New plan to tackle housing crisis

In a bid to curb the sharp increase in sales prices and rents in recent years, the government is seeking to return a large number of closed properties across Greece to the market.

According to data from the Finance Ministry, over 650,000 properties in Greece are unoccupied. Of these, an estimated 150,000 are located in Attica and Thessaloniki. Naturally, a large number of the properties that seem vacant right now are secondary properties - like holiday homes that haven't been used in years - or are abandoned.

Among the measures currently on the table are easement agreements that will allow tens of thousands of closed properties with outstanding planning concerns held by non-performing loan management businesses to come onto the market 

An increase in the minimum investment required to obtain a Golden Visa is also being discussed as a price-control measure....