Turnkey renovation: what the word promises in a Georgian flat
Turnkey renovation is the finishing of a flat to the point where floors, walls, the bathroom and usually the kitchen and lighting are done, so the owner only has to turn the key and move in or furnish.
No Georgian statute defines "turnkey" for housing; our searches on 28 October 2026 found no law or regulation that uses it. The word therefore has two legal homes depending on who does the work. If you order the work from a builder, it is a contract for work under Article 629 of the Civil Code of Georgia, in which "the contractor undertakes to perform the work specified in the contract and the client assumes an obligation to pay the agreed compensation". If a developer sells you a flat it has already finished, the finishing is part of the thing sold, and the Code's sale-of-goods defect rules (Articles 487 to 497) apply instead.
Abroad, "turnkey" comes from construction contracting. The international standard form is FIDIC's Conditions of Contract for EPC/Turnkey Projects, the Silver Book, first published in 1999 and revised in 2017, in which one contractor carries the design and building risk. A Georgian listing that says "turnkey" only describes the condition of one flat, as the seller chooses to define it. In Georgian, the approved market word for that condition is გარემონტებული, literally "renovated".
Developer finish or your own contractor: two legal regimes
Either the developer sells the flat already finished, or the buyer takes a frame flat and hires a contractor to finish it. The result can look identical on moving day; the rules behind it are not.
| Point | Bought finished from the developer | Finished by your contractor |
|---|---|---|
| Type of contract | Sale of the flat; finishing is part of what is sold | Contract for work (Civil Code Art. 629) |
| Defect rules | Sale rules, Civil Code Arts. 487 to 497 | Work rules, Civil Code Arts. 642 to 656 |
| VAT on the finishing | Part of the supply of the property (Tax Code Art. 160(5)) | 18% if the contractor is VAT-registered; registration is compulsory above GEL 100,000 of taxable supplies in 12 months |
| Building permit for the works | Covered by the developer's project | Not needed for ordinary finishing and non-load-bearing partitions (Resolution No 255, Art. 4) |
The last row has a limit: cutting into a load-bearing wall or changing the building's engineering networks is reconstruction, not finishing; see the construction permit entry. Our guide to white frame, green frame or turnkey for renting out weighs the developer's premium against contractor quotes, and the renovation and furniture service page describes how a finishing job is run.
The contract-for-work articles behind a turnkey job
When you hire a contractor, the Civil Code's chapter on contracts for work applies even if your contract does not mention it. Confirm each point with a lawyer for your own case.
| Article | Rule | What it means for the owner |
|---|---|---|
| 629(3) | "Drawing up an estimate for a contract for work shall not be compensated, unless otherwise provided in the agreement" | A quote is free unless you agreed to pay for it |
| 631 | A contractor who "significantly overruns an approximate estimate" may demand only the agreed compensation, unless the overrun could not be foreseen, and must notify the client at once | An approximate estimate still binds the contractor to a large degree |
| 636 | The client "may repudiate the contract at any time before completion of the work", paying for work done and the contractor's damages | You can stop a job that is going wrong, at a cost |
| 634 and 635 | Lien on movables the contractor made or repaired; construction lien on the building lot for work on a structure | An unpaid contractor has security; whether Art. 635 reaches a single renovated flat we could not confirm |
| 652 | Knowingly accepting defective work without objection loses the claim | Write every defect into the acceptance record |
| 653 | Defects found within an agreed warranty period give rights | Agree a warranty period in writing |
| 655 and 656 | Claims within 1 year, 5 years for structures, from acceptance; with staged acceptance, time runs from acceptance of the whole job | Paying stage by stage does not start the clock early |
Article 631 matters most when material prices move mid-job: if you end the contract after the contractor's warning, you pay by the estimate, not by the new figure. A fixed price in the contract removes most of that question.
