Greece Begins Inspecting Short-Term Rentals, Thinning Nomad Housing

Greek authorities have begun physically inspecting short-term rental properties, and hosts who fall short now have a tight window to fix problems or lose their listings. For digital nomads who rely on Airbnb-style apartments in Athens, Santorini and the islands, the crackdown could mean fewer options and higher nightly rates.

What changed

The rules come from Law 5170/2025, which took effect on October 1, 2025. Active enforcement only began this month, when Regional Tourism Services started issuing formal compliance notices to hosts. Once a host receives a notice, they have 10 days to submit documentation or face fines, removal from listing platforms, and deletion from the AADE registry. Some inspections allow a further 15-day window to fix deficiencies before a follow-up check.

To keep a property live, hosts must maintain seven core items: electrical safety, a fire extinguisher, smoke detectors, pest control, insurance, air conditioning, and a first-aid kit. Bedrooms need ventilation openings of at least 5% of the net floor area. Basements and semi-basements without adequate natural light and ventilation are excluded outright — meaning many converted or marginal units will simply disappear from the market.

What it means for nomads

Hosts absorb the compliance costs, which the source describes as running into the thousands of euros per unit, including one-time electrical and fire-safety work plus recurring insurance premiums and pest-control certificates. Two knock-on effects matter for anyone planning a medium-term stay.

First, inventory is thinning. The units being pulled — dark basements, converted storage rooms and unpermitted bedrooms — are often the cheaper listings clustered in the same neighborhoods where remote workers tend to base themselves. Fewer legal units means less pricing pressure relief during peak season, and some owners may shift back to long-term leases entirely.

Second, expect nightly rates to edge up as remaining hosts try to recover their compliance spend. A host running a single Athens studio will need to price those extra costs across occupied nights.

Practical steps

If you are booking a stay of a month or more, confirm the property's AMA registration number is active before you send any deposit. A property that gets delisted mid-stay becomes the host's legal problem, but you are the one who has to live through the disruption of scrambling for new accommodation. Checking that the listing is compliant up front is the simplest way to avoid a booking collapsing partway through your trip.

The enforcement pace is likely to keep evolving through the summer season, so nomads eyeing Greece should build in a little extra flexibility when locking in longer stays.

Originally reported by Stamped Nomad.