A draft law from the Ministry of Tourism aims to address the critical shortage of affordable housing for public sector workers on Greek islands, particularly during the peak tourist season.
The plan allows agencies like the Ministry of Education, Police, Fire Brigade, and Ministry of Health to rent hotel staff accommodations for their employees in areas facing acute housing shortages, primarily tourist destinations in the summer.
This problem is particularly pronounced in popular tourist areas where high seasonal rents make it difficult, if not impossible, for essential workers to find affordable housing. This leads to understaffing in crucial services like healthcare, law enforcement, and fire safety, impacting both residents and visitors. Islands like those in the Cyclades, which experience a large influx of tourists during summer, are especially affected. Often, teachers and doctors reject positions on islands and in remote mainland areas due to the impossibility of finding suitable accommodation at reasonable prices, as property owners frequently prioritize higher-paying short-term rentals to tourists.
The draft law, spearheaded by Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni, will be open for public consultation in the coming days before being voted on by Parliament. It is the result of inter-ministerial consultations to establish a suitable framework and secure funding for the initiative. The process will mirror the approach used during the pandemic, when hotels were asked to provide rooms for individuals diagnosed with COVID-19. Government agencies will request a specific number of rooms, and hotels will submit offers.
The final details will be determined following the public consultation and parliamentary debate. This is the first time the hotel market is being leveraged to address this pressing social issue.
The plan specifies that the accommodations to be used are specifically designated staff rooms, not regular guest rooms. The law outlines standards for these staff rooms to ensure minimum requirements for decent housing are met. Beyond the seasonal housing challenges posed by tourism, some regions lack suitable rental infrastructure year-round, making hotel staff accommodation the only viable option.
This provision applies to employees with fixed-term or permanent contracts in public services, utilities, broader public sector entities, local government organizations, doctors in the National Health System and health centers, teachers, professors, police officers, public and municipal employees, and seasonal workers in security forces (firefighters, coast guard, etc.) employed in the area.
Government sources emphasize the growing severity of the housing shortage, hindering the adequate staffing of essential public services and impacting the quality of life, safety, and well-being of residents.
The Ministry of Tourism bill addresses this by allowing the lease of hotel staff rooms to these categories of workers under specific terms and agreements. The definition of "hotel staff rooms" was formalized earlier this year by the Ministry of Tourism (Article 66 of Law 5121/2024), stimulating investment interest from existing hotels and real estate developers. Staff rooms can be built within the same plot as the hotel or on independent plots, adhering to specific regulations. For instance, a double room must be at least 14 square meters, and a shared kitchen of at least 15 square meters is required.