The 2025 property tax must now be paid

The 2025 property tax in Greece must now be paid By Christos ILIOPOULOS* Athens, 16 March 2025 The Greek tax authority has uploaded the yearly property tax to be paid by almost all property owners. The state has issued earlier than ever before within the year, the amount which every property owner must pay. The annual property tax called ENFIA is paid by owners of apartments, houses, buildings, plots, lands, parking lots and in general by anyone who owns any type of real estate in the country. The owner must pay this tax irrespective of whether they own the full ownership of any property or a share of it, or just the bare ownership or the usufruct. The ENFIA property tax this year can be paid in twelve monthly installments, starting from end of March 2025. The property tax in Greece is low, compared to other countries, especially if your total personal real estate property is worth below 500,000 Euros or if you do not own one single property right worth more than 400,000 Euros. The tax authority evaluation of properties is usually slightly lower than market values, although there are cases where the state evaluation is higher than the market price. Each physical person or legal entity (i.e. company, organization etc.), owning real estate in Greece, must pay the annual property tax for properties they own and which they must have listed in their E9 tax form. Each time anyone obtains or disposes off property in Greece, they must lodge the transaction with the tax authority in their E9 form, which lists all their real estate assets. The tax authority each year estimates the tax values of the properties which are listed in the E9 form of every taxpayer and it imposes the property tax. This tax is practically paid by the person who owned the property on the first day of each year. If you sell your property in February, you must normally pay the property tax for that year, unless you agree otherwise with the buyer, something which rarely happens. If a property is not lodged with the tax office E9 form, it will not incur property tax. But if your property is not listed in your E9 form essentially you cannot do anything with it. If you wish to sell it or gift it, or rent it, or get a loan / mortgage by a bank, or claim it before a court of low in case of a trespass or boundary dispute, you will not be able to do it. Therefore, every property owner in Greece must declare all their real estate assets in their E9 tax form and then pay every year the ENFIA property tax. If you own property in Greece you will not receive any notice by mail, or even e-mail stating the exact amount of this property tax that you must pay. You may only receive an e-mail by the tax office, alerting you that you must pay the tax for the properties that you own. You, your accountant or your lawyer must go on line using your username and password to enter your on-line tax file, go to the specific sections of the site and find out how much it is that you must pay. The tax is paid usually on line, either via internet banking (the payment will show in about three business days), or even better, using your credit or debit cards (the payment will show immediately). This year for the first time property owners who live outside of Greece have the option to pay their taxes in Greece using their credit or debit cards issued by foreign (non – Greek) banks, essentially just as they buy items or pay for services on line. They only need to be familiar with the site of the Greek tax authority, which is only in Greek, and after a few clicks they can pay their taxes in Greece. *Christos ILIOPOULOS, attorney at the Supreme Court of Greece , LL.M. www.greekadvocate.eu e-mail: bm-bioxoi@otenet.gr

