It is recommended that monthly rent should not exceed 20%– 30% of your monthly income. Take time to review your family budget plan in order to ensure you are looking at places within your price range. Detail your income and expenses down to the penny to help you estimate your available budget.

Apartment rent prices depend on several factors, such as:

1. Neighborhood
2. Size in square meters 
3. Floor: rents increase as you move up a building; basements are cheaper and top floors are the most expensive
4. Furnished/Unfurnished Apartment condition: newly renovated apartments are usually more expensive
5. Year of construction: new buildings are usually more expensive

 

Apartment sharing is common for single people in order to be able to afford the rent and utilities. The best way to find a flatmate is by talking to your personal network. Friends and family may know of another person looking for an apartment with similar criteria.

RENT | Your rent price is defined by your apartment owner and is negotiable.

WATER | EYDAP is the sole water provider. The bill is issued every 3 months.

PHONE LINE/INTERNET | There are many companies for phone connection/Internet. The first month you are charged for the connection fees as well. The bills are usually issued every 1 or 2 months. 

COMMUNAL BUILDING BILLS | aka Koinoxrista is a bill with all the communal expenses of your apartment block. It is given to you by your Building Manager1 in the beginning of every month. Communal Building Bills are usually paid in cash to the Building Manager and usually include:

→ Communal electricity and water

→ Central heating (gas or petrol)

→ Elevator maintenance (if applicable)

→ Communal cleaning

→ Other charges i.e. pest control (spring), boiler maintenance (winter), fire extinguisher refill (every year)

GAS | You can choose to buy a gas stove instead of an electric stove.

ELECTRICITY | There are many electricity providers. When you connect the electricity to your name you need to pay a guarantee. Electricity provision is considered a costly service.  

 

Utility bills such as electricity, water, phone/Internet, can be paid through the following methods:

→ Post Office

→ E-banking

→ DEI/EYDAP and phone company shops or their websites

→ Banks (cash desks) or ATMs

→ Standing order at affiliated bank

→ Move-in expenses 

→ Furniture and household equipment expenses4

→ Repairs and other expenses

It is good to consider the proximity of your house to your job, classes, markets, transportation (buses and metro), friends and family etc. as well as the cost of the rent.

When you are looking for an apartment do ask

→ Local Greeks and third country nationals who have been residents for many years can assist you as they are familiar with the area and have knowledge of the language.

→ Friends and family to ask their landlords if they are aware of any vacant apartments.

→ Go for walks in neighborhoods and looking for poster ads (Enoikiazetai is a visible sign in Greek that means for rent).

→ Search online. Indicative websites are:

www.spitogatos.gr (GR/EN)

www.xe.gr (GR/EN)

www.spiti360.gr (GR/EN)

www.plot.gr (GR/EN)

www.tospitimou.gr (GR/EN/AR/FR)

Once you have identified an apartment that you are considering, you will need to contact the estate agent or the owner to set an appointment. During this viewing don’t hesitate to clarify certain things regarding the apartment and make sure to ask the right questions.

• How much is the security deposit? How much is the monthly rental?
• What is the type of heating (gas or petrol)? Is it central or autonomous for the apartment?
• Do the building’s residents use the central heating? If not, what is the alternative heating type?
• What is the cost of the building’s communal expenses (koinoxrista)?
• Is the electricity connected?
• Are there any outstanding bills to the apartment?
• What forms of payment do they accept for rent?

 

Inquire about rules regarding painting the walls, hanging artwork, copying keys, etc. Discuss any changes you would like to make to the apartment.

 

*During any viewing, it is essential to check out all the features of the apartment. Make sure that you have documented anything that is not in good condition and that you address it to the landlord. Think thoroughly before agreeing with the landlord and take pictures to refer to them while trying to decide.

Every lease is a contract, and as such it will name the people who have entered into the contract and are legally bound by it. That should be your landlord, yourself, and any roommates. If you are going to live in the apartment with your family, a general indication of that is enough, i.e. the leasehold will be used as residence for the tenant and his/ her family. Regarding third persons, if the lease agreement does not include any relevant term containing any such restriction, the tenant can host people for a short period but not permanently. Also, the tenant is not allowed to sublet the apartment. With the lease agreement the landlord accords the tenant the temporary use of the apartment in return for an agreed sum: the rent.

Εxpect that owners will demand 1-2 months’ rent as a security deposit and the 1st month’s rent for the first payment.The security deposit will be returned when the tenant leaves

→ IF the house is in the same condition as it was when the tenant received it and

→ IF there are not outstanding bills and rent payments.

You will need the following documents to sign a lease:

→ Identification Card (ID) or Residence Permit

Before you sign the contract, you need to read it VERY CAREFULLY!

It is very important to understand the terms of the lease contract including the duration of the lease, the agreed use and the characteristics of the apartment.

Confirm that the terms in the lease match what you’ve agreed verbally.

Understand any lease termination policies. Understand who is responsible for maintenance.

