insurance on the Bosphorus

Bebek and Rumelihisarı are two neighbourhoods side by side on the Bosphorus shore. Bebek belongs to the Beşiktaş district, next to Sarıyer, while Rumelihisarı lies within Sarıyer. Although the district boundary differs, residents of both, including many expat families, have similar home insurance needs: families living on the Bosphorus, in buildings from different periods, often in carefully furnished homes. This guide focuses on setting up contents, the landlord-tenant relationship and sums insured correctly.

As Ailenizin Sigortacısı, we have served clients from Maslak since 1996 and work with more than one insurance company. When we prepare a policy for your home in Bebek or Rumelihisarı, our aim is to reflect its real situation fully in the policy.

What is inside: setting the contents value correctly

In home insurance most people think about the building and pass over contents with a quick estimate. Yet in a carefully furnished home, the total of furniture, rugs, lighting, appliances, electronics and personal belongings may be more than you think. Understating the contents value can leave compensation lower than expected at claim time.

A simple method for setting the contents value:

1. Walk through the home room by room and list the larger items.
2. For each item, consider the approximate cost of buying it new today.
3. Note electronic devices and appliances separately.
4. Keep the invoices of items that have them in one folder.
5. Take and keep general photos of each room.

This list makes both the policy preparation and any claim much easier. If you moved your belongings from abroad, keep any shipping inventory as well, as it can help.

Valuable items: a subject to discuss separately

Valuable items such as artworks, antique furniture, collections and jewellery may not always be fully covered within the standard contents value. Policies may have specific conditions or a separate declaration requirement for such items. If you have them at home, mention them separately at the quote stage and, if needed, prepare documents such as invoices, valuation reports or photos.

How valuables are treated against theft is a separate heading. Always ask about the conditions of theft cover and any limitations specific to valuable items.

Are you a tenant or the owner?

Rented flats are common in the Bosphorus neighbourhoods, and many expats rent. In a tenancy, insurance responsibility is generally divided like this:

• Owner: insures the building and their own belongings; DASK for a titled home is also the owner’s responsibility.
• Tenant: can take out their own home policy for their belongings and for damage they might cause to neighbours or the owner’s property.
• Furnished homes: who owns the furniture and which policy it sits in should be clarified from the start.

Relying only on the landlord’s policy as a tenant can leave your own belongings unprotected.

The building and DASK: the base layer

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. DASK covers earthquake damage to the building up to a set limit. If your home is worth more than this limit, or you want to protect your belongings against earthquake risk too, adding earthquake cover to home insurance can be discussed. In buildings from different periods, giving the construction type and period accurately matters. See our DASK earthquake insurance and home insurance pages.

Water damage and neighbours

One of the most common types of damage in flats is a leak from the plumbing. Water leaking from your home to the flat below can damage both your home and your neighbour’s. How your own damage and the damage to your neighbour are handled in the policy then becomes important. We explain the first steps in water damage at home: what to do.

What to do to get a quote

You do not need to come to our office for a quote from Bebek or Rumelihisarı. Share the address, building details, whether you are the owner or a tenant, a summary of your contents list and any valuable items by phone or WhatsApp. If you hold a residence permit, have your foreign ID number (Yabancı Kimlik No) ready. We explain quotes from several insurers together with the differences in cover.

When you are away from home for a long time

Some families on the Bosphorus are away for long periods at certain times of year, spending the summer elsewhere, visiting their home country or travelling for work. A home left empty for a long time needs attention from an insurance point of view, as some policies have specific conditions for unoccupied periods.

• Turn off the main water valve during long absences.
• Unplug electrical appliances that are not in use.
• Avoid leaving valuables at home, or store them securely.
• Ask a neighbour or relative to check on the home from time to time.
• Find out in advance whether your policy has a condition about the home being empty.

These precautions reduce the chance of damage and help any claim run smoothly.

If you would like complete home insurance, from contents to the building, for your home on the Bosphorus, 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 are glad to help in English and, with experience since 1996, will prepare your policy with you calmly and in plain language.