Ο κοινός λογαριασμός δεν κληρονομείται ούτε φορολογείται

Ο κοινός λογαριασμός δεν κληρονομείται ούτε φορολογείται Του Χρήστου Ηλιόπουλου* Αθήνα, 16 Μαϊου 2025 Πολλές φορές προκύπτουν αντιδικίες που φθάνουν στα δικαστήρια αναφορικώς με κοινούς τραπεζικούς λογαριασμούς, όταν ένας εκ των συνδικαιούχων του λογαριασμού πεθαίνει. Οι διαμάχες μπορεί να προκύψουν εξ αιτίας της αξίωσης των κληρονόμων του θανόντος να κληρονομήσουν τον κοινό λογαριασμό, επειδή πιστεύουν ότι ως κληρονόμοι του θανόντος κληρονομούν και τον κοινό τραπεζικό λογαριασμό ή έστω μέρος αυτού. Ο νόμος, όμως, στην Ελλάδα, όπως και σε πολλές άλλες χώρες, ορίζει διαφορετικά. Εάν επί παραδείγματι σ’ έναν κοινό τραπεζικό λογαριασμό μεταξύ τριών προσώπων, του Α, του Β και του Γ, πεθάνει ο Β, τα χρήματα του κοινού λογαριασμού ή έστω το μερίδιο του Β που πέθανε, δεν τα κληρονομούν οι κληρονόμοι του Β, αλλά παραμένουν στον κοινό λογαριασμό και οι μόνοι που δικαιούνται να τα λάβουν είναι οι επιζώντες συνδικαιούχοι, δηλαδή ο Α και ο Γ. Αυτό συμβαίνει εφόσον κατά το άνοιγμα του κοινού τραπεζικού λογαριασμού είχε τεθεί ο όρος του άρθρου 2 του Νόμου 5638/1932, που ορίζει ακριβώς αυτό, ότι δηλαδή σε κατάθεση που είναι κοινή μεταξύ περισσοτέρων του ενός, σε περίπτωση θανάτου του ενός εκ των καταθετών, το υπόλοιπο της κατάθεσης δικαιούται να το λάβει ο επιζών καταθέτης και όχι οι κληρονόμοι του θανόντος καταθέτη. Αξίζει να σημειωθεί ότι ο όρος του άρθρου 2 τίθεται σχεδόν αυτόματα με το άνοιγμα κάθε κοινού τραπεζικού λογαριασμού σε ελληνική τράπεζα. Ένα άλλο ζήτημα που μπορεί να τεθεί σε περίπτωση θανάτου ενός εκ των καταθετών ενός κοινού λογαριασμού είναι εάν το υπόλοιπο της τραπεζικής κατάθεσης κατά τον χρόνο θανάτου υπόκειται σε φόρο κληρονομίας. Η απάντηση είναι ότι η κατάθεση σε κοινό τραπεζικό λογαριασμό δεν υπόκειται σε φόρο κληρονομίας κατά τον θάνατο ενός εκ των συνδικαιούχων του λογαριασμού. Μόνο όταν έχουν αποβιώσει όλοι οι συνδικαιούχοι και έχει μείνει ένας μόνο, τότε η κατάθεση έχει παύσει πλέον να είναι κοινή, ο λογαριασμός έχει μετατραπεί σε ατομικό, οπότε με τον θάνατο του ενός και μοναδικού καταθέτη, οι κληρονόμοι του υποχρεούνται να δηλώσουν το υπόλοιπο της κατάθεσης στην εφορία και να πληρώσουν φόρο κληρονομίας, εφόσον βεβαίως το ποσό της κατάθεσης δεν είναι μικρότερο του αφορολόγητου ορίου αναλόγως των λεπτομερειών της κάθε κληρονομικής υπόθεσης. Κατ’ αυτόν τον τρόπο, εάν υπάρχει κοινός τραπεζικός λογαριασμός μεταξύ γονέα και τέκνου και αποβιώσει ο γονέας, το υπόλοιπο του λογαριασμού το λαμβάνει το τέκνο, το οποίο δεν πληρώνει φόρο κληρονομίας. Διευκρινίζεται ότι το τέκνο λαμβάνει το υπόλοιπο του λογαριασμού όχι ως κληρονόμος, αλλά ως συνδικαιούχος του λογαριασμού. Το ίδιο συμβαίνει ανεξαρτήτως το αν οι συνδικαιούχοι του λογαριασμού είναι μεταξύ τους συγγενείς ή όχι. Στον κοινό λογαριασμό μεταξύ του Α και του Β, οι οποίοι δεν έχουν καμία συγγένεια μεταξύ τους, σε περίπτωση θανάτου του Α ή του Β, ο έτερος που επιζεί είναι και ο δικαιούχος της κατάθεσης, χωρίς να πληρώνει φόρο κληρονομίας και χωρίς να δικαιούνται της καταθέσεως οι κληρονόμοι του αποβιώσαντος συνδικαιούχου του λογαριασμού. Στην υπ’ αριθ. 11.969/2024 απόφασή του το Διοικητικό Πρωτοδικείο Αθηνών έκρινε υπόθεση κοινού τραπεζικού λογαριασμού, στην οποία η φορολογική αρχή επέβαλε φόρο κληρονομίας στην συνδικαιούχο του λογαριασμού, μετά τον θάνατο ετέρου συνδικαιούχου. Το Δικαστήριο έκρινε, όπως αναμενόταν, ότι η επιβολή φόρου κληρονομίας από το κράτος σε υπόλοιπο κοινής τραπεζικής κατάθεσης μετά τον θάνατο ενός εκ των συνδικαιούχων δεν είναι σύμφωνη με το νόμο. Γι’ αυτό το Δικαστήριο ακύρωσε τον φόρο και διέταξε την επιστροφή από την εφορία στην συνδικαιούχο του λογαριασμού τυχόν ποσών που εκείνη είχε ήδη καταβάλει ως φόρο κληρονομίας. *Ο Χρήστος Ηλιόπουλος είναι Δικηγόρος παρ’ Αρείω Πάγω, Master of Laws. www.greekadvocate.eu bm-bioxoi@otenet.gr

