Decision for Greek short-term rental market imminent

Greece’s Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) is set to clarify details of a December 2016 law regulating short-term rentals.

The authority said: "A decision by the AADE administration is expected in the coming period which will lay out the relevant details of the registry. The system will operate immediately after for Airbnb-type rentals."

The law calls for the creation of a registry where property owners renting out their homes as tourist accommodation will be required to sign up. Tax - at a progressive rate of 15 to 45 per cent - will be withheld on transaction and paid to authorities each quarter. Homes can be leased out for a total of 90 days in urban and popular tourist areas and for 50 days at smaller destinations.

AADE has yet to establish the said registry and relevant data base, while the current platform does not have a 'daily lease' option.

There are an estimated 45,000 to 60,000 short-term rental properties in Greece, of which 12,000 are in Athens. The country's hotel sector is believed to have been particularly hard by their impact.

Yiorgos Tsakiris, head of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, said: "Sharing economy activity emerged over the last seven year. It is expected to remain on the market but this negatively affects the market. It creates unfair competition for licensed businesses, earnings are not recorded, and employment is hurt."

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