Türkiye Tightens Rules for Real Estate Advertising on Social Media
Turkey’s Ministry of Trade has tightened controls on real estate and vehicle advertising on social media. Following inspections, 42 real estate agencies and 40 car dealerships were subjected to administrative penalties. The total amount of fines reached 8.2 million Turkish lira.
The main change concerns advertisements published on Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and other digital channels. Advertisers must now comply with the requirements of the Electronic Advertisement Verification System, known as EİDS, and provide mandatory information about the advertised property.
What Has Changed for Real Estate Advertising
The Ministry of Trade reminded market participants that real estate advertisements published electronically must undergo identity and authorization verification through the EİDS system.
Social media publications must include a link to the listing verified through EİDS. The publication may include photographs, videos and a description of the property, but these materials must correspond to the exact property that has been verified in the system.
Social media publications must include a listing link verified through EİDS. Photographs and videos may be used as visual materials provided that they correspond to the property verified through EİDS.
The Price Must Now Be Included in the Advertisement
One of the key requirements is the inclusion of the price of the advertised property or vehicle.
The Ministry specifically warned market participants that attractive property photographs and a short description inviting potential buyers to contact the seller are no longer sufficient on social media. Advertisements must contain the information required by law, including the price and a link to the relevant verified listing.
Important: these requirements apply not only to traditional listing websites but also to real estate and vehicle advertisements published on social media and messaging platforms.
Fine of 100,000 Turkish Lira per Business
Despite previous warnings, the Ministry of Trade identified violations in advertisements published by companies operating in the real estate and automotive sectors.
- 42 real estate agencies received administrative fines.
- 40 car dealerships were also subjected to administrative penalties.
- The fine for each business was 100,000 Turkish lira.
- The total amount of administrative fines reached 8.2 million Turkish lira.
In addition to fines, violators may face the blocking of the relevant accounts on Meta platforms.
What This Means for Real Estate Agents and Sellers
The new requirements mean that the traditional approach to promoting properties through social media is becoming more formalized. A good photograph of an apartment or vehicle and a short description are no longer enough if the publication does not comply with the established rules.
For companies advertising real estate on Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, it is especially important to check the content of every advertisement before publication.
- The property must be verified through the EİDS system.
- The publication must include a link to the corresponding EİDS listing.
- The property price must be stated in the advertisement.
- Photographs and videos must correspond to the verified property.
- The description must not mislead potential buyers.
Why Is Türkiye Increasing Controls on Advertising?
The Ministry of Trade links the increased controls to the need to create a more transparent and secure real estate and automotive market.
The ministry states that the inspections are aimed, among other things, at preventing fraudulent advertisements, false information and so-called advertising pollution. The EİDS system is designed to help verify the identity of advertisers and confirm that they have the necessary authorization to publish an advertisement.
For buyers, this may provide an additional layer of protection: verified information and a link between a social media publication and an official listing can make it easier to understand who is offering the property and which property is actually being sold.
What Happens Next?
The Ministry of Trade emphasized that inspections of real estate and vehicle advertising on social media will continue. This means that market participants will need to consider the new requirements not only when creating future publications but also when regularly promoting existing properties.
For real estate agencies, this effectively means moving toward a stricter standard of digital advertising: every offer published on social media should be linked to a verified listing, contain an up-to-date price and correspond to the information verified through EİDS.
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