With housing anxiety peaking, thousands of students and parents face a harsh reality: available homes are few, old, and extremely expensive. Many landlords’ inability to renovate and make properties functional, combined with the explosive growth of short-term rentals, has drastically reduced availability. For reasons such as building aging, high taxation on rental income, damages, or debts left by previous tenants, the number of homes available for rent has fallen even further, turning the search for student housing into a real “treasure hunt.”

The rent spike is striking: in Zografou, prices reach €12 per sq.m. (around €500 for 40 sq.m.), in Patras costs reach €410, in Heraklion €360, in Komotini €375, while in Thessaloniki they exceed €480. At the same time, most studios are small and old, with median sizes ranging from 38 to 48 sq.m. and ages in cities like Thessaloniki and Athens exceeding fifty years. The few renovations carried out almost always come with significant rent hikes.

Within this landscape, POMIDA has submitted to the Ministry of Education a proposal for the creation of a digital platform for student housing supply and demand, to operate either through universities or centrally via Gov.gr. There, landlords and brokers would be able to list available homes in time, giving families immediate and transparent access. The federation stresses that the absence of such a mechanism is a Greek peculiarity, as in other European countries universities play an active role in housing their students.

However, even when a house is found, a second round of hassle begins — this time with paperwork and tax obligations. Lease agreements are drawn up and submitted exclusively online through Taxisnet. The landlord registers the lease details — tenants’ Tax ID numbers, rent amount, duration, property registration number, electricity supply number, and Energy Performance Certificate — while the tenant (student or parent) must electronically accept the declaration. Without this acceptance, the lease is not considered valid. Issuing an Energy Performance Certificate is also mandatory and must be recorded in the relevant fields.

POMIDA also reminds parents and students of several key recommendations: not to panic or rush into renting the first available property, to search for homes a little farther from universities, to organize their search and quickly secure the property that suits them — but without accepting rent beyond their budget. It stresses that there is no legal cap on guarantees or advance payments, that flat-sharing can reduce costs and increase allowances, and that every home should be inspected carefully, preferably in daylight. A crucial point is signing an official lease before making any payment, while it also advises against unofficial “information offices” demanding deposits, recommending cooperation only with licensed real estate agencies, with fees paid after the contract is signed.