# Renting out cottage in illia



## Canadacanary (Feb 12, 2012)

Hi all: I have a family cottage near Olympia that I am thinking about renting out on a yearly basis to an Albanian family. I live in canada & am wondering about the kind of problems that might arise.....does anyone have experience, comments, advice??


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## concertina (Oct 18, 2012)

*renting a property in Greece*

First of all you will need to fill in a paper saying you are renting, for the government office and then you must fill in your tax return each year and subsequently pay tax on that income which may be a fair bit these days,although what ever you make might at least pay your property tax for you.However,be careful that you have legal papers drawn up to say that your renters are only renters not owners of the property and that they will never have any ownership rights,rent book etc...get a good lawyer to draw up papers...contract with them,get a good size deposit in case of damages,sometimes its difficult to change over the names on the water and electricity from the owner but recently the water company sent us a letter asking for conformation of the actual owner of the property not just whose name was on the bills,make sure the electricity know this as well so as to safe guard your ownership.If you you dont want them painting the place add this into the contract,a couple artexed my flat,the kitchen in an Edwardian property,I was horrified, so be careful,we always hope for good tenants but sadly that is not always the case.So your contract must state emphatically what you want and dont want.I did read on here I think, of a woman whos father had let Albanian or Romanians live for many years in a Greek house without any form of legal contract and as he got older so they began to claim sitting tenant rights and basically trying to get the property,this could happen of course with any nationality renters,I know wonderful Albanian and Romanian people here who are good upstanding people but you still need proper legal contracts,who knows for the future,some renters do some shocking things so just be very careful.


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## Canadacanary (Feb 12, 2012)

Concertina, thanks for the help. On second thought, I need to get these people out. My aging father "allowed" them to live in the cottage for the past 5 years rent free in exchange for up keep and now I can't get them to leave!! The rent money won't be enough to take a risk on losing this property. I am in Canada so they know it will be difficult for me to evict them. I need to find a new plan.


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## concertina (Oct 18, 2012)

It was you that I remember the story from,rather worrying,you need a good lawyer,not one that will rip you off of course.My husbands mother had renters who were shockers in her downstairs flat,she had to use a lawyer to get the courts to get them out,it wasnt so expensive,if they will not leave voluntarily then that is your only course of action now I believe,dont let the time go on and on otherwise they may claim rights,of course this is Greece and not much gets done quickly but the sooner you start the better.look on line for a canadian/greek lawyer here,I saw the other day someone swiss using a swiss lawyer in athens to buy a property.You really do need to move on this if you can afford it,hopefully it wont cost too much,let us know how you get on,do you speak Greek?


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## Canadacanary (Feb 12, 2012)

Thanks for your help.... lawyer fees?? Not sure I can afford this. Am thinking of asking a Greek notary here to send a registered letter written in Greek with the order to leave..... Hopefully this will work. My Greek is very basic...


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## concertina (Oct 18, 2012)

can you not come here and sort this,stay a bit,go to the house with someone of course in case they get dodgy,it may be that you can just change the locks after giving them x amount of notice,who knows until you get legal advice.


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## Canadacanary (Feb 12, 2012)

Good advice.. actually, am thinking of doing this but in the fall... I appreciate your help.


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