Living and renting in Greece: the contract only counts once the landlord declares it

Of all the steps in the Greek journey, this is the quietest trap. You sign a rental contract, you pay the deposit, you get the keys — and three months later it turns out at the police counter that your paper is worth nothing.

The contract has to be declared

A rental agreement in Greece only becomes an official piece of evidence once the landlord has declared it electronically with AADE. That is their legal duty, not yours.

But it is your problem. The police registration certificate asks for proof of your home address, and an undeclared contract doesn't count there. The same applies when applying for utility connections in your own name and sometimes at the bank.

What you do: when signing, ask explicitly for the αποδεικτικό υποβολής δήλωσης — the proof of the declaration — and don't accept "we'll do that later". Landlords who stall on that usually have a tax reason for it, and that reason is going to cost you money and time.

What signing costs

Count on three items at the start:

• Deposit of one to two months' rent.
• The first month in advance.
• Agent's fee, customary in Greece and generally one month's rent plus VAT.

You also need your AFM before you can sign — you arrange that tax number in advance via a video appointment with AADE, see the Greek order.

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 sharply 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 the prices in Athens, and for whoever works remotely or comes to retire 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 comes into play that you don't have on the other two markets: in the summer season a large part of the stock disappears into weekly lettings, at rates no year-round 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.

Two things about the home itself

Heating is a real item. Greek winters on the mainland freeze, many homes are poorly insulated, and heating on heating oil or electricity is expensive. Ask for last year's energy bill before you sign — that says more than the meter cupboard.

Put the connections in your own name. Electricity (ΔΕΗ or a competitor) and water (ΕΥΔΑΠ in Athens, local companies elsewhere) you put in your own name with your AFM. Leaving them in the landlord's name seems easier and later costs you a proof of residence that you need at several counters.

If you buy: the ENFIA

If you buy a home, the ENFIA comes with it — the annual property tax. It is calculated on the basis of floor area, location, use, age, floor and the number of facades, with an additional levy if your total Greek property holdings exceed € 500,000.

You report your holdings with an E9 return, and the obligation arises if you are the owner on 1 January. Factor the ENFIA into your annual budget: for an average home it is modest, but it comes back every year.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 4 of 5 of the journey: the same steps, but applied to your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines monitored. See the whole journey to Greece.