The Greek government has introduced a new law (5229/2025) to tackle the country’s housing crisis with the help of two instruments – Social Consideration and Social Leasing. Their aim is to increase housing availability, and provide residences for Greeks at a cost that’s significantly lower than the current market rate.
Social Consideration (Κοινωνική Αντιπαροχή in Greek) is a partnership model where state or local authorities offer unused or stagnant public land or buildings to private contractors. The private contractors then finance construction or renovation and, in exchange for this right, will be required to set aside at least 30% of the newly built apartments to the Greek state, to be used as social housing.
Beneficiaries of social housing will be selected by the Organisation for Welfare Benefits and Social Solidarity (OPEKA) based on criteria such as income, assets, and family status. Beneficiaries include primarily low- to medium-income couples, new couples, large/single-parent families, and persons with disabilities.
The second, Social Leasing instrument can be considered as a “rent to own” option where tenants who continuously occupy their residence for over ten years, and continue to meet social housing criteria, can purchase their property at an affordable price.
A crucial aspect of the Government’s new housing strategy is the utilization of decommissioned military bases in Athens, Thessaloniki and Patras. These are projected to yield approximately 2,000 new apartments, of which 1,500 (75%) will be allocated for social housing while the remaining 500 (25%) will house Armed Forces personnel.
The government’s social housing scheme doesn’t just increase the housing supply by developing stagnant state property. By integrating social housing within market-sourced residences, the program creates mixed-income communities, thus preventing the formation of impoverished neighborhoods that often lack both resources and opportunities.
Overall, the Greek government aims to create up to 10,000 social housing units, with the first expected around 2027.
