Glass Balcony in an Apartment in Adana: Management Approval, Permits and What to Watch For

Why does a glass balcony concern the neighbours?

The inside of the balcony belongs to your flat and you use it. But the outer wall around the balcony, the railing line and the way the building looks from outside belong jointly to all unit owners. The glass balcony is fitted to your balcony, but the result is visible on the shared facade.

Article 19 of the Condominium Law No. 634 (Kat Mülkiyeti Kanunu) regulates this clearly: a unit owner cannot carry out construction, repairs, installations or changes in the common areas without the written consent of four-fifths of all unit owners. The courts treat closing a balcony with glass as falling under this rule.

No permit needed, but approval is needed

The most common mistake here is to confuse two separate rules.

Article 59 of the Planned Areas Zoning Regulation (Planlı Alanlar İmar Yönetmeliği) lists openable, folding glass panel systems on balconies among the works that do not require a building permit. So you do not need a permit from the municipality.

But this exemption only governs the relationship between you and the municipality. Your relationship with your neighbours is governed by the Condominium Law. In a decision dated 23.03.2026 (E. 2025/9753, K. 2026/4726), the Court of Cassation (Yargıtay), 5th Civil Chamber, rejected the defence that "no permit is required under the zoning regulation, so neighbour consent is not required either" and upheld the order to restore the balcony to its original condition.

Does a folding, removable system make a difference?

A view often heard in practice is that a folding, removable glass balcony is "not a fixed structure" and therefore does not need consent. The Court of Cassation's recent decisions do not support this view.

In its decision dated 22.04.2025 (E. 2024/10743, K. 2025/6062), the Court of Cassation 5th Civil Chamber upheld the order to restore to its original state a balcony that had been closed with glass without the written consent of four-fifths of the unit owners. The decision stressed that the duty to follow the approved architectural project is a matter of public order and that the court takes it into account on its own motion. In the same case, it was accepted that the claimant's own balcony being closed did not prevent them from bringing the case.

How is four-fifths calculated?

The four-fifths share is calculated on the total number of independent units (unit owners) in the building, not on the number of people who attend the meeting. For example, in an apartment building with 20 flats, at least 16 unit owners must give written consent, even if only 10 people come to the meeting.

Written consent can be collected in two ways:

What does the management plan say?

Under Article 28 of the Condominium Law, the management plan is a contract that binds all unit owners, and it also binds those who buy a flat later. Reading the management plan should be the first thing you do before ordering a glass balcony. Three situations are possible:

Check your own situation

Answer a few short questions below. We will show you the order of steps that suits you.

What happens if a neighbour or the management objects?

If a glass balcony is built without the required consent, a case can be brought for interference with the common areas. Any unit owner can bring this case alone, whatever their land share (arsa payı). It makes no difference if the other neighbours are happy or stay silent.

Since 1 September 2023, applying to a mediator is compulsory before bringing a case in disputes arising from the Condominium Law (Law No. 6325, Art. 18/B). If no agreement is reached in mediation, the case is heard by the magistrates' civil court (sulh hukuk mahkemesi) in the place where the property is located.

If the court finds a violation, it can order the glass balcony to be removed and the balcony restored to its original condition. In that case, not only the money paid for the glass balcony but also court costs and the other side's attorney's fees may come into play.

If you are a tenant

Under Article 321 of the Turkish Code of Obligations (Türk Borçlar Kanunu), a tenant can make renovations and changes in the rented property only with the landlord's written consent. So you must first get written permission from your landlord.

The landlord's consent does not replace the four-fifths consent of the other unit owners. The person responsible to the unit owners' assembly is the landlord. So the request must be passed to the management through the landlord, and installation should begin only after both approvals are obtained.

What happens when the lease ends is regulated in the same article. A landlord who has given written consent to the change cannot demand restoration to the original state, unless agreed otherwise in writing. The tenant also cannot demand payment for any increase in value created by the change, unless agreed otherwise. It is best for both sides to settle costs and removal in writing from the start.

If there is a combi boiler on the balcony

In Adana, a large share of combi boilers stand on open balconies. When an open balcony is closed, it becomes an enclosed space under natural gas regulations. According to the internal installation information of Aksa Doğalgaz, Adana's natural gas distribution company:

One system for the whole building

In buildings with many flats, the cleanest solution is to regulate the glass balcony with a single decision for the whole building, not flat by flat. With the written consent of four-fifths in the unit owners' assembly, the following points can be fixed:

• System type (for example, folding glass balcony)
• Profile colour (RAL code)
• Glass colour and thickness
• Limits for the railing and facade alignment

With such a decision, the unity of the facade is protected and each owner does not have to collect signatures separately. But the decision only draws a frame. Work that goes beyond what the decision describes can still count as unauthorised.

You can download a sample decision text below. Do not use it without adapting it to your own building and showing it to a lawyer.

Step-by-step process

1. 1

   Get the management plan from the land registry office (tapu müdürlüğü) or from the management, and check whether it has a provision about balconies. If you are a tenant, get written permission from your landlord.

2. 2

   If there is a combi boiler on the balcony, talk to a certified natural gas company.

3. 3

   Have a site survey done. The system type, profile colour, glass type and how it will look from the facade should be clear.

4. 4

   Have the subject put on the agenda of the unit owners' assembly, or prepare a consent form.

5. 5

   Get written approval from at least four-fifths of the total number of independent units and keep the documents.

6. 6

   Have the installation done without going beyond the railing and facade alignment.

Frequently asked questions