The standard 'twelve-month' Greek residential contract hides a detail that surprises landlords and tenants alike: it does not end at twelve months. Residential tenancies are protected by a minimum three-year duration — and ignoring it in your planning is expensive.
What the law says
Under Law 1703/1987 as in force, a lease of property used as a residence runs for at least three years — even where a shorter or indefinite duration was agreed. The three-year term operates automatically: it does not need to appear in the contract to apply, and it is not bypassed because the paper says 'twelve months'. An earlier end is in principle possible only by a later agreement of both parties.
What this means in practice for the landlord
- Commitment on duration: a compliant tenant cannot be removed before the three years are up because, say, you found a better rent.
- The rent: adjustment within the three years happens only if the contract contains an indexation clause. Without one, the rent stays as it is — which is why that clause belongs in the basics of any well-drafted lease.
- Planning: if you intend to sell or move in yourself soon, the three-year term goes into the plan before you sign — not after.
The three years have passed: tacit renewal
If, after expiry, the tenant remains in the property and the landlord keeps accepting rent without objection, the tenancy continues open-ended, essentially on the same terms. This is not an 'illegal' state — but it is one nobody planned deliberately. If you want a new fixed term or a new rent, the clean route is a new or amending agreement — declared accordingly to AADE.
How a tenancy ends properly
- Fixed-term lease: it ends when the agreed (and legally minimum) term passes — no notice required, unless it continues tacitly.
- Open-ended lease: it ends by written notice. The notice periods and effects are set by the Civil Code depending on how the rent is fixed — when in doubt, brief legal advice before serving notice costs less than an invalid notice.
- Handover and deposit: taking back the property, recording its condition, settling the accounts and returning the deposit under the contract's terms.
- Termination filing with AADE: the step most often forgotten — without it, rental income keeps being pre-filled. See how a lease termination is declared.
If the tenant wants to leave early
The three-year term binds them too: leaving early without agreement does not automatically release them from the rent. In practice the most common and healthiest solution is consensual: agree a date, any compensation or a replacement tenant, put it in writing — and declare the termination.
So you do not have to count the months
Under mamaXO's management, expiry dates, renewals, adjustments and AADE filings are tracked by us — you watch the rent arrive. See how it works for owners — and if you are drafting a new contract now, our free lease builder already includes the clauses this guide describes.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Greek procedures and deadlines change — verify with the official source before acting.
