Golden visa property in Athens: what you can rent, and how to make it earn

By Joseph Kalaydjian, Founder & CEO, Cheez Hospitality

Most foreign owners who bought in Athens through the golden visa did not buy to live in the apartment. They bought to hold it. The question is what it is allowed to do while they hold it.

The rule

Since Law 5100/2024, a property used for a Greek golden visa cannot be let as a short-term rental. No Airbnb, no Booking.com, no stays of a few nights. The penalty is a fine of 50,000 and the revocation of the residence permit.

The rule follows the property, not the listing. Using another name, another platform or a friend's account does not change it.

What is allowed

A residential lease is allowed. The home can be rented to a tenant under an ordinary lease, declared to AADE and taxed as rental income. That is how most golden-visa homes are run: of roughly 16,000 homes bought by foreigners by the end of 2024, about 15,000 went straight to long-term rental, mostly in Athens.

Confirm the minimum lease term and the details of your own permit with your lawyer before you sign. We run the lease; your lawyer owns the legal opinion.

The thresholds, today

• 800,000 in high-demand areas, including Athens
• 400,000 elsewhere
• 250,000 for a conversion of commercial space to residential, anywhere

What a well-run golden-visa home looks like

The owner is abroad, often in another time zone. What they need is not a booking engine. It is:

• a vetted tenant and a written lease
• the rent collected, and paid out once a month
• bills, building fees and taxes paid on time, with receipts
• the property checked every four months, with photos
• repairs quoted and approved before anything is done
• one statement, one transfer, one person to call

Furnished or unfurnished?

Furnished homes let faster and to better tenants: relocating professionals, diplomats, researchers. Many golden-visa purchases are new or renovated apartments that need only furniture. We furnish once, at cost, to a standard that holds up over years of tenancy.

What it costs

For a lease of a year or more: one month's rent to find and place the tenant, then 10% of the monthly rent. Goods are bought at cost against receipts in your name. The estimate visit is free.

The short answer

You cannot Airbnb a golden-visa home in Greece. You can rent it on a residential lease and have it run without you. See property management in Athens, or send us the address for a free estimate.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm your property's position with your lawyer or accountant.

Designed Living. Operated by Cheez.