In Athens, homes are changing their use faster than the rules governing them. Thousands of residences have entered the short-term rental market, with visitors constantly coming and going as the sector expands faster than the mechanisms overseeing it.
The gap between the size of the market and the scale of inspections is particularly evident in short-term rental properties. Since the beginning of 2026, 1,500 properties across Greece have been subject to inspections, including about 400 in the Attica region, which includes Athens.
By comparison, 18,769 short-term rental units were recorded in the Municipality of Athens in 2025, while 116,636 active properties were recorded nationwide.
The figures highlight the disparity between the scale of the market and the extent of official inspections.
Building safety comes under scrutiny
The issue of building safety has come sharply into focus following the explosion and collapse of a building on Lysikratous Street in Plaka, central Athens.
A short-term rental was operating on the building’s first floor, while the second-floor apartment was being used as a residence. The causes of the incident are under investigation, with the natural gas installation at the center of inquiries.
Regardless of the conclusions of that investigation, the incident has brought renewed attention to the protection of residents and visitors in a city where homes are increasingly being converted into tourist accommodations.
Short-term rentals face different inspections
Vassiliki Koutsoukou, secretary-general of Tourism Policy, said short-term rentals are subject to a different inspection regime from conventional tourist accommodations.
“Law 5170/2025 established operational and safety specifications. However, these properties are not tourist accommodations and, therefore, are not subject to the corresponding inspections for compliance with technical specifications,” Koutsoukou told To Vima.
She said the inspection process is different because the properties are legally treated as residential, rather than tourist, rentals.
As residences, they receive the corresponding protections under Greece’s Constitution and legislation. This means authorities are required to notify the property manager at least 10 days before an inspection, she said.
That legal classification raises a broader question over whether short-term rentals can be treated exclusively as residential leases when, in practice, they serve a tourism function. The issue is also at the center of ongoing litigation before Greece’s Council of State, the country’s highest administrative court.
Koutsoukou said the 1,500 inspections carried out nationwide since the beginning of the year were based on the complete sample of data provided to the Ministry of Tourism by the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE), in addition to inspections triggered by complaints.
About 400 of the inspections concern Attica and are expected to be completed by the following Tuesday.
Inspections are carried out either independently by employees of the Regional Tourism Services or by joint inspection teams involving the Ministry of Tourism and AADE.
Plaka at the center of the debate
The issue extends beyond safety and inspections to the balance between tourism activity and the protection of the residential and cultural character of particular neighborhoods.
Plaka, one of Athens’ historic districts, is at the center of that debate.
Koutsoukou referred to a recent hearing before the Council of State involving 11 applications filed by the Hellenic Society for Environment and Culture (ELLET).
The Ministry of Tourism argued that, because Plaka is subject to enhanced protection, including under Article 24 of the Greek Constitution concerning the protection of the cultural environment, short-term rentals cannot be considered separately from requirements to preserve the area’s residential character and restrict certain uses.
A 1993 presidential decree explicitly prohibits the establishment of new hotels of any type or category in the area.
“The development of short-term rental activities should not be exempt from the specific restrictions established for the area, nor should it operate as an indirect substitute for prohibited tourism uses,” Koutsoukou said.
Since Jan. 1, 2025, the registration of new Property Registry Numbers for short-term rentals on AADE’s digital platform has also been prohibited in Athens’ 1st, 2nd and 3rd municipal districts.
The pressure on the neighborhood is reflected in tourism data. According to a tourism carrying-capacity study commissioned by the Municipality of Athens and conducted by Gimisis + Associates, in 2025 there were approximately 200 short-term rental tourists for every permanent resident in the Monastiraki-Plaka area.
Calls for more frequent building inspections
The debate is also raising questions about how frequently buildings should be inspected.
Giorgos Stasinos, president of the Technical Chamber of Greece, said the country’s building stock needs regular monitoring, with inspection frequency linked to how buildings are used.
For properties used commercially, such as Airbnb rentals, he considers annual inspections by civil and mechanical engineers of the building and its electromechanical installations necessary. For ordinary residences, he proposes inspections every three years.
“A building can have damage to its load-bearing structure, balconies or electromechanical installations,” Stasinos said.
He also called for an electronic certificate to be issued by an engineer after each inspection, documenting the property’s condition and establishing clear responsibility.
Stasinos said the same principle should apply to energy upgrades.
He has repeatedly argued that European subsidies provided through programs such as “Exoikonomo,” Greece’s energy-efficiency renovation program, should not be granted without first checking a building’s structural adequacy.
“We put modern windows, insulation and heat pumps into a building that may collapse,” he said.
Athens seeks greater oversight
Panagiotis Paris Charlaftis, deputy mayor of Athens responsible for technical services, also called for enhanced oversight of short-term rental properties.
“Although their primary use is residential, the frequent turnover of visitors and the short duration of their stays make increased care and the adoption of additional safety measures necessary,” Charlaftis said.
The debate over short-term rentals therefore extends beyond their economic and tourism role to questions of building safety, inspection standards and the preservation of Athens’ residential and cultural character.
