Living and renting in Greece: the contract only counts once the landlord declares it
A Greek rental contract is only a usable piece of evidence once the landlord has declared it electronically with AADE — and without that proof you get no registration certificate from the police. Even the Greek housing benefit hangs on that declaration, and on an electricity contract in your own name. Besides that: what rents do between Athens and the interior, what changes on an island, and what ENFIA costs if you buy.
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Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.
Renting in Greece is possible without a permit and without a waiting list. One paper carries everything: the proof that the landlord has declared your contract electronically with AADE (the Greek tax authority). Without that proof your contract is no proof of address at the police counter, and so you get no registration certificate.
How seriously Greece takes that shows in the state's own housing benefit. It is only granted if the contract has been declared electronically and the electricity contract is in the tenant's name.
When signing, count on:
- a deposit of one to two months;
- the first month in advance;
- an agent's fee.
And count on a market that is not one market but three.
Why does my rental contract only count after the declaration?
A rental agreement in Greece only becomes an official document once the landlord has declared it electronically with AADE. That is his legal duty, not yours. But it is your problem. As proof of home address the police accept rental contracts, title deeds, utility bills and tax documents. A contract that has been declared nowhere does not count among them in practice. The same applies at the utility companies and often at the bank.
What you do: when signing, ask explicitly for the αποδεικτικό υποβολής δήλωσης, the proof of declaration, and don't accept "we'll do that later". Landlords who stall on it usually have a tax reason, and that reason costs you time at the police.
What do I pay when signing?
| Item | Usual | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit | one to two months' rent | have the conditions for its return put in the contract |
| First month | in advance | — |
| Agent's fee | usually one month's rent plus VAT | in Greece the tenant pays a share |
| AFM | required before signing | arrange it in advance, via a video appointment |
You need your AFM before you can sign. That is the tax number you arrange beforehand, see the Greek order.
Do I get a housing benefit as a tenant?
Greece has a housing benefit, the επίδομα στέγασης, for households that rent their main residence. The conditions say a lot about how the country looks at renting:
- the rental contract has been declared electronically and accepted by the tenant, and runs for the whole benefit period;
- the electricity contract is in the name of the applicant or a member of the household;
- income stays under € 7,000 for a single-person household, plus € 3,500 per additional household member, with a ceiling of € 21,000;
- and the applicant has already lived legally and permanently in Greece for five years, proven with tax returns for those years. For EU citizens that five-year requirement applies in full. Anyone who is not an EU citizen has to have lived there for twelve years. The European Commission's case against such a residence requirement concerns only the child benefit.
For a newcomer, then, the benefit is not on the cards in the first years. But the first two conditions are the lesson: the declaration and the electricity contract in your own name are, in Greece, the proof that you live somewhere.
Where you live determines almost everything
The Greek rental market is not one market but three.
Athens and Thessaloniki. Prices in the sought-after neighbourhoods have risen steeply in recent years and are approaching Dutch levels, while wages are not. Whoever rents here on a Greek salary feels that immediately.
The interior and the provincial towns. A fraction of Athens prices, and for whoever works remotely or comes on a pension that is the big argument for Greece. Against that: fewer amenities, less English, and a housing stock that is often old.
The tourist islands. Here something plays that you don't have on the other two markets: in the summer season a large part of the stock disappears into weekly lets, at rates no annual tenant can match. That means short contracts, moves in May, and in winter a wide choice. If you are looking for a year-round home on an island, start outside the season.
A summer contract is not a home address. Whoever rents a home on an island until May has no contract in June — and so no proof of address for the police, the bank or the school. Sign for the whole year, or count on a second move before the certificate is done.
Two things about the home itself
Heating is a real cost. Greek winters on the mainland do freeze, many homes are poorly insulated, and heating on oil or electricity is expensive. Ask for last year's energy bill before you sign. It says more than the meter cupboard.
Put the connections in your own name. Electricity (ΔΕΗ, the large Greek energy company, or a competitor) and water (ΕΥΔΑΠ in Athens, local companies elsewhere) go in your own name with your AFM. Leaving them in the landlord's name seems easier. But it later costs you a piece of evidence you need at several counters. The housing benefit above shows how literally the Greek state takes that.
If you buy: the ENFIA
If you buy a home, the ENFIA comes on top: the annual property tax. It is calculated on the basis of floor area, location, use, age, floor and the number of façades, with an additional levy if your total Greek property holdings exceed € 500,000.
You report your property with an E9 return, the declaration of your property to the tax authority. The obligation arises if you are the owner on 1 January. Count the ENFIA into your annual budget: for an average home it is modest, but it comes back every year. What comes before the notary in tax and paperwork is in the buying article.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 4 of 5 of the journey, step 4.2: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Greece or go straight to step 4.2 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- gov.gr — rental agreements and the compulsory electronic declaration — gov.gr
- AADE — the property tax ENFIA and the E9 return — aade.gr
- AADE — Unified Property Tax (ENFIA), explanation — aade.gr
- Mitos — registration certificate for economically inactive EU citizens, with the accepted proofs of address — en.mitos.gov.gr
- Mitos — the Greek housing benefit (επίδομα στέγασης), with the requirement of an electronically declared contract and the five-year rule — en.mitos.gov.gr
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