Power of attorney abroad for transactions in Greece

Power of attorney abroad for transactions in Greece By Christos ILIOPOULOS* Athens, 2 February 2025 When someone wants to sign a real estate transaction in Greece but does not reside in the country, he/she can sign the deed indirectly, by signing a power of attorney (POA) at the country where he/she lives, by which they empower someone who lives in Greece to sign on their behalf. The person who signs the POA is the principal and the person who receives the mandates and the powers to act on behalf of the principal, is the agent or attorney. The POA can be signed in the foreign country, at the Consulate of Greece which is nearest the residence of the principal. In that case, the POA will be executed only in the Greek language. If the principal does not understand Greek, an interpreter will interpret the text of the POA in the language the principal understands. Alternatively, the POA can be signed at a notary public, in the language of the country where the notary resides or even in Greek sometimes. If the POA is signed before a notary, it usually needs the Apostille, meaning the certification of the Convention of the Hague of 5 October 1961, to be valid in Greece. Signing a POA facilitates the property transaction in Greece, without the need the party to be present in Greece during the various legal stages of that transaction and at the time of the closing and of the signing of the final deed. It is possible that both parties to the transaction are not physically present, since both may have signed powers of attorney, so the transaction can be signed by two agents or attorneys. In Greek law it is even possible, the same person to sign on behalf of both parties, provided the parties do not have conflicting interests and the POA text specifically allows it. For example, the same agent could sign a parental gift from parent to child, representing parent and child at the same time, but not a negotiated property purchase deed, since seller and buyer usually have conflicting interests and thus can’t be represented by the same attorney. In the case of a parental gift, where the parent gifts real estate property to a child, if neither party is physically present in Greece, two powers of attorney must be signed, each of them with different content. One is signed by the parent, and primarily provides power to the agent to gift the property to a specific child. The other POA is signed by the child, primarily giving power to the agent to accept the specific parental gift. Equally, if the transaction involves the sale/purchase of immovable property, each party, seller and buyer, can sign the preparatory documents and the closing deed either physically, or by power of attorney, which they have previously signed at a Greek Consulate, or at a notary, in Greece or abroad. Sometimes, the entire process involves more than one transaction. For instance, it may be that the seller first needs to accept the inheritance of a deceased, and then to actually sell the inherited property. This will be done with two separate deeds, both signed before a notary in Greece. One is the acceptance of inheritance and the other is the sale deed. Both transactions can be included in the same POA, as long as the principal is aware of the legal situation, has discussed in detail with an attorney in Greece and has made up his mind on whether he will sell the property right after he has formally inherited it. In other cases, once a property sale has been negotiated, it is discovered by the notary and the attorneys, that the property deed needs to be modified and corrected, before the asset can be sold. Usually, when a deed must be corrected, the agent (attorney) working for the seller, must have specific POA to sign a specific type of modification of the title deed. Even if the seller and his attorney in Greece have diligently prepared the case and the specific POA which is required, it may be that subsequently it is the civil engineer who discovers different technical specifications of the property, which are not mentioned in the much older deed, which require a modification of the title of the property, before it can be sold. The principal, who signs the POA, must trust his/her agent, to whom they give powers to act on behalf of them, with regards to their property in Greece, in order to ensure that their interests are served and their instructions are followed. The specific text of each POA must be provided by the attorney and/or the notary in Greece, who are responsible for drafting the deed of transfer of the property. Each case has significant particularities and, although basic standard drafts of a purchase or a sale POA do exist, in the vast majority of cases they need significant modifications and adaptions to the specific circumstances of each property transaction, given the numerous requirements of Greek law for property transactions. *Christos ILIOPOULOS, attorney at the Supreme Court of Greece , LL.M. www.greekadvocate.eu e-mail: bm-bioxoi@otenet.gr

