Landlord's out-of-court notice ending a lease and demanding the home back (Greece)

Published byDocMuse

A Greek landlord's out-of-court notice (εξώδικη δήλωση) ending a residential lease and calling on the tenant to hand the home back: for unpaid rent (Article 597 of the Greek Civil Code), at the end of the agreed term, or ending an open-ended lease after three years (Article 609). It is the gateway to a repossession order (Code of Civil Procedure 637), issued by a lawyer since 2026, and counts only if served by a court bailiff — letters and e-mail do not. For unpaid rent it demands payment within 15 days; for the end of the term it must be served at least three months ahead.

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Common questions

Why must a Greek landlord's notice be served by a court bailiff?

Because the repossession order (Code of Civil Procedure 637, as amended by Law 5221/2025) rests only on a demand served by a court bailiff: letters, messages and e-mail do not count, for unpaid rent or for the end of the lease. The bailiff's report of service proves the content and the date, and service must come at least 15 days before the application for the order. The landlord signs the notice and hands it to a bailiff, who serves it on the tenant.

When does a Greek lease end if the tenant is behind with the rent?

Under Article 597 of the Civil Code, notice for unpaid rent ends the lease one month after service where the lease is for a year or more, as every residential lease is, and it lapses if the tenant pays the arrears and costs within that month. Separately, the repossession order can be sought once 15 days pass after service without payment; payment within those 15 days rules it out, unless the tenant is late again and again. Set the handover date at least a month after you expect the notice to be served.

Who issues a repossession order in Greece now?

Since Law 5221/2025, payment and repossession orders are issued by a lawyer of the local bar rather than a judge — by the Act from 1 January 2026, and in practice from 1 May 2026, once the lawyers' lists were set up. The order needs the lease's start — and, for expiry, its end — proved in writing, and the served out-of-court notice. It can be enforced 20 days after service when issued for unpaid rent and two months after when issued for expiry, and the tenant may challenge it within 15 working days.

What does a Greek landlord write when the lease simply runs out?

Choose the end of the agreed term as the ground: the notice says the lease will not continue or be tacitly renewed, and calls on the tenant to hand the home back when it ends. For a repossession order, available for expiry since 2026, the notice must be served at least three months before the lease ends; if the lease has continued open-ended, at least three months before the order is served. A residential lease ends no earlier than three years in, and the lease declaration filed with the tax authority (ΑΑΔΕ) helps prove when it ends.