Airbnb

Tax cuts for those who choose to own homes for long-term rentals, and tax increases for those who more intensively exploit their property with Airbnb-type leases, are bringing pressure to bear on the government for measures to bring down rents.

With double-digit growth rates following the upward rhythms recorded in the rest of Europe, short-term rentals in our country are “running” this year, according to the most… official bull, that of the major market players, Airbnb, Booking, Expedia Group and TripAdvisor.

Andreas Chiou, the president of the association of property managers, recounted an incident with a Chinese customer who rented an apartment through Airbnb and incurred €3,500 in phone charges from calls made via the internet. Speaking to ERT, Chiou explained that the client was an employee of a construction company and likely needed the phone for meetings.

An unbelievable phone bill of…3,500 euros was left for a Airbnb property owner to pay by a Chinese man ho stayed there for a week.

The urgent need to address the acute problem of homelessness is driving the government’s decisions from September onwards. The primary goal is to free up homes from Airbnb and incentivize long-term rentals to help young couples struggling to find accommodation.

The new zoning of tourism in Greece divides the territory into five categories based on the degree of tourist development. This plan includes restrictions on short-term rentals (Airbnb) and rooms for rent, addressing a long-standing request from the tourism industry.

Barcelona, one of Europe's most visited cities, has said it aims to ban apartment rentals to tourists by 2029 to ease the housing shortage in Spain's second largest city.

Incentives for long-term leases – Airbnb bookings surpass hotels – Greece is the world’s fourth most expensive country – Penalties and support for small islands and low incomes

The government's decision to expand interventions in the short-term rental market, especially in Athens, seems definitive, following the new statements Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis made on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has indicated potential measures to tighten regulations on short-term rentals, including considering a cap on rental days.