The Greek government is imposing broader restrictions on the expansion of short-term rentals in Athens and Thessaloniki, extending the freeze on new Property Registration Numbers (AMA) until the end of 2027 in areas where Airbnb listings have increased significantly in recent years.<\/p>\n
The measure forms part of the government\u2019s wider housing strategy and aims to curb the continued withdrawal of homes from the long-term rental market. The key question, however, is whether freezing new Airbnb registrations can substantially increase the supply of housing and, crucially, contain rental prices.<\/p>\n
Experience elsewhere in Europe suggests there is no simple answer. In several major cities, even much stricter restrictions on tourist rentals have failed, on their own, to reverse rising housing costs. In some cases, investment activity simply shifted from areas subject to restrictions to neighbouring districts.<\/p>\n
According to the measures announced by the Prime Minister at the 90th Thessaloniki International Fair, the suspension of new registrations in Greece\u2019s Short-Term Stay Property Registry will be extended until 31 December 2027 in Athens\u2019 1st, 2nd and 3rd municipal districts. Thessaloniki\u2019s 1st Municipal District will also be brought under the restrictions.<\/p>\n
In Athens, the measure effectively creates a large zone where no new properties can enter the short-term rental market. It covers parts of the historic and commercial centre, as well as densely populated neighbourhoods including Plaka, Kolonaki, Koukaki, Syntagma, Omonia, Monastiraki, Exarchia, Ilisia, Neapoli, Mets, Neos Kosmos, Agios Artemios, Pangrati, Votanikos, Metaxourgeio, Gazi, Petralona and Rouf.<\/p>\n
A similar approach is now being adopted in Thessaloniki, where the restriction focuses on the area with the city\u2019s highest concentration of tourism activity. It includes the historic, commercial and tourism centre, with Aristotelous Square, Egnatia Street and Tsimiski Street among its main thoroughfares.<\/p>\n
The restricted area also encompasses Ladadika and the wider port district, the waterfront as far as the White Tower, the areas around the Rotunda, Kamara and Navarinou Square, parts of Valaoritou and the Upper Town. These are areas where short-term rentals established a strong presence in recent years, in line with the sharp growth in the city\u2019s visitor numbers.<\/p>\n
The measure primarily affects owners and investors who are now planning to enter the market. Anyone who does not already hold a Property Registration Number will be unable to register a new short-term rental property while the freeze remains in force.<\/p>\n
The decision comes at a time when Greece\u2019s short-term rental market continues to deliver particularly strong results.<\/p>\n
According to AirDNA\u2019s July 2026 European Review, revenue per available rental night (RevPAR) in Greece rose by 14.3% year-on-year, almost twice the 7.7% increase recorded across the European market.<\/p>\n
Greek RevPAR reached \u20ac142.80, compared with a European average of \u20ac110.10.<\/p>\n
The gap is even wider when it comes to accommodation rates. Greece\u2019s average daily rate (ADR) increased by 12.8% in July to \u20ac200.35, compared with \u20ac159.20 across Europe, where the corresponding year-on-year increase stood at 8.2%.<\/p>\n
In practical terms, an average night in a Greek short-term rental cost approximately \u20ac41 more than the European average. This performance helps explain why, despite the new restrictions, short-term rental property continues to attract investor interest.<\/p>\n
This is the most difficult part of the equation. The principal objective of the measure is clear: to curb the conversion of residential properties into tourist accommodation and create the conditions for more homes to remain in, or return to, the long-term rental market.<\/p>\n
Market experts, however, point out that the housing crisis cannot be attributed solely to short-term rentals. At the heart of the problem is the limited supply of homes capable of meeting household needs, particularly in Greece\u2019s major urban centres.<\/p>\n
The freeze prevents the creation of new Airbnb listings in the designated zones, but it does not automatically mean that properties already operating as tourist accommodation will be converted into long-term rentals.<\/p>\n
There is also a risk that demand will simply shift geographically. When an area is closed to new registrations, investors may turn to neighbouring districts where restrictions do not apply.<\/p>\n
This trend has already been observed around central Athens, with investor interest moving into adjacent markets. In areas affected by this shift, available data show that rental prices rose by as much as 12.5% within six months, fuelling concerns that some of the pressure may simply be transferred from one neighbourhood to another.<\/p>\n
The Greek case forms part of a much broader European debate. From Barcelona and Madrid to Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin, authorities are looking for ways to curb the conversion of residential housing into tourist accommodation.<\/p>\n
Barcelona has adopted one of the most aggressive policies, planning to phase out approximately 10,101 tourist apartment licences by 2028. Housing costs in the city, however, have already risen dramatically, with rents up by 68% over the past decade and the average monthly rent reaching approximately \u20ac1,160.<\/p>\n
In Madrid, the Plan RESIDE aims to restrict tourist apartments in residential buildings within the M-30 ring road. Enforcement has been stepped up considerably and fines can reach \u20ac190,000, although some investment activity has shifted towards more peripheral districts.<\/p>\n
Amsterdam introduced a limit of 30 rental nights per year, contributing to an approximately 54% reduction in listings between 2019 and 2024, from 18,000 to around 8,300. Despite this sharp contraction in short-term rental supply, the housing crisis did not disappear. Part of the market also shifted towards medium-term rentals, including accommodation aimed at digital nomads.<\/p>\n
Paris has also tightened its regulatory framework, introducing a 90-day annual limit and fines of up to \u20ac100,000, while adding energy-efficiency requirements.<\/p>\n
Berlin provides for even heavier penalties under its ban on the misuse of residential property, known as the Zweckentfremdungsverbot<\/em>, with fines of up to \u20ac500,000. Around 8,000 homes have returned to the long-term rental market, although this figure remains small in relation to the overall size of the German capital\u2019s housing stock.<\/p>\n The extension of the registration freeze until 2027 is therefore another link in the chain of government measures addressing Greece\u2019s housing crisis. It is not necessarily, however, a measure capable of reversing the upward trajectory of rents on its own.<\/p>\n International experience indicates that restrictions can reduce the number of tourist accommodation units\u2014or at least slow their further expansion in specific neighbourhoods. It is much harder to demonstrate that restrictions alone can bring about a substantial and lasting decline in rental prices.<\/p>\n The effectiveness of Greece\u2019s intervention will therefore depend on whether it is combined with policies that genuinely increase the available housing stock: bringing vacant homes back onto the market, supporting renovations and new construction, and expanding social and affordable housing.<\/p>\n The Greek government is imposing broader restrictions on the expansion of short-term rentals in Athens and Thessaloniki, extending the freeze on new Property Registration Numbers (AMA) until the end of 2027 in areas where Airbnb listings have increased significantly in recent years. The measure forms part of the government\u2019s wider housing strategy and aims to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":40389,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[506,518],"tags":[557,579,604,651,1228],"class_list":["post-42287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","category-518","tag-restrictions","tag-short-term-hiring","tag-athens-en","tag-short-term-rentals-en","tag-thessaloniki-en"],"_bunyad_layout_template":null,"_bunyad_layout_spacious":null,"_bunyad_sponsor_name":null,"_bunyad_sponsor_logo":null,"_bunyad_sponsor_url":null,"_bunyad_sub_title":null,"_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Greece is extending restrictions on new Airbnb registrations in Athens and Thessaloniki until 2027. Can the measure increase housing supply and curb rents?","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"Airbnb restrictions in Athens and Thessaloniki","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Airbnb restrictions in Athens and Thessaloniki extended to 2027","_bunyad_layout_style":null,"yoast_head":"\nHousing supply is the teal test<\/h2>\n