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List your propertyAthens has banned new short-term rental registrations in its 1st, 2nd and 3rd municipal districts since 1 January 2025, and in January 2026 the government extended the ban through 31 December 2026. Fines start at €20,000. The practical move for most central-Athens owners: switch to a three-year long-term lease before 31 December 2026 and take the full three-year rental income tax exemption that comes with it.
Which Athens districts are banned for new Airbnb registrations?
The suspension applies to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd municipal districts of the Municipality of Athens — the areas with the highest concentration of short-term rentals. That includes the historic centre and Plaka, Monastiraki, Koukaki, Kolonaki, Exarcheia and Metaxourgeio, as well as Pagrati, Mets, Neos Kosmos and Petralona. No new property can be added to the Short-Term Stay Registry (the AADE registry that issues the AMA number) in these districts while the ban is in force.
The measure took effect on 1 January 2025 as a one-year moratorium and has been renewed through the end of 2026. The government has openly discussed extending restrictions to other saturated areas, including parts of central Thessaloniki and island hotspots, so owners elsewhere in Attica should not assume the map is final. Separately, from 20 May 2026 the EU-wide short-term rental regulation requires a unique registration number to be displayed on every listing across all platforms.
What are the fines for illegal short-term rentals?
Enforcement is not theoretical. Under the framework of Law 5162/2024, letting short-term without a valid registration in a banned district carries, per reporting on the enforcement rules:
- First offense: a fine equal to 50% of the rental income earned from 1 January 2025 up to the inspection date, with a minimum of €20,000.
- Second offense in the same tax year: a fine equal to 100% of income earned since the previous inspection, with a minimum of €40,000.
Because platforms report booking and payout data to tax authorities under DAC7, AADE can cross-check listings against the registry automatically. The days of quietly listing an unregistered apartment are over.
Can I keep my existing Airbnb registration?
Yes. The ban blocks new registrations only; properties already in the registry can continue operating. But the cost of staying compliant has risen sharply. Under Law 5170/2025, every short-term rental must carry an AMA number plus liability insurance, fire-safety equipment, smoke detectors, an electrical safety certificate and pest-control documentation. And since 1 January 2025, the climate crisis resilience fee (TAKK) charges guests €8 per night in high season and €2 in low season for apartments (€15/€4 for detached houses over 80 m²), which the host must collect, declare and remit monthly via myAADE — with fines up to €5,000 for non-compliance.
In short: an existing registration is an asset, but one whose operating burden keeps growing while the city signals it wants fewer, not more, short-term rentals in the centre.
Airbnb vs long-term: what does each earn in 2026?
Market data makes the comparison less lopsided than most owners expect. According to Airbtics, the median Athens listing ran at 71% occupancy with an €81 average daily rate over February 2025–January 2026, and the average host grossed about €22,000; ListingOK puts occupancy at 64% and ADR at €87 for a similar period. On the long-term side, 2026 asking rents average about €14/m²/month in Koukaki–Makrygianni, €11 in Exarcheia and €20 in Kolonaki.
Here is an illustrative model for a 70 m² two-bedroom in Koukaki (District 1), using those sourced inputs (ADR €85, 65% occupancy ≈ 237 nights; long-term rent €980/month):
| Annual figures (illustrative) | Airbnb, self-managed | Long-term, 3-yr lease (tax-exempt) | Long-term, no exemption |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross rental income | €20,100 | €11,760 | €11,760 |
| Platform host fees (~3%) | −€600 | — | — |
| Utilities & internet (owner pays on STR) | −€1,800 | €0 (tenant pays) | €0 (tenant pays) |
| Cleaning, linen, consumables | −€2,000 | — | — |
| Maintenance, compliance, insurance | −€1,300 | −€500 | −€500 |
| Void / re-letting allowance | included in occupancy | −€300 | −€300 |
| Income tax (2026 scale, after 5% deemed expenses) | −€3,575 | €0 | −€1,675 |
| Net to owner | ≈ €10,825 | ≈ €10,960 | ≈ €9,285 |
| Owner time required | 5–8 hours/week | ~1 hour/month | ~1 hour/month |
Two things stand out. First, individual short-term hosts cannot deduct actual running costs — tax is levied on gross income minus a flat 5% — so the tax bill hits the whole €20,100, not the net. Second, once the 3-year exemption zeroes out the long-term tax bill, a hands-off long-term lease nets about the same as a self-managed Airbnb, without the cleaning logistics, guest messaging, fee remittances or the risk that the regulatory screws tighten further.
How do I switch to long-term without losing money?
- Time the transition around your booking calendar. Honour confirmed bookings, stop accepting new ones, and target a lease start within 1–2 months — every vacant month costs you ~€980 in the example above.
- Sign a lease of at least 3 years before 31 December 2026. Both the minimum duration and the signing deadline are conditions of the tax exemption under Law 5162/2024.
- Declare the lease electronically with AADE (the standard lease declaration), and from 1 January 2026 collect rent only by bank transfer — cash rent payments are banned.
- Reposition the apartment. A furnished, well-photographed unit in Koukaki or Pagrati lets quickly at the top of the local range; long-term demand in central Athens far exceeds supply.
- Screen tenants properly. The exemption rewards stability: an early termination without a new qualifying lease can cost you the tax benefit retroactively.
What is the 3-year tax exemption worth?
Under Law 5162/2024, rental income from a home of up to 120 m² (plus 20 m² per dependent child of the tenant beyond the second) is fully exempt from income tax for 36 months, provided the property was previously vacant or used exclusively for short-term rental, and a lease of at least three years is signed between 8 September 2024 and 31 December 2026.
Worked example: a 90 m² apartment let long-term at €1,100/month earns €13,200 a year. Under the 2026 tax scale (15% to €12,000, 25% above, after the 5% deemed expense deduction) the tax would be about €1,935 per year — so the exemption is worth roughly €5,800 over three years, the equivalent of more than five months of extra rent. Be aware of the clawback: if the property goes back onto short-term platforms or sits vacant during the 36 months, the exemption is revoked retroactively and the tax becomes payable.
For owners who want the long-term economics without the landlord workload — tenant sourcing and screening, lease declarations, rent collection, maintenance — professional long-term management firms such as mamaXO handle the full cycle in Athens, typically for a fraction of what short-term channel and cleaning fees consume. Whichever route you choose, the deadline that matters is fixed: qualifying leases must be signed by 31 December 2026.
