Investment
Hayat City Mahmutbey by Özak GYO: A Completed Tower Beside the Metro, Explained for International Buyers
A single 18-storey tower with 142 homes, garden-floor units, covered parking and a 1 percent VAT rate, standing next to the interchange of two metro lines in Istanbul's Basın Ekspres corridor. What the official record says, who it suits, and how it fits a citizenship or financing plan.
International buyers looking at Istanbul tend to ask for three things at once: a completed building with a transferable title, a metro station within walking distance, and a developer with a public track record. Few projects meet all three. Hayat City in Mahmutbey, developed by Özak GYO, does, which is why it appears in our shortlists for both residence and investment clients. This article sticks to what the developer's official sources and the public building record confirm.
The project on paper
Hayat City stands on Bosna Street in the Göztepe neighbourhood of Bağcılar, immediately beside Mahmutbey metro station. The developer is Özak Gayrimenkul Yatırım Ortaklığı, a real estate investment trust listed on Borsa Istanbul. The scheme is a single residential tower with three basement levels, a ground floor, seventeen standard floors and a roof floor, plus a two-storey commercial block with six shops. The building permit lists 142 homes and 6 commercial units on a gross construction area of roughly 29,400 square metres.
Unit mix and parking
The ground floor holds six apartments and each standard floor holds eight. Layouts run from one-bedroom to three-bedroom, and the ground floor has garden units in two-bedroom and three-bedroom formats. Every apartment has a balcony. Parking is covered and allocated by unit type: one space for one-bedroom, two-bedroom and smaller three-bedroom units, two spaces for the larger three-bedroom units. Floor plans and unit sizes are available on request.
Location and transport
The location is the headline. Mahmutbey station is the interchange between the M3 line, which runs from Kirazlı toward Başakşehir and Olimpiyat, and the M7 line, which connects Mahmutbey to Mecidiyeköy. That puts the central business districts and onward rail connections within reach without a car. By road the TEM motorway and the Basın Ekspres corridor are adjacent, and the Istanbul Airport link road branches off the same axis. We look at the wider corridor in a separate note on the Mahmutbey and Basın Ekspres area.
Amenities and the tax position
The developer's official page lists a sauna, pilates and yoga room, fitness centre, children's play areas, walking and rest areas and landscaped grounds, with 24-hour security. The Turkish brochure adds indoor and outdoor sports courts, social spaces and shared office areas. The project sits within an urban transformation scheme, so home purchases attract a 1 percent VAT rate and are exempt from the title deed fee. Compared with a similarly priced project outside such a scheme, that is a meaningful difference in total cost.
Delivery
Özak GYO's official page states that the project was planned for completion and handover in July 2026. We reconfirm the current delivery and title status with the sales office on every enquiry rather than publishing a figure that may have moved.
How it fits a citizenship plan
The Turkish citizenship-by-investment rule attaches to value, not to a specific building: the official appraisal of the property or properties you buy must meet the 400,000 US dollar threshold, and the title must carry a three-year no-sale commitment. A completed project helps because the title can be transferred immediately, which starts the application clock sooner than an off-plan purchase. Which unit or combination of units clears the threshold is settled by the appraisal report, so we model that before a client commits. Our citizenship page explains the full route.
Who it suits
Three profiles: families who want a completed, metro-connected home, investors targeting the corridor's year-round tenant demand from nearby offices and hotels, and buyers who need a transferable title now to start a citizenship or interest-free financing process. Owners who already hold an apartment elsewhere in Istanbul and want to move up can read our guide to property part-exchange.
We do not publish price lists or live availability because those change on the developer's side. For current units and terms contact us, and browse other completed Istanbul projects in our portfolio.
Project facts in this article come from Özak GYO's official project page and the building permit disclosed through the Public Disclosure Platform. Realty Galaxy Global is an independent advisory and the developer may update project details.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many homes are in Hayat City Mahmutbey?
- The building permit lists 142 homes and 6 commercial units in a single tower with three basement levels, a ground floor, seventeen standard floors and a roof floor.
- Which unit types are available?
- One-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments, plus garden units on the ground floor in two-bedroom and three-bedroom formats. Every unit has a balcony.
- Which metro lines serve the project?
- Mahmutbey station, directly beside the project, is the interchange between the M3 line toward Başakşehir and Olimpiyat and the M7 line to Mecidiyeköy.
- Is there a VAT advantage?
- Yes. The project is within an urban transformation scheme, so home purchases attract 1 percent VAT and are exempt from the title deed fee.
- Can a purchase here qualify for Turkish citizenship?
- Citizenship depends on the appraised value meeting the 400,000 US dollar threshold and a three-year no-sale commitment on the title. A completed project lets the title transfer immediately. Whether a specific unit clears the threshold is decided by the appraisal report.