An estate in Greece for a foreign heir

An estate in Greece for a foreign heir By Christos ILIOPOULOS* Athens, 18 January 2025 People residing in another country happen to be entitled to an estate or to a share of it in Greece. They can claim it, so the asset, be it immovable or movable property, can be transferred to their name, and then they can keep it, or sell it. The process might be somehow bureaucratic, but they will not have to do most of it themselves. An estate which includes heirs and beneficiaries living outside of Greece can be settled usually by a Greek attorney who will act on behalf of the beneficiaries. They will sign a POA (power of attorney), drafted by the attorney, at the Greek Consulate nearest their home, or at a local notary public with an Apostille certification, which will be the instrument allowing the attorney in Greece to do all the legal steps to transfer title to the heirs. The first document which is required is the death certificate of the person who owned assets in Greece. If the passing took place in another country, we need to ascertain whether the deceased was born in Greece or not. It is important to establish if he/she had the Greek citizenship or not. This will determine how we issue the much – needed certificate of next of kin. If the person who passed was a Greek citizen, the next of kin certificate is issued by the Municipality of his/her registration in Greece. If the deceased was not born in Greece and did not have the Greek citizenship - because there are many people born outside of Greece, who have nevertheless obtained the Greek citizenship at some point in their life - we usually work with the Greek tax office and the notary, so they accept two affidavits stating who are the next of kin, instead of the certificate by the Municipality, which can’t be issued due to the fact that the deceased was not registered as a Greek citizen. Whether a Will exists, what are its stipulations and if it has been probated in another country or needs to be probated in Greece, is also a significant factor for the successful pursuit of the estate claim. A foreign Will can usually become valid in Greece, depending on its provisions and how we harmonize them to the Greek legal system. To settle an estate, we also need information about the assets located in Greece. If the estate includes immovable properties, copies of the deeds can be very helpful. In case the heirs do not have them, the attorney will usually be able to locate them at the local land registry. Practical information is also useful or mandatory. For example, if the property is not a house, which usually can be located, but land or plots without specific address, locating them might be a challenge. Older deeds in Greece may not describe the properties in detail and for lands there is no address written in the contracts. If the heirs know how to actually get to the properties or have trusted relatives or local neighbors who can guide them, the estate will be settled speedier. Sometimes, having even the key to a house can make a difference, since to settle the estate usually a civil engineer must visit and inspect the property, in order to survey it. When the estate includes bank accounts at a Greek bank, the information which will immensely help is the account number and/or bank documents, like a bank leaflet or transaction statements, which will provide information about the accounts and other banking products which belonged to the deceased. Finally, in the vast majority of cases, the costs to transfer the estate or its share to the heir/beneficiary, (back taxes, legal, notary, civil engineer, possible legalization fines, miscellaneous), is between 2 – 8% approximately of the value of the inherited property, which means that the persons who are entitled to the estate will definitely gain from pursuing this claim. *Christos ILIOPOULOS, attorney at the Supreme Court of Greece , LL.M. www.greekadvocate.eu e-mail: bm-bioxoi@otenet.gr

