Rented accommodation in Greece: shortcomings and challenges in view of the recent acute economic crisis
Loading...
Date
2016
Authors
Editors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AESOP
Abstract
In contrast to other European countries with a developed social welfare system, households in Greece have generally tended to achieve access to proper housing based in their own savings rather than through statutory support. The economic uncertainty and political instability of the country’s recent history has been reflected on its relatively high percentages of home-ownership of nearly 75% of the total housing stock. The recurrent threat of losing one’s home has traditionally led Greeks to secure a dwelling of their own regardless of its size, age or status, the most important qualification being full ownership. In other words, a home had to be entirely eviction-resistant, functioning as a symbol of mistrust addressed to the country’s administrations since the establishment of the modern Greek state in 1830.
As a result the private rental sector has not been traditionally developed in Greece not being supported by statutory policies that aimed to induce Greeks into home ownership. Undoubtedly, a generous share of the strong urbanization trends of the post WWII period has given rise to the private housing construction sector that boosted the housing stock of large urban centers mainly through self-housing and the system called ‘antiparohi’ in which small scale developers cooperated with small property owners to develop urban land.
Description
Proceedings of the IV World Planning Schools Congress, July 3-8th, 2016 : Global crisis, planning and challenges to spatial justice in the north and in the south
Keywords
License
All Rights Reserved