Turnkey in the price statistics
The analysts Galt & Taggart quote new-build prices on the Black Sea coast on a turnkey basis, for Batumi and for Kobuleti.
| Place and period | USD per m² |
|---|---|
| Batumi, 2023 | 1,569 |
| Batumi, 2024 | 1,699 |
| Batumi, 2025 | 1,865 |
| Kobuleti, 3rd quarter of 2025 | 1,685 |
| Kobuleti, 2nd quarter of 2026 | 1,731, up 9.3% on a year earlier |
These averages describe developer flats sold finished, so they cannot be set against a Tbilisi price quoted for white frame; the price history by city keeps the series apart. Geostat's quarterly price index has no turnkey category at all, and its frame figures are asking prices scraped from myhome.ge and ss.ge, using the condition the seller ticked. "Turnkey" is likewise chosen by whoever advertises the flat. The June 2026 Batumi figure is on our Batumi property guide; a March 2026 figure from a business-press report we could not match to Galt & Taggart's own publications.
How turnkey appears on listings, brochures and contracts
The word changes form at each stage of a purchase; only the contract forms carry legal weight.
- Listing portals: on the English interface of myhome.ge, a finished flat we found on 28 October 2026 was shown with "Condition: Newly renovated"; the Georgian option behind it is "ახალი გარემონტებული". We could not confirm the full list of condition options the portal offers.
- Developer brochures and price lists: "turnkey", "ready" or "with renovation" in English, and "под ключ" or "с ремонтом" in Russian. None of these words defines a specification.
- Developer contract: the binding version is a specification annex listing materials and brands for floors, walls, bathroom, kitchen, doors and lighting. Our guide to the developer contract shows where such an annex sits among the protective clauses.
- Contractor contract: a scope list of works, an approximate estimate (ხარჯთაღრიცხვა, free unless agreed under Art. 629(3)), the price, payment milestones, a warranty period under Art. 653 and an acceptance record signed at the end.
The acceptance record starts the claim periods of Article 655, so its date and defect list outweigh any word in the advert. Our handover checklist covers what to inspect first.
Worked example: a 45 m² flat in Batumi, two ways
Our illustration, built only on a published average and on the Civil Code; not a real case.
Bought finished. A buyer looks at a 45 m² new-build flat in Batumi advertised as turnkey. At Galt & Taggart's 2025 average of USD 1,865 per m², it would cost about USD 83,925. Before paying a deposit, the buyer has the finishing specification attached to the contract; otherwise a cheaper tile or a missing kitchen would be hard to dispute.
Finished by a contractor. Another buyer orders a turnkey renovation of a frame flat on an approximate estimate. Halfway through, the contractor says the job will cost about a third more. Under Article 631 it may claim only the agreed compensation unless the overrun was unforeseeable, and it should have warned the owner at once. If the job goes on and is accepted in stages, the 1-year defect period runs from acceptance of the whole job (Articles 655 and 656).
Turnkey, green frame, furnished: easily confused
| Term | What is done | What is still missing |
|---|---|---|
| Turnkey (გარემონტებული) | Floors, walls, bathroom, usually kitchen and lighting | Usually furniture and appliances |
| Green frame | Engineering systems in; finishes partly or not done | Some or all finishes, depending on the developer |
| Furnished (ავეჯით) | Furniture in the flat | Says nothing about the quality of the finishing |
| AVI Turnkey package | A service bundle: purchase, renovation, furniture and a first year of rental management | Not a description of a flat's condition |
Turnkey normally means finished but empty; our guide to furnishing a flat for rent covers that separate budget. The fourth row exists because our own service packages use the word "turnkey" for a service, which has nothing to do with the condition of the flat you buy. For the stages before green frame, see the white frame and black frame entries.
