By Chrysostomos Tsoufis

The measures, which the government has so far implemented or voted for, are mainly long-term in terms of their effect on the reduction of rents or, more generally, the prices of real estate.

From the beginning of 2025, however, the government is preparing to “throw” into the battle against the housing problem a new platform, which according to the government’s estimates, can quickly lead to a 10-15% price reduction. On the platform, which is already being prepared by the Deputy Minister of Digital Governance Konstantinos Kyranakis, the prices of the transfer contracts will be posted in the first phase – without the details of the parties for obvious reasons – for all properties in every part of the Greek territory, as they will be drawn from the land registry. The ministry is in contact with the AADE, so that in a second phase the prices of the rental units will be made known from the Authority’s relevant register.

It is obvious to everyone, therefore also to the government, that the price listed in an ad is different and in most cases the one that finally ends up on paper after the seller-buyer, tenant-landlord “bargaining” process. With this tool the interested buyer-landlord will have a map of what is happening in every neighborhood of the country. He will have the weapon of knowledge in the negotiation with the property owner since he will be able to support with evidence that he is “asking a lot”. A weapon, the use of which will be free for ordinary citizens, but with a fee for banks, brokers and servicers.

“If I want to rent a house I own and get €500, I won’t put €500 in the ad because I’ll be stonewalled” admitted a market agent in skai.gr. And he continues “I will put it at €600 to get where I want. And the same with the sale of a property.”

The government characterizes precisely for this reason the image created by the advertisements for the market as “artificial” since there is no knowledge of the agreements that are finally made. Now, knowledge of these agreements will go some way to correcting the distortion, say government officials.
I note here that in other countries like Belgium there is NOT allowed to be a deviation between the advertised price and the final contract that will be signed precisely so that “everyone asks for what they want”.

According to representatives of the brokers, the measure, especially in the cases of older properties, will reveal “monstrous” discrepancies many times. This is because despite the obligation to pay through banks, cash lives and reigns.

In any case, how much below the advertised price the negotiation price will end up depends on many factors, the main ones of which are:

-The time the property is advertised (another month another year)
-To what extent does the requested price correspond to the real data of the property. Many times the amount of the price is determined by emotional reasons
-The need the owner is in
-Even the amount of the asking price. A €20,000 “discount” is different on a €1 million property and different on a €100,000 one

Her details Bank of Greece show that from 2018 until June this year property prices have increased by almost 48%. Approximately 45% is the corresponding increase in rents.

In any case, the government is considering 2 more measures that could help to deal with the housing problem.

The first has to do with the Spanish model followed in leasing. In Spain if a property owner renews the lease with his tenant for at least 3 years and in those three years does NOT increase the rent by more than 5% average, then he has a 20% tax reduction.
This measure results in the holding of rents.

The second proposal concerns the imposition of a 5-6% turnover tax on properties purchased under the Golden Visa (estimated at around 15-20,000) but used for short-term rental. A measure aimed at strengthening the stock of available housing.