The housing problem in the country would probably not be so acute if hundreds of thousands of properties, many of which belong to the State, were utilized. In total, according to Kathimerini, it is estimated that more than 900,000 properties remain closed and unused for various reasons.

500,000 properties that come from scholastic inheritances or renunciations have passed into the ownership of the State, while 400,000 have passed into the ownership of banks (or servicers) due to debts of their owners.

In Athens alone, the state owns 5,000 closed houses, only from legacies. How many others belong to the State from confiscations or disclaimers of inheritance, is unknown.

Thorns in their utilization

For the utilization of those controlled by the State, the difficulties are many: a) they have not even been recorded, so that their exact number is known and b) there is no competent body for the active management of this property.

In the case of banks: a) the bureaucratic process for their sale is labyrinthine while b) many have urban planning and legal pending issues.