Μέτρα στήριξης της αγοράς ακινήτων στην Ελλάδα

Μέτρα στήριξης της αγοράς ακινήτων στην Ελλάδα Του Χρήστου Ηλιόπουλου* Αθήνα, 22 Δεκεμβρίου 2024 Το ακίνητο ήταν και είναι το πιο ασφαλές αποταμιευτικό καταφύγιο για τους Έλληνες, αν και τα τελευταία χρόνια φαίνεται ότι το ποσοστό ιδιοκατοίκησης, δηλαδή των κατοίκων της Ελλάδας που έχουν δικό τους σπίτι, έχει μειωθεί από το 80% που ήταν πριν 20 – 30 χρόνια, στο 70%. Μεγάλο μέρος της ελληνικής οικονομίας στηρίζεται στην ανέγερση, την χρήση και την φορολογία επί ακινήτων, στις αγοραπωλησίες, στην εισροή κεφαλαίων από το εξωτερικό για αγορά παντός είδους ακινήτων στην όμορφη Ελλάδα και στην επονομαζόμενη Golden Visa. Πρόσφατα μέτρα που λαμβάνει η κυβέρνηση έχουν στόχο την διατήρηση της σταθερότητας στην αγορά γύρω από την ακίνητη ιδιοκτησία, αλλά και στην παροχή κινήτρων και ευκαιριών για απόκτηση κατοικίας σε εκείνους που δεν μπορούν να ανταπεξέλθουν στις υψηλές τιμές των ακινήτων, όπως έχουν τα τελευταία χρόνια διαμορφωθεί, εξ αιτίας κυρίως του έντονου αγοραστικού ενδιαφέροντος από ξένους επενδυτές ακινήτων σε κάθε γωνιά της Ελλάδας. Στα μέτρα αυτά περιλαμβάνεται κατ’ αρχάς η διατήρηση για έναν ακόμα χρόνο, έως 31-12-2025, της αναστολής του Φόρου Προστιθέμενης Αξίας (ΦΠΑ) στα νεόδμητα ακίνητα. Ο νόμος κανονικά προβλέπει ότι όποιος αγοράζει νεόδμητο ακίνητο, πρέπει να πληρώσει 24% ΦΠΑ στην τιμή του ακινήτου. Εάν αυτό εφαρμοζόταν σήμερα, πολύ απλά θα επικρατούσε χάος! Εάν ένα μέσο καινούριο διαμέρισμα 100 τ.μ. δύο υπνοδωματίων πωλείται σήμερα 450.000 ευρώ σε μία μέσης αξίας περιοχή, η εφαρμογή του ΦΠΑ 24% θα διαμόρφωνε την τελική του τιμή για τον αγοραστή στο ποσό των σχεδόν 560.000 ευρώ. Κάποιος που έχει μηνιαίο εισόδημα στην Ελλάδα 1.800 ευρώ και θεωρείται καλά αμειβόμενος, θα ήθελε δύο ζωές για να αποπληρώσει το στεγαστικό δάνειο για το παραπάνω διαμέρισμα. Ο ΦΠΑ στις νέες οικοδομές δεν ισχύει βεβαίως για όσους αγοράζουν την πρώτη τους κατοικία. Η παράταση αναστολής του ΦΠΑ στα νεόδμητα φαντάζει μονόδρομος και αυτό επέλεξε να κάνει η κυβέρνηση. Επίσης, παρατείνεται η αναστολή στον φόρο υπεραξίας κατά την πώληση ενός ακινήτου. Αυτό σημαίνει ότι στην Ελλάδα θα συνεχίσει ο πωλητής ενός ακινήτου να μην πληρώνει φόρο για το κέρδος που αποκτά όταν πωλεί το ακίνητο σε τιμή μεγαλύτερη από αυτήν που το απέκτησε. Κανονικά, ο φόρος υπεραξίας είναι 15% επί του κέρδους στην πώληση, αφαιρουμένων των πρώτων 25.000 ευρώ. Ωστόσο, η επιβολή του φόρου υπεραξίας σήμερα θα διατάρασσε την κτηματαγορά, γι’ αυτό κρίθηκε απαραίτητη η συνέχιση της αναστολής του. Ως κίνητρο για να προσφερθούν στην αγορά των ενοικιαζόμενων περισσότερα διαμερίσματα (κλειστά, ή σε βραχυχρόνια μίσθωση) θεωρείται το νέο μέτρο της απαλλαγής από τον φόρο εισοδήματος για τρία χρόνια όσων ιδιοκτητών έχουν δηλώσει για τρία τουλάχιστον έτη στην εφορία το διαμέρισμά τους ως κλειστό, δηλαδή μη ενοικιαζόμενο, αλλά και όσων ιδιοκτητών τα προσέφεραν στην βραχυχρόνια μίσθωση τύπου Airbnb, booking.com κλπ., εφόσον τώρα τα νοικιάσουν σε μακροχρόνιες μισθώσεις, δηλαδή με ελάχιστη διάρκεια μίσθωσης τα τρία χρόνια. Υπό την προϋπόθεση ότι η νέα μακροχρόνια μίσθωση θα συναφθεί από 8 Σεπτεμβρίου 2024 έως 31 Δεκεμβρίου 2025, ο εκμισθωτής, δηλαδή ο ιδιοκτήτης που τα νοικιάζει, δεν θα πληρώνει φόρο εισοδήματος για τρία χρόνια, θα γλυτώνει δηλαδή φόρο 15% ή και παραπάνω για μία τριετία. Το μέτρο αφορά διαμερίσματα έως 120 τ.μ. Σημαντική μείωση στο μισό του επιτοκίου δανεισμού για αγορά πρώτης κατοικίας προσφέρει το νέο πρόγραμμα Σπίτι Μου 2, που θα ισχύσει από τα μέσα περίπου Ιανουαρίου 2025. Αφορά σε όσους επιθυμούν να αποκτήσουν το πρώτο τους σπίτι, αιτούντες από 25 έως 50 ετών (ενώ το προηγούμενο πρόγραμμα είχε όριο τα 39 έτη). Η αξία του ακινήτου πρέπει να είναι έως 250.000 ευρώ και το χαμηλότοκο δάνειο μπορεί να είναι το 90% της αξίας αγοράς του ακινήτου. Η διάρκεια δανείου είναι τρία έως τριάντα έτη. Το έτος κατασκευής πρέπει να είναι έως το 2007 και η επιφάνεια του διαμερίσματος έως 150 τ.μ. Ως παράδειγμα αναφέρεται η αγορά ακινήτου 180.000 ευρώ, για την οποία ο αιτών θα λάβει δάνειο ποσό έως 162.000 ευρώ, ενώ θα πρέπει να βάλει 18.000 ευρώ δικά του χρήματα. Το επιτόκιο του δανείου θα είναι το μισό, σε σχέση με αυτό που δίνει η τραπεζική αγορά. Τέλος, απαλλάσσονται από τον ετήσιο φόρο περιουσίας, δηλαδή τον ΕΝΦΙΑ, οι ιδιοκτήτες διατηρητέων κτηρίων αξίας έως 400.000 ευρώ. Αυτό αποτελεί κίνητρο για όσους επιθυμούν να ανακαινίσουν διατηρητέα ακίνητα. Σημειωτέον ότι η ελάχιστη αξία ακινήτου για Golden Visa διατηρητέων ακινήτων παραμένει στο χαμηλό ποσό των 250.000 ευρώ, ενώ για τα λοιπά ακίνητα το ελάχιστο ποσό για τους επενδυτές ακινήτων (Golden Visa) έχει διαμορφωθεί στις 400.000 και στις 800.000 ευρώ, αναλόγως την περιοχή που βρίσκεται το ακίνητο. *Ο Χρήστος Ηλιόπουλος είναι Δικηγόρος παρ’ Αρείω Πάγω, Master of Laws. www.greekadvocate.eu bm-bioxoi@otenet.gr

