Greece faces housing shortage amid thousands of unmapped public properties

Greece faces a significant housing challenge due to a vast stock of unmapped and inactive public and municipal properties. Market analysts suggest there are over 700,000 vacant or dormant residences across the country, a substantial portion of which is owned by local government authorities.

There is currently no unified mechanism for the registration and management of these assets. Property data remains fragmented across various public databases, including the Land Registry, municipal records, and the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE). This lack of coordination means that ownership status is often unclear; in some instances, municipalities report only a fraction of their actual holdings in official tax records.

The inability to access a clear overview of available public land and buildings hinders the development of effective housing policies, particularly initiatives aimed at constructing social housing. This unutilized real estate stock continues to put pressure on the already limited housing supply, especially in major urban centers.