What DASK Covers and What It Does Not: Building, Contents and Extra Losses

DASK is Turkey’s compulsory earthquake insurance. Under Law No. 6305 on Disaster Insurance it is compulsory for homes with a title deed (tapu), and a valid policy is requested at the land registry and when opening electricity and water subscriptions. Because of this, almost every homeowner has a DASK policy, and many foreign owners and tenants in Sarıyer, Maslak and İstinye have seen the name on their paperwork. What is often misunderstood is what the policy actually pays for after an earthquake. DASK was designed to protect one thing: the building. This guide explains what is inside its scope, what is left out, and how the earthquake cover in a home insurance policy completes the picture. For the basics, see what is DASK compulsory earthquake insurance.

The basic idea: DASK insures the building

DASK is run by the Turkish Catastrophe Insurance Pool (Doğal Afet Sigortaları Kurumu), a state-backed system. Its aim is to give the housing stock a basic level of protection so that damaged homes can be repaired or rebuilt after an earthquake. The policy therefore looks at the damage your flat or house suffers as a structure. Your belongings, your personal expenses and any interruption to your work are not what this system is built for.

A DASK policy is issued per independent unit, in other words per flat. The construction type, gross floor area and address details appear on the policy, and the sum insured is based on them. There is an upper limit on the cover; the current amount and limits are shown on your policy, and your agent can explain them.

What DASK covers

According to the General Conditions of Compulsory Earthquake Insurance, DASK covers physical damage to the building caused by an earthquake and by certain events the earthquake triggers. In general this includes:

• The load-bearing structure: foundations, columns, beams and main walls.
• Shared structural parts: walls separating units, ceilings and floors, stairs, landings and corridors.
• The roof and chimneys as integral parts of the building.
• Events caused by the earthquake: building damage from fire, explosion, tsunami and landslide resulting from the earthquake.

The detailed list is in the general conditions. If your policy has anything unusual, read it together with your agent.

What DASK does not cover

The biggest disappointments after an earthquake usually come from losses outside DASK. In general, the following are not covered:

• Contents: furniture, appliances, electronics, clothing, jewellery and other valuables.
• Loss of rent and temporary accommodation: hotel or rental costs if your home becomes uninhabitable.
• Bodily injury: injury or loss of life.
• Business interruption: indirect losses such as disruption to work you do from home.
• Building value above the sum insured: the difference if rebuilding costs more than the DASK cover.
• Periods without a policy: damage before the policy starts or after it expires.

A deductible shown on the policy may also be applied to the payment. Your policy shows how it works, and your agent can confirm it.

How it differs from earthquake cover in home insurance

Home insurance is optional, and earthquake cover can be added to it. The two do not replace each other; they work together:

• Obligation: DASK is compulsory by law; home insurance is voluntary.
• What is insured: DASK protects the building up to its sum insured; earthquake cover in home insurance can be arranged for the building value above DASK and for your contents.
• Extras: items such as loss of rent or temporary accommodation are not part of DASK but may be added to home insurance, depending on the policy.
• Precondition: most insurers ask for a valid DASK policy before adding earthquake cover to home insurance.

So having home insurance does not replace DASK, and having DASK does not mean your belongings are protected. See our home insurance page for options.

Questions to ask when reading your policies

1. Are the construction type, floor area and address on my DASK policy correct?
2. Does the DASK sum insured cover the cost of rebuilding my home?
3. Does my home insurance include earthquake cover, and is it for the building, contents or both?
4. Do I have loss of rent or temporary accommodation cover?
5. How is the deductible applied in each policy?

Policy documents are issued in Turkish, which can make this harder for expats. Bring your policies to us and we will go through them with you in English. To arrange or renew DASK, visit our DASK earthquake insurance page.

Common wrong assumptions

Most post-earthquake surprises come from a few assumptions: believing DASK also protects your belongings, expecting DASK to pay the full value of the building, thinking DASK is unnecessary if you have home insurance, and assuming the policy renews itself. Another is treating the policy details as unimportant: if the construction type or floor area is wrong, the sum insured may not reflect reality. Check them when you first buy the policy and at every renewal.

Ailenizin Sigortacısı has worked in insurance since 1996 and deals with more than one insurer. Call us on +90 530 375 89 61 or send a WhatsApp message for English-speaking support, and we will review your DASK and home insurance together.