Gov’t to ban windowless basements, freeze central Athens licenses in overhaul of short-term rentals

An aerial photograph taken by a drone shows buildings successful Athens, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. [Thanassis Stavrakis/AP]

Lawmakers began debating projected authorities connected Friday to toughen rules for short-term rentals amid a surge successful tourism, including a prohibition connected utilizing converted storage spaces and windowless basements.

Renovated warehouses, underground spaces and erstwhile concern properties will beryllium removed from rental platforms under the projected changes, including locations already converted for hospitality use.

“Basements will nary longer beryllium allowed for use: Rental spaces indispensable service arsenic superior residential use areas, with earthy light, ventilation and aerial conditioning,” Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni told state-run television ERT up of the debate.

“We are introducing minimum operational and information standards, due to the fact that this is simply a tourism product,” she said. “Our extremity is the long-term, sustainable and high-quality improvement of Greek tourism, not conscionable breaking records each year.”

The draught authorities coincides with a one-year prohibition successful Athens connected caller short-term rental registrations successful fashionable districts similar Kolonaki, Koukaki and Exarchia, with violations punishable by a good of €20,000.

Vacation rentals person helped grow Greece’s vital tourism manufacture – straight accounting for 13% of the country’s gross home merchandise successful 2023 – but besides added unit connected household expenses due to the fact that of higher rents during the broader outgo of surviving crisis.

The authorities says it wants to equilibrium tourism benefits with lodging accessibility and is offering tax incentives for spot owners to displacement distant from short-term leasing.

Greece is expecting tourism gross to scope a grounds €22 cardinal successful 2024 with a projected 35 cardinal tourist arrivals, according to authoritative estimates.

The fig of rooms available utilizing short-term rentals was astir equivalent to those successful hotels nationwide successful 2023, but astir treble successful cardinal Athens, according to a study commissioned by a nationalist hoteliers association. The assemblage is seeking tougher regularisation of properties booked utilizing online platforms similar Airbnb.

On the opening time of debate, respective absorption lawmakers accused the center-right authorities of disregarding the κοινωνικά costs and the strain connected resources caused by the expanding tourism and called for much broad rental restrictions.

“You are allowing the attraction of short-term rentals successful areas fashionable with tourists. That is drastically transforming neighborhoods and displacing imperishable residents,” left-wing SYRIZA MP Kalliopi Vetta told parliament.

“The enlargement of tourism is going unchecked,” she said. “This absorption connected nett unsocial is happening astatine the disbursal of the situation and society.”

The draught legislation, which besides introduces much elaborate information and operational standards for vacation rentals, is owed to beryllium voted aboriginal this month. [AP]