The government is moving forward with a bill that expands the income criteria for rent reimbursement and includes additional support measures totaling approximately 800 million euros.
The Ministry of Finance’s bill was released for public comment yesterday (through June 15) and addresses housing interventions and changes to the operation of the Hellenic Housing Development Fund (ETAD).
Rent Refund
The new regulation significantly broadens the income limits for beneficiaries. For unmarried individuals, the limit increases from €20,000 to €25,000, while for married couples or civil partners, it rises from €28,000 to €35,000. The supplement for each dependent child is now set at 5,000 euros, up from 4,000 euros today. For single-parent families, the income threshold rises from €31,000 to €39,000, with an additional €5,000 for each child after the first.
The asset criterion remains unchanged, as the total value of real estate may not exceed 120,000 euros for an unmarried beneficiary, with an increase of 20,000 euros for a spouse and for each dependent child.
The new conditions will apply to benefits paid starting in November 2026 and concern rent paid from 2025 onward.
Outside Attica and Thessaloniki
Additionally, new annual financial assistance is provided for teachers, doctors, nurses, and other healthcare personnel serving outside Attica and the Regional Unit of Thessaloniki. The assistance amounts to two months’ rent for the secondary residence they maintain at their place of service.
In cases where the beneficiary is already receiving a rent reimbursement for their primary residence, the additional support for the secondary residence is limited to the amount of one month’s rent. Payment will be made automatically, without the need to submit an application, by the end of November each year.
The total amount a beneficiary can receive from the new assistance and the rent refund will not exceed 1,600 euros per year, increased by 100 euros for each dependent child.
Changes to the Operation of ETAD
At the same time, a special section of the bill is dedicated to the operation of ETAD, introducing provisions that clarify the framework for the management and utilization of public real estate.
Information cited by Euro2day.gr indicates that the two articles introduce corrective amendments to the 2016 founding law of ETAD.
Specifically, Article 77 stipulates that the pre-contractual review of ETAD contracts by the Court of Auditors will apply to contracts valued at over 1 million euros, up from the current threshold of 500,000 euros. This is being done to reduce the backlog of cases at the Court of Auditors and to expedite the tender completion process.
Article 76 also corrects certain issues in the founding law. Sources emphasize that the bill clarifies issues regarding the ETAD portfolio, specifically some ambiguities regarding which properties belong to ETAD and which do not.
Extension of the ban on Airbnb
The framework for short-term rentals is further tightened by Article 5 of the bill.
The suspension of new registrations in the Short-Term Accommodation Property Registry, which is already in effect in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Municipal Districts of the Municipality of Athens, remains in place and may be extended by ministerial decision. At the same time, the measure is extended to the 1st Municipal Community of the Municipality of Thessaloniki for the period from July 1 to December 31, 2026.
The penalties provided for are particularly severe. Those who enter into a short-term lease of a property that is not permitted to be registered in the Registry will face a fine equal to 50% of the income derived from the lease, with a minimum of 20,000 euros. In the event of a second violation within the same tax year, the fine may amount to the total rent collected, with a minimum of 40,000 euros.
Tax incentives for new homes
At the same time, the new “Build-to-Rent” program is aimed at legal entities operating in the construction sector or in property management.
A key requirement is that properties included in the program must be made available exclusively for long-term leases of at least ten years, with rent to be determined by a joint ministerial decision. As an incentive, income generated from these leases will be exempt from income tax, provided that the program’s conditions regarding the lease term and rent amount are met.