The term in five languages
| Language | Word for turnkey |
|---|---|
| Georgian | გარემონტებული |
| English | turnkey |
| Russian | под ключ |
| Hebrew | ״מפתח ביד״ |
| Arabic | جاهز بالكامل |
Georgian contracts have no statutory word for turnkey, so what binds the parties is the attached list of works and materials, whatever label sits above it; listings and sellers say გარემონტებული or ახალი გარემონტებული. The literal translation გასაღებამდე რემონტი ("renovation up to the key") is rarely used in the Georgian market: a search on 28 October 2026 returned no Georgian market usage of it, so a Georgian seller may not recognise the phrase.
Warning signs in a turnkey offer
- No specification annex. A contract that says only "turnkey" or "with renovation" leaves the developer to choose every material.
- Comparing a turnkey price with a white-frame price. Batumi's averages are turnkey, Tbilisi's are frame prices; the two cannot be set side by side without adjusting for the finishing.
- Signing acceptance with visible defects unrecorded. Under Article 652, accepting work you know is defective without objecting can cost you the claim.
- No warranty period in the contractor's contract. Article 653 gives rights for defects found within the warranty period, but only if one was agreed.
- An open-ended estimate. Ask whether the figure is approximate or fixed; Article 631 treats them differently.
- Load-bearing walls in the plan. Removing or cutting a supporting wall is reconstruction, not finishing.
To be added by the team: items for the team to add: a redacted specification annex from a developer contract for a turnkey flat, a screenshot of a myhome.ge listing showing the "Newly renovated" condition, a redacted contractor estimate (ხარჯთაღრიცხვა) and a signed acceptance record with the personal details removed.
How to buy or order a turnkey flat step by step
Decide the route
Developer finish or your own contractor.
Get the specification
Materials and brands, room by room.
Compare like with like
Frame price plus finishing against the turnkey price.
Fix the price terms
Fixed price or approximate estimate, in writing.
Agree a warranty period
State it in the contract under Article 653.
Accept with a defects list
Record every visible defect before signing.
Frequently asked questions
Is "turnkey" defined in Georgian law?
No. No statute defines it for housing, so its content is whatever the seller's specification says.
What is turnkey called in Georgian listings?
გარემონტებული, often "ახალი გარემონტებული" for a new renovation.
Does a turnkey flat come with furniture?
Usually not. Turnkey means finished; furniture and appliances are normally extra unless listed.
What did a turnkey flat cost in Batumi in 2025?
USD 1,865 per m² on average in the primary market, according to Galt & Taggart.
Does Geostat publish turnkey prices for Tbilisi new builds?
No. Its price index stops at the three frame stages.
Is a permit required for a turnkey renovation?
Not for ordinary finishing or non-load-bearing partitions; load-bearing work is reconstruction.
Can a contractor charge more than its estimate?
Only if a significant overrun could not be foreseen, and it must tell you at once (Civil Code Art. 631).
How long can I claim for renovation defects?
1 year from acceptance, 5 years for structures (Civil Code Art. 655).
Sources
- Civil Code of Georgia (Articles 487-497 and 629-656), Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 28 October 2026)
- Conditions of Contract for EPC/Turnkey Projects (Silver Book) and Silver Book, 2nd edition, FIDIC (accessed 28 October 2026)
- Sector snapshot: Batumi residential real estate, Investor.ge, citing Galt & Taggart, 20 April 2026
- Regional residential real estate, 3rd quarter of 2025 and regional report, 2nd quarter of 2026, Galt & Taggart
- Residential Property Price Index, 2nd quarter of 2026, Geostat, 23 July 2026 (accessed 28 October 2026)
- What black, white and green frame include, Housebook, 27 August 2025
- Government Resolution No 255 of 31 May 2019 on construction permits and commissioning, Legislative Herald of Georgia
- Tax Code of Georgia (Article 160), Legislative Herald of Georgia
- Georgia: other taxes, PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, last reviewed 2 September 2026
Change log
- - Glossary entry published from the Civil Code of Georgia, FIDIC, Investor.ge, Galt & Taggart, Geostat, Housebook, Government Resolution No 255, the Tax Code of Georgia and PwC.