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Greece: Greece is considering new restrictions on short-term rentals in some of its busiest tourism destinations as authorities look to address concerns around overtourism, housing availability and infrastructure pressure.
A new spatial planning proposal from Greece’s Ministry of Environment and Energy outlines potential measures that could limit the growth of Airbnb-style accommodation across islands and heavily visited areas.
The framework, which is currently open for public consultation, could allow authorities to introduce caps on the number of short-term rental properties in certain regions, restrict where rentals are permitted and limit how long homes can be rented to visitors.
One proposal attracting particular attention would prevent newly built homes on Greek islands from entering the short-term rental market by suspending the issuance of additional AMA registration numbers, which are required for legal operation on platforms such as Airbnb.
The proposal would also include short-term rentals in tourism capacity calculations alongside hotels and other accommodation providers when assessing whether destinations can sustainably manage visitor numbers.
According to local reports, discussions around the short-term rental measures continued until the final stages of drafting, with officials reportedly pushing for stronger regulation in areas facing rising tourism pressure.
Enforcement remains a challenge, however, as short-term rentals in Greece are currently classified as residential properties rather than tourism businesses. Oversight therefore largely falls under the Finance Ministry rather than tourism authorities.
Greece first introduced legislation regulating short-term rentals in 2016, although more active enforcement only began in 2025, particularly in central Athens neighbourhoods facing housing shortages and overcrowding.
The consultation process for the new framework is expected to continue for around two weeks before moving to the next stage.
Highlights:
- Greece is considering new restrictions on short-term rentals across islands and high-tourism destinations.
- Proposed measures could include rental caps, zoning restrictions and limits on how long homes can be rented to tourists.
- Authorities are also considering blocking newly built island homes from entering the short-term rental market through AMA registration limits.
- Short-term rentals could soon be included in tourism capacity calculations alongside hotels and traditional accommodation providers.
- The proposals come amid growing concerns around overtourism, housing shortages and infrastructure pressure in popular destinations.
