Social housing in Greek: there will be apartments, but not soon and not for everyone

Greek government promises affordable housing, but at the first stage we are talking only about 130 apartments social rent all over the country – and only to 2029.

Housing crisis V Greece has reached the stage where any news about “affordable housing” should sound like salvation. But in the Greek version, salvation for some reason again looks like mockery. The government announced the launch of the scheme social αντιπαροχή — social compensatory development, within which at the first stage it is planned to build about 400 apartmentsof which only approximately 130 will be used for social rent.

And this is where the fun begins. These 130 apartments – not for one district, not for one city, and not even for one region. It’s on the whole country. For a state where renting has long been a form of financial strangulation, such a figure looks not like politics, but like a bad joke told from the podium.

Young families are asked to wait

The timing sounds especially touching. The first competitions are promised to be announced in 2026and the first apartments, if everything goes according to plan, will only be ready for the start 2029. That is, young people and families who today can no longer pay for housing are simply asked to be patient a little. Three or four years. During this time, “young families” may well have time to become just families, then tired families, and then people who have completely lost faith in government assistance.

The scheme itself looks like this: private developers use their own money to build or reconstruct houses on government plots and facilities. In exchange, they receive part of the apartments for ownership or commercial use. The state retains part of the housing stock, at least 30%which it then promises to rent out at a reduced price to those who meet the income criteria.

Social policy or a gift to contractors?

On paper, everything is neat and even noble. The facilities must be modern, with almost zero energy consumption, and the quality of construction for “social” and “regular” apartments is promised to be the same. So that, as they explain to us, houses of “two speeds” do not arise. Sounds nice. The only question is whether in the end it will not be the tenants who will benefit the most, but the contractors.

The first eight objects have already been selected. It’s mostly real estate ΔΥΠΑ in the regions Peania, Larisa, Pyrgos And Kalamata. It is there that construction is expected approximately 400 apartments. Near 130 They promise to distribute them according to social criteria, and the rest will become a reward for developers.

That is, the state actually tells society the following: we have housing crisis on a national scale, young people cannot rent an apartment and are leaving the countrybut we’ll start with 130 apartments throughout Greece and we will count it a serious step. For a press release, yes. For real life, this is almost a mockery.

The scale of the “big” solution

This table, perhaps better than any commentary, shows the scale of the “breakthrough”: 130 social rental apartments throughout the country and the first keys are only to 2029. Here even the satire gets a little tired, because reality again works without a scriptwriter.

Rent will be “cheaper than the market”

The amount of so-called social rent will be determined according to three criteria: recipients’ incomethe share of rent in their income and market prices in each specific area. In other words, housing should be noticeably cheaper than the regular market. The only problem is that so far citizens are not shown specific numbers, but a general scheme. And in Greece, as you know, between a beautiful scheme and harsh reality sometimes lies a whole abyss, built up with promises.

The government also states that in the future, about 2,500 housesand then the program will begin to expand. But for now, this all remains a promise for the future. And people’s housing crisis is not in the future. He is now. And they are forced to pay rent now, not in 2029.

How will social rent be calculated?

The size of the so-called social rent will not be determined arbitrarily, but according to three main criteria. At least that’s what it looks like on paper. And paper, as we know, can withstand almost everything in the Greek bureaucracy.

In practice, this is where the fun begins: how much below the market it will be “social rent”who will determine a fair price and whether it will turn “affordable rental” to regular rental, just with a nicer name.

Editorial comment

The idea of ​​using empty government properties to create affordable housing is a good one. But in its current form, the program looks like an example of how they are trying to cover a big social problem with a symbolic handout. 130 social rental apartments throughout Greece is not a solution to the crisis, but a bureaucratic parody of it.

The main danger is that, under the slogan of helping the population, the state will create a convenient scheme for developers to work with, while the social part will remain a small showcase of the project. Contractors will receive assets and profits, authorities will receive beautiful statements of care, and citizens will receive a chance to someday be among the “lucky ones.” Almost a lottery, only in the genre of housing policy.

The main word in this whole story is “if”.

• If the authorities really want to help.
• If contractors will not take away the main benefit.
• If the rent will be really preferential.
• If The apartments will be built on time.
• If the social part will not become a showcase on 130 lucky ones for the whole country.

The problem is that The housing crisis exists not “if”, but right now. Young families are paying inflated rent right now, the market is overheated right now, wages are not keeping up with prices right now. And the state responds with a program, the first results of which promise to 2029. This is not a solution to the crisis, but a bureaucratic postcard from the future.

If the authorities really want to help young people and families, they need big policies: more social housing, pressure on the speculative rental market, use of empty properties, control of short-term lettings and real measures against price madness. Everything else is when the house is on fire, and the state solemnly brings one glass of water and asks for applause.

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