In July 2026, a Greek court ordered an apartment in central Athens to stop operating as a short-term rental — not because of a licence problem, tax issue or zoning restriction, but because the building’s own regulation, written in 1970, prohibited it.
The ruling matters to anyone who owns or is considering buying an apartment in a Greek building with multiple owners. A valid ΑΜΑ registration does not settle the question of whether your building permits short-term letting. This article sets out what the court decided, what it does not decide, and what owners should check.
What did the Athens court actually rule?
Decision 2937/2026 of the Single-Member Court of First Instance of Athens (Μονομελές Πρωτοδικείο Αθηνών) ordered a property management company to stop using an apartment in central Athens for short-term rental and to use it only as a residence, on the grounds that the building’s regulation restricted the apartments to residential use.
The case came to court as an application for interim measures (ασφαλιστικά μέτρα), brought by the building’s manager, who also owned an apartment in the same building, against the company operating the unit as tourist accommodation. The court granted the application in part.
Why did a 1970 document decide a 2026 case?
The decisive documents were the deed of horizontal property and the building regulation, both drawn up on 15 May 1970, which stated that the apartments were intended as residences and prohibited any different use, including hotel-type activity and uses generating unusual visitor traffic or noise.
The obvious objection is that neither Airbnb nor Booking.com existed in 1970, so the regulation cannot have meant to prohibit them. The court rejected that reasoning. It held that the absence of any named reference to short-term rental platforms does not mean short-term rental is automatically permitted, and interpreted the regulation according to the original owners’ intention — which was to exclude uses that turn apartments into tourist accommodation, produce frequent guest turnover, and place additional load on the shared parts of the building.
Does this ban Airbnb in all Greek apartment buildings?
No — the decision applies to the specific building in the case and does not impose a horizontal ban on short-term rental across all Greek buildings.
This is the point most likely to be misreported. What the ruling establishes is that an old building regulation can be sufficient grounds to block short-term letting, even when it says nothing about platforms. Whether it does so in any particular building depends on the wording of that building’s own regulation. Where a regulation is silent on the question, courts assess each case on its own facts.
Does a valid ΑΜΑ protect you?
No — the court’s reasoning rested on the private-law obligations that co-owners in a Greek building owe each other under the building regulation, which is a separate question from whether a property is correctly registered with the tax authority.
An ΑΜΑ confirms that a property is registered in the Short-Term Stay Property Registry held by AADE. It does not confirm that the building’s co-ownership arrangements permit the use. The two operate independently, and compliance with one does not answer the other.
What the ruling does and does not do
| What it does | What it does not do |
|---|---|
| Confirms that a building regulation predating short-term rental platforms can be used to block them | Impose any general or national ban on short-term rental in apartment buildings |
| Establishes that silence on platforms in a regulation is not the same as permission | Affect buildings whose regulations permit commercial or tourist use |
| Allows interpretation based on the original intent of the founding owners | Override or invalidate a validly issued ΑΜΑ |
| Gives co-owners and building managers a route to interim relief | Create an automatic remedy — each case turns on its own regulation and facts |
Case summary
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Decision | 2937/2026 |
| Court | Single-Member Court of First Instance of Athens (Μονομελές Πρωτοδικείο Αθηνών) |
| Procedure | Interim measures (ασφαλιστικά μέτρα), granted in part |
| Applicant | Building manager, also an owner in the building |
| Respondent | Property management company operating the apartment |
| Location | Central Athens |
| Governing document | Deed of horizontal property and building regulation dated 15 May 1970 |
| Outcome | Short-term rental use ordered to cease; residential use only. Monetary penalty threatened for breach. |
What should owners and buyers check?
Before buying or listing an apartment in a Greek building with multiple owners, the document to obtain is the κανονισμός πολυκατοικίας — the building regulation — together with the deed of horizontal property, and the clause to look for is any restriction of the apartments to residential use or any prohibition on hotel-type or commercial activity.
Older buildings are the higher risk, because regulations written in the 1960s and 1970s frequently restrict use to residence in broad terms. Newer buildings may address short-term rental explicitly in either direction. In both cases the regulation is a private document held with the property title, obtainable from the seller, the notary or the land registry — it is not something the ΑΜΑ registration process checks on your behalf.
Where the regulation is silent, the position is unsettled rather than safe. A silent regulation means a court would have to decide, and this decision shows that courts are willing to read a general residential restriction as covering short-term rental.
Frequently asked questions
Can my building stop me renting on Airbnb in Greece?
Yes, if the building regulation restricts the apartments to residential use or prohibits tourist or commercial activity, as an Athens court confirmed in decision 2937/2026.
Does the building regulation have to mention Airbnb by name?
No — the Athens court held that a regulation drawn up in 1970, which made no reference to short-term rental platforms, still prohibited the use.
Is this a nationwide ban on Airbnb in Greek apartment buildings?
No — the ruling applies to the building in question, and other buildings depend on the wording of their own regulations.
Does having an ΑΜΑ mean my building cannot object?
No — an ΑΜΑ is a tax registry entry and is separate from the private-law obligations co-owners owe each other under the building regulation.
Which buildings are most at risk?
Older buildings, because regulations drawn up before short-term rental platforms existed commonly restrict apartments to residential use in broad terms.
Sources and method
This article is based on Greek reporting of decision 2937/2026 of the Single-Member Court of First Instance of Athens, published in July 2026 by outlets including ERT, SKAI, Protothema and Newsit. The full text of the decision was not available at the time of writing; details described here are those consistently reported across those sources. Where a specific figure for the threatened penalty was reported without corroboration, it has been omitted.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Building regulations differ from building to building and the position in any individual case should be confirmed with a Greek lawyer.
Related: Airbnb Regulations in Athens 2026 and Greece Airbnb Regulations 2026.
Greek BnB Data provides insights for property owners and investors across Greece. Brothers Consulting manages short-term rental properties in Porto Heli, Ermionida, Argolida and Thessaloniki, Greece.