End of November Deadline For Ktimatologio In Greece

End of November Deadline For Ktimatologio In Greece By Christos ILIOPOULOS* Athens, 26 November 2024 The Ktimatologio is the new, modern land registry in Greece, where all private and public properties of all types must be registered. This new land registry replaces the old one, called Hypothykophylakeeon. Irrespective of the fact that the property owners had registered the acquisition deeds at the land registry at the time they obtained the ownership of the property, few or many years ago, they now have to declare their property rights again, even if these have not changed since the last time they registered their deeds. This new land registry, already operating in a large number of areas all over Greece, provides a very accurate data basis for the technical and legal characteristics of all property rights, including size and form of the plot or land, surface measurement, boundaries definition, building technicalities and floor surface, GPS coordinates and other data. It also provides interconnection with other government sectors, primarily with the tax authority, in order to ensure that the state has harmonized its books and that all properties are accurately and uniformly registered with all state agencies. The new land registry called Ktimatologio started operating in many parts of Greece more than twenty years ago. Recently, however, the government has tried to speed up the registration process, so that within two years from now, almost the entire Greek territory must be covered by the Ktimatologio property data base. To this end, the most recent deadline is the 30th of November 2024, by which any property owner who has not yet filed their property with Ktimatologio, must do so. Filing your property at the Ktimatologio means filing, in person or on line, a copy of the deed(s) by which you have obtained the ownership of the property, its survey map unless it is an apartment, the certificate that you had registered your deed(s) with the old land registry, your passport or id card and proof of your AFM or Greek tax number. Depending on the case, there may be more documents needed in order the Ktimatologio service to accept your filing and later on to recognize you as the property owner. In cases where the heirs have accepted the estate of a deceased owner of property, there is a number of documents related to the inheritance, which must be filed, so the inheritance rights are recognized and the heirs become property owners at the Ktimatologio land registry. If a property owner does not file his/her deeds and other documents with the Ktimatologio, the owner will lose the ownership. There are areas of Greece where owners have already lost their property rights, which have been taken by the state. In the vast majority of cases, however, there is still time to file your property rights with the Ktimatologio or at least to initiate a court case where the court will recognize your property right, since you failed to file it on time. If you do not file, you will not be able to sell or rent your property and soon you will lose the ownership completely. Checking whether your property has been accurately filed with the Ktimatologio falls within the basic requirements of any property owner in Greece not only to physically inspect their property from time to time to make sure no trespassers are claiming the property, but also to be up to date with property taxes and with regards to any paperwork which must periodically be filed to various government agencies. *Christos ILIOPOULOS, attorney at the Supreme Court of Greece , LL.M. www.greekadvocate.eu e-mail: bm-bioxoi@otenet.gr

