Lodge Compliance - Your Guide to Stress-Free Short-Term Rentals in Greece

Overview

Overview

There is a national short-term rental association online that you may consider joining, but remember that you are not mandated to join the association. The website of the association is;

**[The Short-Term Accommodation Managers Association Greece (STAMA)]([https://www.stamagreece.gr/en/#:~:text=The Short-Term Accommodation Managers,provide shared opportunities for all.)**](https://www.stamagreece.gr/en/#:~:text=The Short-Term Accommodation Managers,provide shared opportunities for all.)**)

What are short Term Rentals in the Country?

The term "short-term rental" in Greece refers to the short-term leasing of furnished real estate property through online marketplaces like Airbnb, with only the provision of necessary services, such as bed linen, and not other services like catering, cleaning, laundry, etc.

An apartment, a room, and any other building with basic amenities for a comfortable stay are considered real estate properties.

Short-term rentals carried out in rooms or apartments are popularly referred to as Holiday lets, but if a building is rented as a whole, it is popularly referred to as a Villa in Greece. Also, they are locally referred to as "Βραχυχρόνια Μίσθωση".

Are there National Rules or Regulations Governing Short-Term Rentals in the Country?

There are national laws regarding license requirements with the Greek National Tourist Organization, the registration of accommodation on the short-term register, ownership requirements, restrictions on the number of properties that can be rented in the short term by an individual, building permits, energy certifications, rental contracts, etc. The laws are highlighted below;

Obtain a license known as EOT(Elliniko Organismo Tourismo) from the Greek National Tourist Organization (GNTO) or register as a short-term owner on the unique Short-Term Rental Register.
Occasional short-term renting is only permitted for 60 or 90 days per year. For properties located on islands that have less than 10,000 habitats, rental is allowed for 60 days per year, while properties located on islands that have more than 10,000 habitats can be rented for up to 90 days. However, the length of stay can be exceeded if the sum of the rental income of all of the properties of an individual is less than 12,000€ per year. The limit is either 12,000€ or the number of nights whichever comes first.
The property is furnished and is only allowed to provide linen & towels.
The property must have a building permit or legalize as a standard building.
The owner of the property must be only an individual, who has registered his property in the short-term register and has a registration number that must be displayed on digital platforms or any other advertising media.
Only 2 properties are permitted for short-term rental by an individual owner.
The minimum space of the property is 9 square meters. The property must have natural light, sufficient heating in cold weather, and proper ventilation.
A lease contract must be submitted to the tax office for each guest that must include: the property registration number in the above register, the energy-efficient certification number, the full name of the guest, the arrival and departure dates of the guest, and the amount in euros that the guest or the digital platform has paid for the guest.

Is there any National Tax that affects short-term rental?

Short-term rental owners are required to register for VAT and rental income tax. Villas are liable for income tax and are not required to pay business tax while real estate properties classified as a furnished tourist house or a furnished tourist house with the key system are required to register as a small business with the Greek tax office and a 26% tax rate will be charged on your net income.

The penalty for not registering as a business is 5,000 euros for a week and offenders are given two weeks to make corrections and register as a business. If the deadline is not met you will be fined with a second penalty of 10,000 euros, and given a second opportunity to amends, If a third audit is carried out after two extra weeks and you are yet the fine shoots to 20,000€.

A contract must be drawn up for the rental of the villa between the owner and client and deposited in the tax office. This income gotten from the villa is taxed at a rate of 15% up to 12,000 euros 35% for 12,001 euros up to 35,000 euros, and 45% for any additional revenues between 35,001 euros and above.

Kindly check with your municipality to ensure that you are not required to pay any tax to the municipality or subscribe to the lodge compliance premium package to access the regulations that affect your specific property.

Are there any Permits, Licenses, or Registrations for Short-term Rentals in the Country?

You must obtain an EOT license for a short-term rental in Greece. The process of obtaining the license is time-consuming as you will be required to submit various documents such as your tax certificate to show that you owe no taxes, your tax number, a record from the KEP office that shows that you are not a criminal, a ****copy of your passport, your building and planning permit and other architectural and structural papers of the property will also be required, and you may need the services of professionals such as an architect or civil engineer and a lawyer or an agent during the process.

Various evaluations and inspections will be carried out by various departments, such as the fire department to check the installation of fire extinguishers and emergency exit lights, the health department to inspect the drains, water supply, sewage, etc., and these evaluations will determine the type of certificate that suits your property. There are three categories of short-term rental in Greece.

Furnished Tourist House: A single house or villa on one plot with or without a swimming pool usually falls into this category. This type of holiday let is popularly referred to as Katoikia.
Furnished Tourist House rated with the Key System: accommodation on a shared plot with a private or shared swimming pool falls into this category. This category requires written permission or agreement from other house owners. The key system is a rating system that gives points for each facility available on the property, such as air conditioning, television, internet, etc. There is a minimum point to qualify for this category of license. A pool is a very important facility in this rating system. There is a requirement for an 'operational' license for the swimming pool, and the owner of the STR must have a trained lifeguard certificate or appoint someone with the certificate to the pool to ensure safety and the size of the pool may affect your tax liabilities for the rental income.
Simplified EOT for Villas - private rental up to 3 months: large villas with at least 80 sqm built on an independent plot/land with independent external access fall into this category of classification.

Note

A bi-annual fire certificate may be required for properties that host less than 19 people.
You are also required to obtain a tax permit.

Is there any National Association for STR owners in the Country?

There is a national short-term rental association online that you may consider joining, but remember that you are not mandated to join the association. The website of the association is;

Greece Lodging Regulations

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