Many Athens apartments only available for short-term leasing

The rapid rise of short-term property leasing to tourists via online platforms such as Airbnb, HomeAway, FlipKey and HouseTrip has turned the Greek property market upside down.

There has been unprecedented growth in investment interest since late 2015, when the legislative framework was opened up. The other side of the coin concerns the creation of "special zones" within the capital, particularly in its so-called historic triangle, whose points are formed by Monastiraki, Omonia and Syntagma squares. The properties there appear to be leased exclusively by short-term visitors, in effect locking out local residents.

This issue, which has also arisen in other major cities around the world, has become quite significant as it concerns a phenomenon that extends to the country's popular tourism destinations, so that the options of seasonal workers such as those in the tourism...