Home insurance in Greece:
earthquake cover, the ENFIA discount and holiday homes.

Updated 26 October 2026Reading time 10 minBy Leadinsure, registered insurance agent (no. ΧΑΝ/395) · How we are paid

Home insurance in Greece covers the building, its contents or both, against the risks you choose, such as fire, earthquake, flood and theft. It is not compulsory by law for a private owner, Greek or foreign. There are three exceptions: a mortgage lender can require a policy, a home let short-term must have liability cover (since 1 October 2025), and a business with revenue above €500,000 must insure the buildings it owns against natural disasters. For foreign owners it is still worth a close look. The EU insurance supervisor says that a large part of disaster losses in Greece is not insured, especially for earthquake and wildfire. Owners of homes with an ENFIA taxable value above €500,000 have been excluded from state housing and emergency aid after an earthquake, a fire from natural causes or a flood since 1 June 2025. And a home insured against earthquake, fire and flood together, for at least its rebuild value, can get up to 20% off its ENFIA property tax, a discount that is open to non-residents.

Is home insurance compulsory in Greece?

No general law obliges a private individual to insure a home in Greece. Mandatory home insurance has been discussed in the press, but as of October 2026 we found no law that introduces it. The obligations that exist are narrower:

So with a mortgage you do not have to take the policy the bank offers. Ask the bank in writing which risks and sum insured it requires, and compare like for like.

A separate rule applies to vehicles: since 1 June 2025, every motor vehicle normally kept in Greece must be insured against forest fire and flood at its current market value (Law 5116/2024, art. 5A, added by Law 5162/2024, art. 26). We found no fine; the sanction is that an uninsured vehicle gets no state aid after such an event. See our guide to car insurance in Greece.

Buildings and contents: what home insurance in Greece covers

A Greek home policy insures two separate things, each with its own sum insured:

• Buildings: walls, roof, floors, pipes, wiring, windows and doors, the fitted kitchen and, in an apartment block, your share of the common parts. The building should be insured for what it would cost to rebuild, not for its market price or its tax value. The land is not insured.
• Contents: furniture, appliances, electronics, clothes and personal belongings. Jewellery, art and cash often have lower limits, so declare valuable items separately.

Most policies are packages: fire, water damage from burst pipes, storm, theft after a break-in, glass breakage and liability to other people (for example, a leak that damages the flat below). What is basic and what is an add-on differs between insurers, and each risk can have its own deductible, the part of each loss you pay yourself. The owner insures the building; a tenant usually insures only contents and liability.

How much to insure the building for

The costliest mistake is underinsurance: insuring the building for less than it would cost to rebuild. A policy can then pay each claim in proportion, so if you insured 60% of the rebuild cost, you may receive only 60% of every claim, even a small one. Base the sum on the rebuild cost of the total area, auxiliary spaces such as a basement included, and review it as building costs rise.

Does home insurance in Greece cover earthquakes?

Not automatically. Earthquake is often an optional add-on, and flood and storm may be add-ons too, so check what your policy schedule names.

For many owners, natural disasters are the main reason to insure a Greek home. In June 2026 the chair of EIOPA, the EU insurance supervisor, said that EIOPA’s data show a high “protection gap” in Greece, especially for earthquake and wildfire: a large part of disaster losses is not insured. According to the Hellenic Association of Insurance Companies, home policies covered 20.8% of Greek homes on 31 March 2026, and policies with buildings cover 18.2%.

Earthquake cover and the deductible

If your policy schedule does not name earthquake, assume you are not covered. The earthquake deductible can be a percentage of the sum insured, not of the damage. If the deductible is, say, 2% of the sum insured, a home insured for €150,000 pays the first €3,000 of each earthquake loss; check the percentage in your own schedule. Three examples at that rate:

This is an illustration for a building insured at full rebuild cost; terms differ between policies. With a deductible like this, small earthquake damage, such as minor cracks, is often below the deductible: the cover is there for serious damage.

Fire, wildfire, flood and storm

Fire is usually part of the basic cover; flood and storm may be included or sold as add-ons, usually with their own deductible. Some policies have a waiting period for forest fire and natural phenomena, so cover bought during a fire or storm warning may not apply to that event.

