EOT Licence

It is a Greek Government requirement that any property being used for holiday letting, broadly defined as for periods of less than three months requires a licence from the Greek Tourist Board (EOT). Whether you rent to friends or through a third party, if you are receiving an income from the house as a holiday rental you are required by Greek law to have an EOT licence. The Greek authorities are clamping down heavily on rented property that is not licenced, and if you are caught renting without one you face arrest and a court appearance with at least a hefty fine, and possible deportation.

The process of obtaining a licence can be lengthy and exhausting. It is a two part multi stage process that can broadly be defined as follows:

• EOT require a list of architectural and structural papers of the property to be licenced. Normally the architect or civil engineer who drew up the plans for your property needs to do this. These papers are then stamped and deposited with EOT who will arrange to visit the property to check the building against the plans to ensure that everything corresponds. The papers required broadly correspond to those that accompany a building licence. If the plans are approved (there are no guarantees) you will be issued with a protocol number and then asked to submit the second stage papers which also pertain to you, the owner.

• Obtain a Certificate of Fire Safety from the Fire Department
• Obtain a Certificate of Water Clarity for the drinking water supplied to the house
• Obtain a copy of your criminal record
• Obtain a Certificate of Tax Clearance from your Tax Office

If you think all of this does not sound too formidable, you do not live in Crete! It will take months of chasing both other people and your own tail.

The regulations are complex and subject to frequent change. One of the primary things you need to consider is that if the property you seek to obtain a licence on is not detached, you will need to apply for the licence for every property in the block that it is attached to, both horizontally and vertically. If you apply for a licence for a house, it must come with it's own plot of land. If it is on a shared plot of land all properties on that shared land must be licenced.

The property has to fulfil various requirements, some of which are set out below:

• To sleep 2/3 people. Must be a minimum of 40m² including a bathroom of minimum 2.80m²

• Minimum size of 60m2
• Minimum of 2 rooms plus a bathroom
• Must have a Living Room with a Kitchen area with a cooker hood
• Must have a minimum of 1 bedroom
• Must have a bathroom with a minimum size of 2.80m²

• Must be a minimum of 75m² with a minimum of three rooms
• Must have a Living Room with a Kitchen area with a cooker hood
• Must have a minimum of one bedroom
• Additional bedrooms must be bigger than 15m²
• Must have a minimum of one bathroom with a minimum size of 2.80m²
• If bigger than 75m² one additional toilet is required

All the above properties must:

• Have sofas, arm chairs and occasional tables in the living room area
• Have a dining table and chairs
• Have an extractor unit in the kitchen if the kitchen is open plan
• Have a refrigerator and a minimum of two cooking rings
• Have a wardrobe of minimum size 1.5m x 0.6m in each bedroom
• Have bathrooms tiled to a minimum height of 1.2m and a shaver point
• Have flushing toilet in each bathroom
• Have a minimum of one shower in each bathroom
• Have hot water available in all bathrooms, toilets and kitchen

Properties for more than four people must:

• Have an oven in the kitchen
• Have single beds between 1 and 2 metres wide and double beds between 1.4 and 2 metres wide
• Have bedside cabinets
• Have Chairs
• Have electrical sockets in every room
• Have patio furniture made of wood, metal or stone

Properties for more than ten people must:

• Have a mimimum of one room for people with disabilities (Disabled facilities must be provided, toilets, taps etc. bedrooms, floor space etc as UK regulations)
• Have internal staircases between floors of the house
• Have interior doors with a minimum width of 0.80m
• Have a dirty linen basket

There is also a Luxury Villa category where the rules are slightly different again

• Can sleep up to 10 people including any domestic help living in
• Must have a minimum of 100m² living space
• Bedrooms must be a minimum of 25m²
• Must have a minimum of one living room with sofas, armchairs and occasional tables
• Must have a bathroom of minimum size 4m² for every two bedrooms
• Must have a kitchen with an oven (electric or gas) and fully fitted with all necessary systems, fridge, cooker, toaster, mixer and coffee machine
• Must have a separate cloakroom with toilet
• Must have a separate storage room
• Must have a laundry/utility room
• Must have one telephone line with a minimum of two telephones
• Must have a garage or car port
• Must have fully landscaped grounds with exterior lighting and gardens be fenced and planted with a variety of flowers and trees
• Garden furniture for the terraces and/or pergolas
• Must have a Colour-TV and music centre

Please note that these lists are not exhaustive, are subject to frequent change and should not be relied on as anything other than broad guidelines. We advise that you apply for the EOT licence in conjunction with our architects who keep themselves up to date on the requirements. There is a fee of 5000 euros for the licence which lasts for five years.