Go West Property Management

EOT Licenses

In order to legally rent your Greek or Crete property to holiday makers you must obtain a license from the Greek National Tourist Organisation (EOT  -  Elliniko Organismo Tourismo).

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 license.  

The Greek authorities are clamping down heavily on rented property that is not licensed, and if you are caught renting without one you face arrest and a court appearance with at least a hefty fine, and possible deportation.

If your house, apartment or villa is rented long term, over 3 months to one party, this is not classed as a holiday rental and you do NOT require the EOT licence, but you will still be required to declare any income on your Greektax return.

 

Obtaining an EOT Licence

The rules are complicated and liable to change, while each application and property is looked at individually so the following information should be taken as a general guide only and is not an exhaustive list.

Main Points

  • The most important specification at the outset is that the building corresponds exactly to the architectural plans, and be aware that there is in a minimum room size in force by EOT.
  • If your property is in a block then currently all properties on the plot are required to be licensed by EOT. The same applies for a shared swimming pool. This situation is currently being reassessed by EOT
  • There are strict requirements for swimming pools - depth, markings and warning signs. An 'operational' licence obtained from the town hall is also required.


Process

Stage 1

  • 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.
  • 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.

Stage 2
Includes the following documents: (this is not an exclusive list, rather a guide)

  • Certificate of Fire Safety from the Fire Department
  • Certificate of Water Clarity for the drinking water supplied to the house
  • Copy of your criminal record (Ποινικό Μητρώο)  
  • Certificate from the Tax Office to show you owe no taxes.

The process requires the co-operation of an architect or civil engineer to get started, followed by a long paper chase and various inspection visits to the property.

If you do not live here, or do not speak Greek you will need to appoint and pay someone to do the running around for the paperwork and liaise with EOT, the fire department, the local council etc throughout the various certifications. This can be your architect, civil engineer, lawyer or an agent, although not all lawyers and architects are willing to undertake this.
They normally charge in the region of 3,000 to 5,000 euros.

The whole process can take many months to complete.

When you register your property with EOT you are in effect registering a business so you should always consult a Greek accountant as to the tax implications.

Living in Crete. A Guide to living, working, retiring and buying a property in Crete.

This article is based on the book Living in Crete. A Guide to living, working, retiring and buying a property in Crete.

 

Unfortunately there are still some builders that fail to fully understand the EOT regulations and some have been known to tell potential customers that an EOT license is not necessary.  If you are purchasing your home with a view to renting, we would strongly advise that you take independent advice.  We can help you with this.   A few areas where mistakes can be made are

Pools

The size, design and construction of your pool will need to comply with the EOT regulations.

Central Heating

If you have or are planning to have central heating, particular attention should be paid to ensure that your building allowance is sufficient to allow you to legally build a storage room for your boiler.  The location of a boiler room and the materials used to build it are important and if you fail to build your boiler room to satisfy the EOT regulations, then the Fire Department will not issue the necessary certificate.

If your builder provides you with a pool or a boiler room that does not comply with the regulations, then it can be costly to rectify the situation

We have assisted many clients through the process of applying and obtaining an EOT license.  We can put you in touch with respected professionals who are independent from the building companies so our clients can be confident that they will do a thorough job.

We can assist with the following:

Liasing with the Fire Department for preliminary and Final Inspections

Supplying and fitting the necessary fire equipment (extinguishers, safety lights and fire hose)

Once your fire extinguishers are fitted, we can arrange for them to be checked annually to ensure they remain safe to use.

We can arrange to provide the pool safety equipment necessary to pass the inspection from the health department.

We hold the necessary Lifeguard Diploma required for pools that are used by tourists.  This can be worth 500 points if you are applying through the ‘key system’.

We also hold other certificates that our clients can use in order to obtain 275 points if they are applying for an EOT license under the Key system.

Please contact us for further information, or to discuss charges.