Brits in kalkan!

[kris kadin]

Hi All

New to the forum but been visiting kalkan on and off since 1992.  At present I am living in Western Australia but the wife and I have decided to buy a place, maybe an apartment in kalkan to live, and maybe also a holiday let as an income.  We plan to do this in about 4 years time when the son has finished his school and our investment property here has a nice chunk of equity.  We moved to Oz about 9 years ago but have tired of the place.  We fell in love with Kalkan the day we arrived in 92 and haven't stopped loving the place. 

We miss the culture, the people and scenery, something which is severely lacking in Perth.
I was wondering how many brits are based in kalkan and what kind of socialising they do.  I have a few ideas about a part time income but our main intention is to retire young and enjoy the views.

Which are the best areas to live for views over the bay? 
Is it cheaper to buy land and build?
which agents are the best?
Are there any bad experiences had with purchasing?
I see properties in central locations, but wonder how much noisier the place has become and how peaceful it would/not be.  Unfortunately we haven't been back since 2003 so I suspect there have been a few changes.
Would welcome any feedback

Chris & Jane Cadden

Linkback: https://www.enjoykalkan.com/forum/index.php?topic=6307.0

[lorilou]

Hi - Looks like the Kalkan bug has bitten you several times!
There are some very helpful details on this thread, cjcadden:
http://www.enjoykalkan.com/forum/index.php/topic,6196.0.html
...and I'm sure your other questions will be answered as people pick up your post ...
Good luck!

[amber]

If you have not been in Kalkan since 2003 I am sure you will find big changes, the best thing you can do is come over and  have a look around again.Everyone is different,what some love others would hate so whilst you can do homework on the internet for such things as work visas etc you need to see if the Kalkan of today is where you want to be.

[Kalkan regular]

You need to do a lot of research as it is very difficult, almost impossible to get a work visa in Turkey for someone from the UK (or Australia!) and if you work without one you risk having being deported and having a period of being banned from Turkey.
I think most expats in Kalkan don't work and rely on a pension or savings or are married to someone Turkish.

[kris kadin]

Hi - Looks like the Kalkan bug has bitten you several times!
There are some very helpful details on this thread, cjcadden:
http://www.enjoykalkan.com/forum/index.php/topic,6196.0.html
...and I'm sure your other questions will be answered as people pick up your post ...
Good luck!

Thanks for the link! 

[kris kadin]

You need to do a lot of research as it is very difficult, almost impossible to get a work visa in Turkey for someone from the UK (or Australia!) and if you work without one you risk having being deported and having a period of being banned from Turkey.
I think most expats in Kalkan don't work and rely on a pension or savings or are married to someone Turkish.

Thanks for that.  It was difficult to obtain a work permit for Oz too!  I can't imagine it would be any easier for Turkey 

[Cosetta]

Work permit ... read impossible, not just difficult.  Many have tried, I have yet to find someone who has succeeded (in Kalkan) except for seasonal work in tourism.  These are all young people who work for the travel agencies on a seasonal basis.  A Turkish friend just recently told me that she had to let her British partner go because the law now is that a company must have at least 13 Turkish employees, all being paid social insurance, i.e., officially employed -- before that company can get a work permit for 1 single foreign worker.

BIG changes since 2003 !  Not only overbuilt, also much, much more expensive now.

[kevincat99]

There now seems to be a trend in Kalkan where British people become "partners" with Turks, particularly in estate agents and they seem to work, although they say the do not
Surely sitting in an office all day seeing customers and then showing people properties round is work ?
Or have I missed something here again?

[Enjoy Kalkan]

Dare I say a few people probably do not have the correct paperwork!

[Kalkan regular]

I think Chris and Jane that you will find Australia is prolific in giving work visas compared to Turkey. They are very tough unless it is a job a Turkish person can't do. Good luck.

[Cosetta]

I dare say you may have missed something Kevincat!  Try managing 10 or   so villas in high season, organizing your workers who may or may not   come on time, may or may not clean the house, pool and garden up to   expectation of renters, getting the hundreds of loads of laundry done   without having it ruined, bleached or returned unironed, meeting and   greeting renters, responding to middle of the night calls for doctors or   Jandarm ... then say it isn't work!
 
  Usually the other half of those partnerships is out every day from dawn   to dusk showing properties to people who are just window shopping but   don't actually have the money to buy.  The rest of the time, they sit in   their office bored to death unable to leave since a client might walk   through the door at any moment. 
 
  I think both are serious work!
 

[lorilou]

I dare say you may have missed something Kevincat!  .... I think both are serious work!
 

Gosh Cosetta - that is serious work - tough and stressful, and always "on show" ... however I may be wrong but I don't think Kevincat saying that the job of an estate agent or property manager is not hard work - but that it is work, and some people doing the work may or may not have the correct paperwork ...
 

[kevincat99]

Lorilou - that's exactly what I was saying

 

[kris kadin]

Thanks for all the feedback re work permits.  Are there any restrictions on owning holiday lets?  I would like to buy an apartment or villa and let to holiday makers plus one for us to live in.  That way I can enjoy living there and still have a small (semi retired) income without the hassle of work permits etc. 

I've noticed that there are a lot of English estate agents in Kalkan.  I'm assuming you can work if you set up a business with a turkish partner. Is setting up in business an option if I decide I need to fill a few hours in the day?  I run my own business over here so am used to being self employed.  Not sure I could ever be an employee again.

[Kalkan regular]

No you can't work if you set up a business with a Turkish person. Businesses have to employ a set number of Turkish people before they are allowed to have a non Turk working for them. I thought it was 5 but Cossetas earlier post says it's 13. Ownership doesn't confer employment rights.

You can own and rent apartments but will have to pay tax on the income.

[Cosetta]

One caveat:  I was told that if the foreign partner invests something around 100,000 GBP in the partnership, he/she will get a work permit.  But you cannot just go into biz with a Turkish partner and get a work permit.

However, if you plan to live here, you can invest x number of pounds into Turkish savings accounts and earn interest.  Isbank is currently paying 8.5%.  It used to be nearly 20% but is now more rational.  You would not want to have to buy back sterling because you would then run the exchange rate risk.  Invest just what you need to actually live here on an annual basis.

Some of the (few) English estate agents you refer to are married to Turks.  Even then it is a hassle to get a work permit and not everyone gets one. And as there is a great oversupply of estate agents, none of them make much.  Some are no longer active, they just maintain their web sites in case...

[kris kadin]

Extremely grateful for all the info and advice.  It seems like a minefield!

On reflection the retirement option is the only option unless I invest a large sum of money into a business(I think the wife would strangle me).  I doubt there will be many Turks who would be willing or able to match the sum and form a partnership, and the risks will be too high at that level.  I think the investment idea is a good one, a wise choice at those interest rates.  Thankfully we will also have pensions to fall back on. 

There do seem to be a lot of estate agents for such a small place.  I will keep my eye on this forum, luckily I have a lot of time between now and then to research, and some good advisors on here

Once again, thanks for the info and the advice.  Looking forward to meeting you all sometime.