In Greece there two ways to rent a property in short term. In both cases the person that will rent the property must have the legal right to do it. He/She must be the owner or has to rent it with the right to rerent it.
So a property can be rented by a business or a private citizen. The properties of each way are the following:
Business
- The business can provide services to the clients
- The VAT of the expenses is discounted from the tax
- The expenses are discounted from the tax
- The business can issue invoices
- The business pays tax which is calculated by the net profit1*,2*
- The business pays VAT tax3*
- The business pays residence tax which is 0.5€ per room per night or rent
- The accounting cost is moderate to high
Private citizen
- He/She can only provide services of sheets and blankets (no cleaning)
- The property can be rented only for 60 days or until the amount of 12.000€ of total rents
- He/She has the obligation to declare the rents of each month until the end of the 20Th of the next, on an online platform, maintained by the Greek government.
- The tax is 15% of the total amount of rents
- The VAT of the expenses is not discounted from the tax
- The expenses are not discounted from the tax
- He/She can not issue invoices
- The accounting cost is low
1*:net profit = revenue(total rents) – expenses
2*: tax = income tax (from 22%) + social security EFKA (from 2.000€ per year) + municipal tax (0.5%)
3*: VAT tax = 13% for renting service and 24% for the rest of services (for example breakfast)
The key factors for the decision between business or private citizen
Are he/she will provide services to clients?
Then you have to start a business.
Are the property going to be rent for more than 2 months?
Then you have to start a business.
Are the total rents going to be more than 12.000€ per year?
Then you have to start a business.