Saturday , February 15 2025
Home / News / Economy / Ban on new short-term rentals licenses in central Athens in effect Jan 1

Ban on new short-term rentals licenses in central Athens in effect Jan 1

Property owners who want to register their real estates as shοrt-term rentals in downtown Athens and thus for the first time are under time pressure to do so by the end of the year 2024.

A ban on new short-term rentals licenses in three municipal districts of Greek capital Athens goes in effect on 1. January 2025 and will be imposed for one year, that is it will be valid until 31. December 2025..

As from 1. January 2025, they will not be able to do so for the rest of the year, as the conservative Greek government sees short-term rentals as “the root of the evil” that has caused a housing crisis in the country.

From January 1, the state will allow the short-term rental availability of only three properties – managed or owned by the same legal entity – located in Athens’ first, second and third municipal departments.

The “cap” in this case refers to a maximum of three properties that can be listed on a special electronic short-term lease registry created and maintained by Greece’s tax bureau (AADE or IAPR). A property cannot be legally exploited via the international online platforms if it’s not on the tax bureau’s registry, which was created as part of efforts to better collect taxable income generated from this booming sector in Greece.

In terms of greater Athens, such short-term properties are predominately small to mid-sized dwellings in apartment buildings.

The proliferation of short-term dwellings in the center of Athens, especially in districts close to sights and monuments that attract millions of visitors every year, is cited as one of the causes of a housing shortage in the Greek capital as well as the wider Athens-Piraeus urban agglomeration.

The three specific municipal departments in Athens include all of the neighborhoods around the Acropolis, including the Plaka “old quarter” and Thisseio. More detailed districts here on KTG.

The measure was announced by PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis in September.

Τhe measure is thought as a solution to the housing crisis in the country that has taken on dramatic proportions for the residents of large urban centers and areas with intense tourist activity with rents having skyrocketed and property owners to choose short-term rentals than long term ones.

Check Also

Mitsotakis welcomes von der Leyen’s proposal for budget exemption of defence expenditures

Greece welcomes European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal to activate the escape clause …