Tenant not paying rent in Greece: options from abroad

Short answer

Do not change the locks or cut the utilities: unpaid rent is collected and the property recovered through the procedures the law provides. The usual first step is a written demand served on the tenant by a court bailiff; if the rent is still not paid within 15 days, you can apply for an order for the return of the property and, in the same or a separate application, an order for payment of the arrears. For applications filed since 1 May 2026, these orders are issued by a lawyer appointed from a list kept at the local court of first instance, not by a judge. All of this can be done through a lawyer in Greece acting under your power of attorney.

When unpaid rent becomes a breach

Rent is due on the dates agreed in the lease or, failing that, on the usual dates. Where a fixed payment day has been agreed, the tenant is in default as soon as that day passes, without any reminder, and owes default interest on the late amount.

If the tenant is behind with the rent, in full or in part, the Civil Code allows you to terminate the lease by notice: at least one month in advance for a lease agreed for one year or more, and at least ten days in advance for other leases. The termination has no effect if the tenant pays the arrears, together with any costs of the termination, before the notice period runs out. A tenant who stays on after the lease has ended owes the agreed rent as compensation for that period, and you may claim further loss on top.

What to do first

Greek law allows a person to enforce a claim on his own, without the authorities, only where their help cannot arrive in time and delay would defeat the claim. Unpaid rent is not that situation: there are specific procedures for it. So do not change the locks, remove the tenant's belongings or cut the electricity or water to put pressure on the tenant. Act through the steps below.

The practical first step is a written demand (in Greek, εξώδικη όχληση) served on the tenant by a court bailiff. It is not only a warning letter: for the fast-track order for the return of the property it is a legal condition. The demand must be served at least 15 days before the application is filed. If the tenant pays within those 15 days, and can prove it in writing, the order cannot be issued, unless there have been repeated delays through unwillingness to pay. The bailiff demand is needed only the first time.

The routes through the courts, in outline

Order for the return of the property (διαταγή απόδοσης της χρήσης μισθίου): available where the rent is unpaid through the tenant's unwillingness to pay, the start of the lease can be proved in writing, and the bailiff demand was served at least 15 days earlier. For applications filed from 1 May 2026 the order is issued by a lawyer appointed from a list kept at the court of first instance. The order is enforceable: eviction can proceed 20 days after it is served with a demand for compliance, and the tenant has 15 working days from service to file an objection. It can also be enforced against subtenants and anyone occupying the property through the tenant.
Order for payment of the arrears (διαταγή πληρωμής): issued on an application that attaches all the documents showing the claim and its amount. An application for unpaid rent, with or without a request for the return of the property in the same application, is assigned to a lawyer on the list for orders for the return of leased property.
Lawsuit: where the facts are disputed or an order is not available, for example because the start of the lease cannot be shown in writing, lease disputes go to court under the special procedure for property disputes, which expressly covers disputes arising from leases.
The eviction itself, and the separate order available when a fixed-term lease has ended, are covered in our page on evicting a tenant in Greece.

Guarantor, deposit, company tenants and the AADE lease declaration

Guarantor: a guarantor answers to you for the tenant's debt. Unless the guarantor has waived it, for example by guaranteeing as a principal debtor (in Greek, αυτοφειλέτης), he may refuse to pay until enforcement against the tenant has been tried and has failed. The wording of the guarantee clause therefore matters.
Deposit: what happens to the deposit depends on the lease's own terms. Send us the clause and proof of the amount paid, and do not agree informally to treat it as rent before we have reviewed the position.
Company tenant: the order is issued against the company by its registered name, registered seat and tax number, so we need those details. Commercial leases concluded after the 2014 reform (ν. 4242/2014) are governed by their own terms, the Civil Code and, in part, the commercial lease decree π.δ. 34/1995, and they run for at least three years even if a shorter or open term was agreed. The non-payment steps above apply to commercial premises as well as homes.
AADE lease declaration: the landlord files the declaration of lease details (δήλωση πληροφοριακών στοιχείων μίσθωσης) online with the AADE by the end of the month after the lease starts or is amended, and receives a filing receipt. Keep the receipt with the signed lease: both are part of the file a lawyer will need to show when and on what terms the lease began.

What we need from you

A short file lets us check, before anything is served, which route is open and whether any condition is missing. Please send copies of:

the signed lease and any amendments or renewals;
the AADE lease declaration receipt for the lease and for any amendment;
a list of rent due and received, with bank statements or receipts;
any letters, emails or messages with the tenant about the arrears;
the guarantee or guarantor clause and the guarantor's details, and the deposit clause with proof of the deposit paid;
for a company tenant, its registered name, registered seat and tax number, if you have them;
your Greek tax number (ΑΦΜ) and proof that you own the property or are entitled to let it.

How we work with owners abroad

Most of this work can be done without you travelling to Greece. You can sign a power of attorney at a Greek consulate, or before a notary where you live with an apostille under the 1961 Hague Convention (or with consular legalisation if your country is not a party to it), and a lawyer then acts for you in Greece. We tell you the exact wording the power of attorney needs for your matter before you sign it. For a tenant dispute it should cover serving the demand, terminating the lease, applying for the orders and enforcing them.

We meet by video call, work in English and Greek, and exchange documents by email. The site also has pages in Turkish (latsoudislaw.com/tr/) and Arabic (latsoudislaw.com/ar/).

Questions clients ask

Can I cut off the electricity or water to make the tenant pay?

No. The law allows a person to enforce a claim on his own only where help from the authorities cannot arrive in time. For unpaid rent there are specific procedures: the bailiff demand, the order for return of the property, the order for payment and, if needed, a lawsuit.

What if the tenant pays after receiving the demand?

If the tenant pays the arrears within 15 days of the bailiff demand and can prove it in writing, the order for return of the property cannot be issued on that demand, unless there have been repeated delays through unwillingness to pay. The demand is needed only the first time, so a later delay can lead straight to an application.

Can I ask for the unpaid rent and the property back at the same time?

Yes. An application for an order for payment of rent can be combined with a request for the return of the property, and it is handled by a lawyer from the list for orders for return of leased property.

Do I have to come to Greece?

Usually not. A lawyer acting under your power of attorney can serve the demand, file the applications and follow the enforcement.

Sources

This page is general information, not legal advice; the answer in any real case depends on its facts and documents.

L+A advises owners of property in Greece who live abroad, from the first document review to court.

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My tenant in Greece has stopped paying rent and I live abroad. What can I do?