Greece may delay mandatory bank rent payments again — less than three weeks before the deadline

Greece is approaching another housing-policy deadline without full certainty that it will actually take effect. The government’s current rule requires rent payments to move through bank accounts from 1 October 2026. That date is official. A further delay is not.

The Ministry of National Economy and Finance moved the start date once already. In March it postponed the requirement from 1 April until the end of September, saying additional time was needed for technical adjustments and to avoid operational problems. The measure was therefore set to begin on 1 October.

Now the Panhellenic Federation of Property Owners (POMIDA) is asking for another extension. Kathimerini reported on 11 September that owners want implementation linked to the effective operation of the new Property Ownership and Management Register, including the declaration of the bank accounts into which rents will be paid. The newspaper says the request is being examined by the economic team and that an extension appears likely. No new official date has yet been announced.

The distinction matters for landlords and tenants. Until the government changes the timetable formally, 1 October remains the legal reference point. Households should therefore not treat press reports of a possible postponement as a completed policy change.

The measure is part of a broader attempt to make the rental market more transparent and reduce undeclared rent payments. But the latest implementation dispute shows the practical difficulty of connecting rental contracts, property records and bank-payment data without creating mismatches for owners with multiple properties, co-owners or accounts that have not yet been registered in the new system.

The timing is particularly sensitive because rent affordability is already a political issue. Estate Briefing’s recent review of completed leases found average rents rising across Greece in 2026, with especially sharp increases in some Athens neighborhoods. A separate policy package is simultaneously trying to support first-home buyers while changing incentives for foreign demand.