Government plan for housing issuewhich is one of the burning issues of everyday life, will be presented by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in two weeks from the stage of the TIF. The government’s aim is to give breathing space to thousands of households that are facing a serious problem, both because of expensive rents and because of the lack of houses on the market.

In the financial staff and in the Maximos Palace, they are processing intervention package to increase the offered roof for rent and, through this, the decline in prices, so that the acquisition of housing becomes affordable for households.

The information indicates that this goal will be sought to be achieved through multi-layered solutions rather than a single intervention. In general, the goal is to open closed apartmentswhich are either inactive by choice or in poor condition and cannot be leased.

At the same time, it will be pursued to discourage landlords from offering their apartments for short-term rental and return them to the long-term rental market.

The first objective is estimated to be achieved by establishing incentives and disincentives for closed apartments. The AADE is already starting to record them, in order to have a clear picture of their number, as the estimates differ. Others speak of 200,000 properties, while others of 600,000.

Also, it will be sought to have a clear picture of the condition of each property, so that any interventions can be decided accordingly.

It is also estimated that the housing supply will improve from the implementation of the decision on increasing the limit for the granting of the Golden Visa from the current 250,000 euros to 800,000 euros.

The measure will be implemented from September 1.

On the other hand, the Panhellenic Federation of Property Owners (POMIDA) considers that incentives should be given and not punitive disincentives, such as the increased ENFIA for closed apartments.

According to the scenarios that exist so far, the government’s interventions will move, among others, along the following six axes:

  1. Closed apartments: In the government they consider that there is a huge stock of inactive properties, which under certain conditions can affect the supply of housing in the market. Their exploitation process will begin by recording their characteristics, such as location and condition, to consider how they can be further exploited.
  2. Short-term leases: There will be changes in the operation of the market, with interventions mainly of a tax nature and increased rates. Also, it is possible that a limit, depending on the area, will be set on the rental properties or a combination of the two.
  3. Real Estate Registry: The creation of a platform for the public posting of real estate data is being considered to enhance transparency in the market. The platform will include information on sales and rental prices, with the aim of combating tax evasion and providing better information to the public.
  4. “My Home II”: The government is awaiting approval from Brussels for the inclusion of the second stage of the “My Home” program in the Recovery Fund. The new stage of the programme, with a budget of 2 billion euros (of which 1.7 billion euros from EU funds), will include changes to the age and income criteria, as well as the conditions for the value and age of the properties.
  5. “Social Compensation”: The program will provide low-rent housing from idle State property. It is planned to build more than 2,500 homes for citizens up to 39 years of age, with the option to buy after a certain period of time.
  6. Renovate-Rent: The program will be strengthened by an increase in the subsidy for repair work in closed apartments, so that they enter the rental market.