31.03.2025
Starting on April 1st, landowners in Greece are legally required to clean their plots and submit a declaration via the official gov.gr platform. This measure, implemented by the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, aims to prevent wildfires during the upcoming fire season.
Landowners who neglect to comply with these requirements will face penalties. The consequences include:
A €1,000 fine for failing to submit the plot cleaning declaration to the National Register.
Up to 2 years in prison and a fine of up to €54,000 for submitting a false declaration.
If the cleaning is not performed, the municipality will clean the plot at the owner's expense.
Landowners with well-maintained gardens or landscaped spaces around buildings, apartment complexes, or other properties are exempt from the cleaning requirements.
The cleaning of plots is mandatory from April 1st to April 30th each year. Additionally, landowners must maintain these cleaned areas throughout the fire season, which runs from May 1st to October 31st. The Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection intends to complete all procedures by April to ensure readiness for the fire season.
Landowners must submit their cleaning declaration through the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection's official online platform at: https://akatharista.apps.gov.gr.
The platform will be open starting April 1st.
According to Fire Regulation No. 20/2024 (Government Gazette 2695/B’/09-05-2024), the following groups are responsible for cleaning plots:
Owners, users, usufructuaries, tenants, and subtenants of uncovered plots and spaces in:
Approved city plans.
Areas within settlement boundaries without an approved city plan.
Plots located within a 100-meter radius of the above areas, upon approval from the forestry department.
Out-of-plan plots with buildings that do not fall under forest law regulations.
To comply, landowners must undertake the following cleaning activities:
Cut and remove dry or broken trees, branches, and those in direct contact with buildings.
Remove combustible materials like dry leaves, grass, and fallen branches from the ground.
Prune tree canopies by increasing the base height and clearing the lower branches, according to the tree's species and age.
Thin out dense shrubbery that may cover the ground and pose a fire risk.
Dispose of flammable or hazardous materials and other waste in a responsible manner.
Transport cleaning residues to a licensed disposal site, avoiding dumping in public spaces or mixing them with household waste.
As the fire season approaches, it is crucial for landowners to fulfill their responsibility of cleaning their plots to help prevent wildfires. By following the outlined regulations and submitting the necessary declarations on time, property owners not only avoid penalties but also contribute to public safety and environmental protection. Failure to comply can lead to serious legal consequences, including hefty fines and even imprisonment. Therefore, it is in every landowner’s best interest to act promptly and ensure their plots are properly cleaned and maintained.
04.11.2026
If you are considering buying a house in Greece, it is worth following the new tax bill now before the Greek Parliament, and how its proposed measures may affect property transactions once they are adopted.
20.10.2026
It was back in December 1933 when the 18-year-old Patrick Leigh Fermor set out to walk across Europe, from the Netherlands to Constantinople. Literally, he travelled mostly on foot, and sometimes with a horse, carrying with him a little more than a rucksack.
28.09.2026
Two important changes were recently announced at the Hellenic Cadastre, which that property owners in Greece should be aware of. The first one involves properties that are listed as “owner unknown” and claimed through adverse possession. And the second one is about properties that have been registered with the wrong area, boundaries, shape, and/or location (also known as “διόρθωση γεωμετρικών στοιχείων”).
24.09.2026
Getting to Greece is becoming even easier, with Transavia expanding its connections from Belgium and France, with new routes to Crete and Thessaloniki and more options for travelling outside the traditional summer season.
08.09.2026
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has announced series of housing measures affecting property buyers and owners at the Thessaloniki International Fair.
05.09.2026
Greece is entering a new era of property and inheritance regulation. For the first time in over 80 years, the government is preparing a comprehensive reform of the Inheritance Law, designed to simplify procedures, ensure fairness, and modernise how estates are managed.
07.08.2026
Greece is taking an important step in environmental protection, becoming the first country in the world to deploy a national satellite system for wildfire detection and monitoring. First launched in May and expected to become fully operational in September 2026, the new Hellenic Fire System brings advanced space technology to Greece's efforts against wildfires.
06.08.2026
If you own a home in the Peloponnese or have been quietly thinking about buying one, there is some news you should be aware of: At the end of June, a 40-year concession for Kalamata International Airport "Kapetan Vasilis Konstantakopoulos" was signed by a consortium led by Fraport, together with the Kopelouzos Group's Delta Airport Investments and the Konstantakopoulos Group's PILEAS. According to the National Development Fund, which retains a 10% stake in the new company, the initial concession payment is 45 million euros, and the planned investment programme is expected to exceed 125 million euros over time.
In short: Kalamata's airport is set to roughly double its traffic by 2030, with a new terminal three times the size of the current one. For anyone with a house in the region, or an eye on one, that matters.
