Undeclared income from short-term rentals and “grey” property transactions worth millions of euros are being uncovered through cross-checks by Greece’s tax authority (AADE), which identified over 38,000 taxpayers with violations in 2025. According to AADE data, 2,466,075 declarations for short-term property rentals were submitted last year, with declared rental income reaching €973.712 million compared to €888.851 million in 2024, recording a 10% increase.
Property: Tax authority findings from undeclared income investigations
Specifically, the cross-checks conducted in 2025 revealed the following:
- 873 taxpayers who acquired properties in 2019 and while they paid property transfer tax, “forgot” to declare the property purchase expense in the E1 form of their tax return. During April 29 – May 2, 2025, communication actions were implemented (electronic messages and phone calls) targeting 873 taxpayers who had paid property transfer tax without declaring the corresponding property purchase expense in E1. Following these actions, 565 taxpayers submitted declarations (65% compliance rate), declaring total acquisition costs of €87 million, with a final tax assessment amount of €577,000.
- 24,383 unique tax numbers with undeclared income from short-term rentals by individuals without business activity related to tourist accommodation. Cross-referencing was conducted for tax years 2020 and 2021, as well as 2022, using data from digital platforms Airbnb, Booking.com and VRBO. This action exclusively concerns individuals without registered business activity under tourism accommodation codes. Processing the results identified 24,383 unique tax numbers (6,222 for 2020, 10,724 for 2021, and 17,525 for 2022) with declared income differences exceeding €500, who will be called to submit amended income tax returns. The method was based on results from a corresponding pilot action for tax years 2018-2019, completed in 2025, which showed a 56% voluntary compliance rate, income declarations of €7,232,683 (81% of estimated taxable material), total tax assessment of €2,733,580 for years 2018-2023, and collections of €950,583 by May 30, 2025.
- 1,545 individuals who received income from three or more short-term rental properties in 2024 or acquired a third active Property Registry Number (AMA) from 2024 onwards, either without registering business activity (1,017 cases) or without declaring the required codes for short-term rentals (528 cases). Electronic messages were sent on November 13, 2025, while non-compliant individuals will be referred to competent audit services for further action.
- 12,145 cases of short-term rental properties without Property Registry Numbers (AMA) or with invalid AMA numbers were removed from Airbnb, Booking.com, and VRBO platforms. These taxpayers face hefty fines. Specifically, failure to register in the Short-Term Accommodation Property Registry incurs an independent annual fine equal to 50% of gross revenue for the tax year the violation occurs, which cannot be less than €5,000. In case of repeat offense within one year of the penalty notice, the fine doubles. For non-submission or submission of inaccurate Short-Term Accommodation Declarations, the fine equals double the rent as shown on the digital platform, while late Short-Term Accommodation Declarations incur an independent administrative fine of €100. Penalties are imposed on the “Manager” and if it’s not proven that the “Manager” is a sublessee or third party, the penalty is imposed on the property owner or usufructuary.