Parental Gift Deed in Greece

Parental Gift Deed in Greece By Christos ILIOPOULOS* Athens, 12 October 2024 Real estate property in Greece can be transferred from parent to child essentially without transfer tax. Immovable property worth up to 800,000 Euros from one parent to one child is free of transfer tax. Such a legal transaction is popular among the Greeks, as it reflects the strong ties which exist in most families between parents and children, indicating also the widespread wish of parents to pass the ownership of property to the next generation. Parents who wish to transfer one or more properties to their children, but at the same time prefer to continue living in the property, can choose the option to transfer to their child only the bare ownership and retain for life the usufruct. The latter is the right to economically exploit a real estate property, or to live in it. If we choose the gifting to the child of only the bare ownership, the parent retains the right to rent the property and receive the rental income, or the right to use the property at will. Often, the parties involved in the parental gift deed, meaning the parent and the child, elect to insert in the deed the term that the parent retains the right of the usufruct for life. This means that the parent gifts now the property to the child but he / she remains certain that the child will not throw him out of the house once the child obtains the ownership. The parent may retain the right of the usufruct for life and also add the term that after the parent passes, the usufruct goes first to his/her spouse, and only after the passing of the spouse, the child will become full owner. When the parent passes, the child who had received the bare ownership, automatically, without the need of any other legal transaction, becomes full owner, since the usufruct is united with the bare ownership in one person, the child. However, in the case of the passing of the parent, the child must seek legal advice about possible requirements to declare such change from bare to full ownership, to the local land registry, the Greek tax office and possibly to other authorities. The parental gift deed (goniki parohi, in Greek), like all deeds transferring or altering rights on real estate in Greece, is signed before a notary, after several certificates and other documents are issued, ensuring that the property is accurately described, measured and declared. This legal transaction involves two parties, the parent who is giving the gift and the child who is receiving it. Both parties must physically sign the deed at the notary’s office, once the paperwork is prepared and all the supplementary documents are drafted. If one or both parties are not residing in Greece, they can sign a power of attorney (POA), at a Greek notary or at a Greek Consulate, empowering a trusted person in Greece, to prepare the certificates and finally sign the deed of transfer at the notary’s office on behalf of the party who is not able to physically attend the signing of the parental gift. Both parties must sign a notarial POA for the parental gift, not only the parent who is gifting the property, but also the child who is accepting it, if they cannot sign the deed in person. The text of the POA is elaborate, like most real estate transactions in Greece, and must be drafted by the notary or a lawyer. It will then be presented to the parent and/or the child who are abroad, or are in Greece, but will not stay long enough until the signing of the deed. The parent and/or the child who will sign the POA must fully understand its text. If they do not speak Greek, an interpreter is appointed. If the POA is to be signed at a Greek Consulate located outside of Greece, or even at a notary in a foreign country, the draft is e-mailed to the foreign notary or to the Greek Consulate and the final text is completed by the Consulate or the foreign notary, who will certify the signature of the party (parent and/or child) who is signing the POA. If the POA is signed outside of Greece at a notary’s office and not at the Greek Consulate, an Apostille or other local certification may have to be attached, before the POA hardcopy is sent to Greece. The parent who wishes to sign a parental gift must have at least a photocopy of the deed by which the parent has obtained the ownership of the property. If such a copy is not available, a lawyer will make a title search at the local land registry under the name of the parent and should be able to locate the deed and get a copy of it. *Christos ILIOPOULOS, attorney at the Supreme Court of Greece , LL.M. www.greekadvocate.eu e-mail: bm-bioxoi@otenet.gr