The National Housing Policy Strategy 2026–2035 has been released for public consultation; it is the first comprehensive ten-year plan that seeks to establish a coherent framework for addressing the housing crisis in Greece.
The document sets as its central objective the improvement of citizens’ access to affordable, high-quality housing through a combination of measures to increase supply, support households, and establish permanent housing policy mechanisms.
The strategy comes at a time when the housing crisis is emerging as one of the country’s most significant social and economic challenges. Rising home purchase and rental prices, limited availability of properties in high-demand areas, the age of the building stock, and the pressure exerted by short-term leases have led to a significant financial burden on households, particularly young people, renters, and families with low or middle incomes.
According to the data included in the consultation document, Greece has a total housing stock of 6.6 million dwellings, of which more than 80% were built before 2000. At the same time, approximately 800,000 homes remain vacant and are considered potentially usable to boost the housing supply, provided there are appropriate incentives for their renovation and return to the market.
The National Strategy is organized around three main pillars and nine specific objectives. The first pillar concerns increasing the housing supply by activating the existing housing stock, developing social housing, and regulating the market for short-term rentals and investments through the Golden Visa program. The second pillar focuses on housing assistance, with measures to provide financial support to households and actions to address homelessness.
The third pillar concerns the establishment of a framework for the implementation and long-term sustainability of housing policy, with an emphasis on homeownership, energy retrofitting of homes, mobilizing investment, and establishing a governance system for housing.
The 3 Strategic Pillars of the National Strategy
Pillar 1: Increasing the Housing Supply
The goal is to expand the available housing stock and address the distortions that limit housing supply. This includes:
- Activating and utilizing vacant housing through incentives for renovation and long-term leasing.
- Increasing the housing stock through new construction and the utilization of public property.
- Creating a stock of social and affordable housing.
- Implementation of social compensation for housing development on public land.
- Utilization of inactive military bases for social housing.
- Establishment of Social Rental Offices to manage and allocate housing to vulnerable households.
- Establishment of a special Trust Fund for the development of a social housing stock, with a long-term goal of 70,000 to 100,000 social and affordable housing units.
- Urban planning incentives for investments that include social housing.
- Regulations for short-term rentals in areas with high housing demand.
- Restrictions on the conversion of residential properties into tourist accommodations through new rules for the Golden Visa.
Pillar 2: Housing Assistance and Social Protection
This pillar focuses on providing immediate support to households burdened by high housing costs.
- Reimbursement of one month’s rent per year to tenants of primary residences and student housing.
- Financial assistance for households that spend a disproportionate share of their income on housing.
- Targeted interventions for young people, students, and low- or middle-income families.
- Measures to prevent and address homelessness through housing, shelter, and social reintegration programs.
- Support for vulnerable social groups facing housing insecurity.
Pillar 3: Institutional Framework and Long-Term Sustainability
Aims to establish a permanent housing policy system and improve the functioning of the housing market.
- Promoting homeownership through financing tools and housing programs.
- Upgrading the quality and energy efficiency of the building stock.
- Tax incentives to encourage the development of real estate and attract investment in housing.
- Reductions and exemptions from the ENFIA property tax for specific categories of real estate.
- Facilities for parental gifts and real estate donations.
- Incentives for residential renovation, repair, and maintenance work.
- Establishment of a permanent system for governing housing policy, including monitoring of indicators and evaluation of results.
- Mobilization of public and private investment to finance new housing projects and social housing.
Focus on social housing and vacant properties
Among the most significant measures included in the strategy is the development of an organized social housing stock, in a country where such facilities remain extremely limited compared to the rest of Europe.
The government aims to establish, for the first time, a permanent social housing mechanism that will operate as a complement to the market and will be aimed at households that cannot meet their housing needs under market conditions.
At the same time, the strategy places particular emphasis on utilizing the hundreds of thousands of vacant dwellings that remain off the market, considering that putting them to use is the fastest way to increase supply and ease pressure on rental prices.
In the area of direct support for citizens, the strategy incorporates existing financial assistance measures and provides for the continuation of policies that reduce housing costs for households. These include the reimbursement of one year’s rent for a primary residence or student housing, as well as housing and social reintegration programs for people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity.
The plan is directly linked to the new European policies on affordable housing and makes use of the funding opportunities offered by the European Plan for Affordable Housing. Its underlying philosophy is that the housing crisis cannot be addressed solely through subsidies or loan programs, but primarily requires an increase in the housing supply, the utilization of vacant properties, and the development of a permanent stock of social housing.