Housing

Steps

Renting

1. Get your AFM and your TAXISnet codes before searching (see GR-NIF-TOUS-001): without them, you will not be able to accept the lease declaration.
2. Search: adverts carry the word ΕΝΟΙΚΙΑΖΕΤΑΙ ("for rent"); there are also classified sections in the press. The deposit is negotiated directly with the landlord.
3. Sign a written lease. The law accepts an oral lease, but a written one protects you and serves as proof of address for the police (see GR-SEJOUR-TOUS-001) and can serve as proof of residence to activate the AMKA (see GR-SANTE-TOUS-001).
4. The landlord declares the lease (Δήλωση πληροφοριακών στοιχείων μίσθωσης) on the AADE website no later than the end of the month following the start of the lease; same deadline for an amendment or the end of the lease.
5. Accept the declaration: you receive a notification in your Τα Μηνύματά μου ("My Messages") mailbox on myAADE. You have 30 days to accept or refuse it online (if you refuse, you state why). If you do not react, it is deemed accepted.

Buying

1. Get your AFM and your TAXISnet codes (see GR-NIF-TOUS-001): the parties validate the transfer tax declaration with their codes, and the AFM can be issued to a person living abroad.
2. Have the property checked (title deed, land registry, building permit) by a lawyer or the notary before any commitment.
3. Have the transfer tax declaration filed before signing. Before any transfer for consideration, both parties file a joint declaration (law 5219/2025, article 28); for a notarial deed, the notary completes it, then the parties validate it online with their TAXISnet codes (MITOS). The tax is borne by the buyer and paid in one go, when the declaration is filed (articles 24 and 29). For certain special cases, filing by the tax office (ΔΟΥ) is provided for (MITOS).
4. Sign the sale deed in front of a notary (compulsory in Greece). The notary must file the deed with the tax authority within 15 working days (MITOS).
5. Have the deed registered at the land registry or the cadastre (Κτηματολόγιο). Who files the deed and within what deadline depends on what you have agreed with your notary or lawyer: ask them before signing and keep proof of filing.

Documents

• Rental: ID document, AFM, TAXISnet codes; often proof of income requested by the landlord (unregulated practice).
• Purchase: ID document, AFM, joint transfer tax declaration (completed by the notary), proof of payment of the tax; energy performance certificate provided by the seller.

Costs and timelines

• Deposit: generally two months' rent (EURES).
• Indicative rents (EURES, page updated on 31/07/2026, survey date not specified): €600 to about €1,175 per month for a two- or three-room flat in an average Athens neighbourhood; about €912 for a three-room flat in central Thessaloniki.
• Service charges: water is billed by the local company (ΕΥΔΑΠ in Athens, ΕΥΑΘ in Thessaloniki); the audiovisual fee and municipal taxes (calculated according to floor area) arrive on the electricity bill.
• Lease declaration: free. A fine is provided for if the landlord does not file it or files it late (amount not given by the official sheet).
• Transfer tax: 3% of the property's taxable value, borne by the buyer, with a surcharge of 3% of that tax for the municipalities, i.e. about 3.09% of the taxable value (law 5219/2025, articles 24 and 27; the AADE states 3%). Exemptions exist (for example for a main residence, under conditions: MITOS): ask the competent tax office. New home: in principle subject to VAT, but until 31/12/2026, at the developer's request, VAT is suspended and the transfer tax applies instead (law 5246/2025, article 12; AADE circular Ο.3068/2025). Ask the seller whether their project is under this regime.
• Indicative purchase prices (EURES, survey date not specified): about €3,500 per m² in central Athens and €3,240 per m² in central Thessaloniki. According to the Bank of Greece (cited by EURES), apartment prices rose by 7.8% on average in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the first quarter of 2025.

Common pitfalls

• An undeclared lease. It is the landlord who must declare it to the AADE, on pain of a fine (MITOS). Check your myAADE mailbox and accept (or refuse, stating why) the declaration within 30 days: if you do not react, it is deemed accepted.
• Forgetting the end-of-lease declaration. The landlord must also declare the end of the lease. Keep a record of your departure (move-out inspection, return of keys).
• Believing a 1-year lease commits you for 1 year. The law sets a minimum term of 3 years, even if the contract says less: find out about the early departure conditions before signing.
• Paying in cash. Keep proof of every payment (preferably by transfer): the deposit and rents are often disputed at the end of the lease.
• Signing a purchase promise without legal checks. In Greece, a lawyer normally checks the title and any debts or easements before the deed.
• Calculating the budget without the costs. Add to the 3% tax the fees of the notary, the lawyer, the agency and the registration (amounts to be requested from each).
• Rates and exemptions that may change. Check the transfer tax rate and exemptions with the tax office or the notary at the time of purchase.

What changes by country of origin

• EU and EEA citizens and Swiss citizens: same rules as Greeks for renting and buying.
• British citizens (Scots included) and other non-Europeans: law 1892/1990 restricts purchases in border zones (many Aegean islands and northern regions) for people from outside the EU and EFTA: prior authorisation from a regional committee may be necessary. List of zones and procedure to be confirmed with the notary.
• Mortgage: see GR-BANQUE-TOUS-001.