December 14, 2025

Athens News

News in English from Greece

Housing is getting more expensive, and Airbnb is done "extreme": who is beneficial?


Airbnb accused of increasing housing prices, but research University of Economic University Puts an end to this issue. Government Greece introduces restrictions on short -term lease, but the problem seems to be completely different.

“Airbnb is not to blame” – Approve experts, indicating the frightening figures of empty housing.

Apartment hysteria It continues: the authorities have an enemy, but there is no decision.

Who actually warms up rent prices? Spoiler: This is not Booking and not tourists.

How “innocently” Airbnb?

For a month now, the government has been playing in Search for guilty for rising rental prices and Housing crisis. The answer, it would seem, was found: this is Airbnb and Booking, the curse of all megacities, the destroyers of the “Rights to the Roof”. At least, they say in Athens, Paris, Barcelona and other cities where the living space turns into an object of exchange speculation.

But everything turned out to be not so simple. The new bomb flew right with Polytechno: According to the study University of Economics of Athens (οπα), Airbnb is not at all to blame. Moreover, he has nothing to do with it.

Turns out, The share of short -term rental in the center of Athens is only 1%. And here It is empty of 25% of housing -And on this occasion the government is somehow not customary to panic. Throughout the country 81.4% of real estate belongs to private traders with 1-2 objectsnot large investors, as populists like to scream.

Nevertheless, it was against Airbnb that a whole legislative offensive has been launched since the beginning of the year:

  • New tax gingerbread for those who rent housing for a long time,
  • freezing of licenses for short -term rental in “overpopulated” areas,
  • And, of course, the noise in the media sex on the topic “housing that we have lost.”

But if not Airbnb, then who is to blame? The study indicates the obvious: rental platforms have become an integral part of the economytourism and in general – one of the few industries where Greece is really competitive.

“Airbnb is not a problem”– says a cold scientific conclusion. But the attempts of politicians to write off everything is already Convenient fairy tale for the electorate. And the higher the price, the louder this fairy tale sounds.

The question remains open: Who is really to blame for the housing catastrophe? But one thing is clear for sure – if you look for a culprit with a mirror in your hands, you can be surprised.



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