Compulsory Earthquake Insurance (Zorunlu Deprem Sigortası, ZDS) was set up after the Marmara earthquake of 17 August 1999 to cover the material damage earthquakes cause to homes. The cover is provided by the Turkish Catastrophe Insurance Pool (DASK), a non-profit public body. Policies are issued by authorised insurance companies, their agents and bank branches; when there is damage, DASK pays the compensation directly.

Who must have it?

Under Law No. 6305 on Disaster Insurance, ZDS applies in general to homes within municipal boundaries. It covers:

  • Residential buildings on registered, privately owned land, and independent units (flats) under the Condominium Law,
  • Shops and offices that are independent units in those buildings,
  • Buildings with construction servitude (kat irtifakı) and cooperative homes whose title deeds are not yet issued.

Public buildings, houses in village settlements, buildings used entirely for commercial or industrial purposes, and buildings with no approved project or with a weakened load-bearing system are excluded. For these, an optional voluntary earthquake insurance (İhtiyari Deprem Sigortası) can be bought.

The owner or a tenant can take out the policy. If a tenant does, the owner is named as the “insured”; the premium can be recovered from the owner or deducted from the rent. The policy is checked during title deed transactions, electricity and water subscriptions and mortgages.

What does it cover?

DASK pays in cash, up to the limit on your policy, for material damage to the building caused by an earthquake and by fire, explosion, tsunami or landslide directly caused by it. The building may be damaged in full or in part. Foundations, main walls, shared walls between flats, garden and retaining walls, ceilings and floors, stairs, lifts, corridors, roofs and chimneys are covered.

What does it not cover?

  • Household contents and any movable property,
  • Injury, death and claims for non-material damages,
  • Loss of rent, alternative accommodation costs, business interruption and loss of profit,
  • Debris removal costs,
  • Damage from the building’s own defects, independent of the earthquake.

DASK notes that a separate home insurance policy can be taken out alongside ZDS for these.

How is the limit set?

The sum insured is the price per square metre for your building type multiplied by your flat’s gross floor area, and it cannot exceed the maximum cover. These amounts are raised every month in line with the domestic producer price index, with no extra premium. According to the DASK tariff, from October 2026 the price per square metre for reinforced concrete buildings is 12,039 TL and the maximum cover per home is 2,552,268 TL; see the tariff page for current values.

The premium depends on the sum insured, which of seven risk groups the neighbourhood is in, and the building type. For reinforced concrete buildings the rate is 10% higher if the building permit predates 2000 and for buildings of 8 or more floors, and 10% lower for buildings of 3 or fewer floors. Renew within 30 days of expiry and you get a 20% renewal discount. A policy runs for one year and the premium is paid up front.

Deductible: each claim carries a deductible of 2% of the sum insured; DASK pays the part above it. Each 72-hour period counts as one claim.

Check your policy

You can find your policy on DASK’s policy lookup page with your ID and policy number, or by choosing province and district. DASK asks you to check in particular:

  • Gross floor area: if it is understated, the claim is underpaid.
  • Building type and construction year: if wrong, the claim is underpaid.
  • Address and mobile number: keep them current so you can be reached after damage.

Keep a copy of the policy with the documents in your emergency kit.

Reporting damage after an earthquake

  1. Report it: call ALO DASK 125, or contact the insurance company or agent that issued the policy. The general conditions require notice within 15 working days of learning of the damage.
  2. Have the details ready: ID or policy number, current title deed details, the full address of the damaged home and your phone number. Tell DASK if you have another policy that includes earthquake cover.
  3. Loss adjuster visit: an independent loss adjuster appointed on behalf of DASK inspects the home.
  4. Payment: once the amount is final, compensation is sent within one month to a bank branch in the region, in the name of the owner on the title deed.

After partial damage, the sum insured is reduced by the amount paid. If damage to the load-bearing system is not repaired within the period in the adjuster’s report, later damage during the policy term is not paid.

DASK’s inspection is for insurance; the official damage assessment of whether a building is safe to live in is a separate process. Before going back inside, follow the official instructions from AFAD and your municipality.