The ENFIA discount for an insured home, in short

ENFIA is the annual property tax, which foreign owners pay too. Under the Property Tax Code (Law 5219/2025, art. 10(5)), the ENFIA on an insured home is reduced by 20% if its taxable value is up to €500,000, and by 10% if it is higher. Only the ENFIA on the insured home is reduced, not your whole bill. In short:

• The policy: earthquake, fire and flood together, with a building sum for each risk of at least the rebuild value set by the rules (€900 per m² of main and auxiliary space for ENFIA 2024 to 2026; €1,000 per m² for ENFIA 2027 unless extended), from an insurer in the Bank of Greece register.
• The dates: at least 90 days of cover in the previous calendar year; less than a full year gives a pro rata discount.
• Non-residents: the law has no residence condition, so the holiday home of an owner who lives abroad qualifies. The separate village relief is only for the main residence of Greek tax residents.
• The application: every year on myAADE › myPROPERTY, with your AFM and TAXISnet codes; the rules set a 14 February deadline.

ENFIA 2027 depends on cover held in 2026, so a policy that starts after 3 October 2026 cannot count for it, and new cover counts from ENFIA 2028. The conditions, the m² calculation, the application steps and the 2027 timing are in our guide to the ENFIA discount for insured homes.

Homes with an ENFIA value over €500,000: no state housing aid after earthquake, natural fire or flood

Since 1 June 2025, natural persons who own or co-own a home with an ENFIA taxable value above €500,000 are excluded from state aid after an earthquake, a fire from natural causes or a flood: housing aid for rebuilding or repair, the temporary housing subsidy, first aid, and the one-off emergency payment for simple repairs and household contents (Law 4797/2021, art. 5A, added by Law 5162/2024, art. 10(2); in force under art. 136(10)(a) of Law 5162/2024).

Some English property sites and press reports say these owners lose aid only if they are not insured, or give April 2025 as the start date. The law has no insurance condition and applies from 1 June 2025, to every such owner, insured or not. For these homes the state will not pay this aid, so the cost of repairs falls on you unless the home is insured.

Holiday home insurance in Greece: empty periods and letting

When you take out the policy, say how the home is used: a use that was not declared can lead to a dispute when you claim.

• Empty periods. Home policies often have conditions for a home left unoccupied for a long time, and some covers, such as theft or water damage, can be limited after a set number of days. This differs between policies, so tell us how long the home stays empty each year.
• Security conditions. Theft cover may depend on locks, shutters or an alarm named in the policy. If the policy names them, use them whenever the house is empty.
• Someone local. Decide who checks the house after a storm and can report a claim quickly; policies usually set a deadline for reporting a claim.

Letting the home to guests

For short stays on Airbnb, Booking or direct, civil-liability insurance has been compulsory since 1 October 2025 (Law 5170/2025, art. 3). Ministry of Tourism circular 19567/25.09.2025 says the policy must be taken out by the owner with a licensed insurer. Inspectors can fine the property manager €5,000, and more for repeat breaches. Some home policies exclude property used for profit, so a let home needs a policy that allows the letting. We found no AADE guidance on whether a let home keeps the ENFIA discount, so ask AADE first. Read our guide to short-term rental insurance in Greece.

How to get a home insurance quote in Greece

Leadinsure is an insurance agency (registered insurance agent) for individuals and businesses. You can reach us by phone or online, whichever suits you. We ask the insurance companies we work with for home insurance proposals, explain them side by side (risks, sums insured, deductibles, exclusions) and check whether a policy meets the ENFIA conditions. There is no obligation, and we reply within 24 hours on working days. Please send us:

• where the home is (town or area), and whether it is an apartment or a detached house;
• the main and auxiliary m² from your E9, the year of construction and the type of structure;
• the value of the contents, if you want contents cover;
• how many months a year the home is empty, whether you let it and whether there is a mortgage;
• your current policy, if you have one, so we can check it before the February ENFIA application.

Use our quote page, email info@leadinsure.gr or call +30 28210 86065. Our office is open Monday to Friday 09:00–16:00 and 17:30–20:30, and Saturday 09:00–14:00, Greek time.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

The laws, decisions and official pages we checked for this guide. Many of them are in Greek.