Document any existing damage before moving in. Include photos in the documentation.

Both parties, the owner and the tenant must sign the contract to make it legally binding. The contract must be declared to the tax office through TAXISNET. As soon as the contract is uploaded by the owner, the tenant must accept it online.

Save a copy of the final lease signed by you and the owner. This is the most important document to help you if there’s any disagreement about the apartment or anything related to your tenancy.

In case of a joint tenancy, all tenants must sign the contract and they share the same rights and responsibilities.

→ The owner has the right for early termination if the tenant misuses the property or uses it contrary to what was agreed upon or they do not have the appropriate behaviour towards the other tenants of the apartment building.

→ The owner has the right to visit the rented apartment once every 3 months or as frequently as it is specified in the lease agreement, in order to ascertain the proper use of the property. The owner though, must announce his/her visit in advance.

→ If the tenant leaves earlier than agreed in the lease, the owner has the right to ask for the payment of all remaining rents. The notification period and any other term that limits the above right of the owner should be explicitly stated in the lease agreement.

→ The owner has the right to terminate the lease on grounds of self-use of the apartment or renovation. However, this right can be exercised 3 years after the initiation of the lease.

→ If the tenant doesn’t pay the rent, the owner might start legal procedures such as eviction or eviction with lawsuit for unpaid/owed rents. In this case, the tenant may be required by court to pay to the owner the delayed rents together with the default interest. However, the landlord must provide warnings in writing to the tenant before providing the eviction notice. Also, the owner has the right to terminate the lease if the tenant delays the payment of the apartment’s common bills (koinoxrista) or any other financial debt regarding the lease (i.e. electricity bills).

→ Receive back the security deposit if the house remains in the same condition in which it was received.

→ In case the owner passes away, the tenant has the right to request from the inheritors to continue his/her residency in the apartment.

→ In case the apartment is sold, the new owner is obliged to respect the lease agreement signed by the tenant and the old owner. Thus, the tenant can stay till the expiration of the lease agreement.

→ The tenant has the right to terminate the lease in case of hazardous conditions in the apartment (i.e. due to materials that can cause health problems, major damages that prevent the tenant’s unobstructed stay) or for a greater reason.

→ The tenant has the right for early termination if (s)he was deprived of the agreed use after moving in or

if the property was not transferred within the agreed timeframe.

 

→ Deliver the apartment clean, suitable for use and in the agreed condition on agreed date. The repair of the existing damages is a matter of agreement between the owner and the tenant, not an obligation of the owner. The owner can legally lease the apartment as it is with any existing damage, as long as it is suitable for use.

→ Ensure all outstanding bills to apartment have been cleared.

→ Pay for building maintenance costs that come with the communal building bills (koinoxrista).

 

→ Keep the apartment in good condition and deliver the apartment back to the owner in the original condition. Flaws that occur because of bad use of the apartment fall under the tenant’s responsibility to repair.

→ Use the apartment according to the terms of the contract.

→ Pay the rent on time. Pay the communal bills (koinoxrista) as well as the utility bills, unless otherwise specified in the lease agreement. Note that the tenant can be evicted due to failure of payment of the above.

 

In order to protect yourself from outstanding debt of the owner or of a previous tenant – you must go to the water company and electricity company to connect the utilities in your own name.To connect the utilities you will need:

 → A photocopy of your ID/ residence permit

→ The lease agreement

→ An old bill

→ To pay a guarantee fee

 

For Water  
    

→ A photocopy of your ID/ residence permit

→ The lease agreement

→ An old bill

 

 → A photocopy of your ID/ residence permit

→ The lease agreement

Each apartment block has a building committee which is represented by all the owners of the apartment block. They are responsible for the functioning of the apartment block and they take decisions for any expensive repairs that might occur to communal facilities. This committee usually does not include tenants. If you would like to address an issue with the committee, you can attend after asking the building manager.

The building manager can be either an owner (elected representative) or a professional company in charge of all matters related to the management of the building block. More specifically, a building manager:

• Calculates, distributes and collects common fees every month.
• Ensures payments of common fees to relevant companies on time.
• Is responsible for regular works (i.e cleanliness) and emergency works (i.e repair of damages) relating to public areas and facilities in the building.

The Apartment Building Regulation is a text that regulates the relations of the co-owners and in general the operation of the apartment building. 

Noise regulations

a) Winter period (1st of October – 31st of March)

Quiet Hours:  15:30–17:30, 22:00–07:30

b) Summer period (1st of April – 31st of September)

Quiet Hours: 15:00–17:30, 23:00–07:00

Tenant: A person who holds the lease of a property; a lessee; the user of the property.

Koinoxrista: Communal building bills.

Lease: A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the tenant (user) to pay the landlord (lessor) for use of an asset (i.e an apartment).

Obligation: An act or course of action to which a person is morally or legally bound; a duty or commitment.

Right: A legal entitlement to have or do something.

TAXISNET: The electronic tax system where payments for rent are declared.