Some papers are easier to gather than others. Your title deed, KAEK, a recent cadastral extract, E9 declaration and ENFIA notices, together with documents regarding the building, utilities, insurance and contractors’ invoices and guarantees, should be scanned and organised with an index. Include the Electronic Building Identity (HTK) and its supporting documents where one has been issued.

  • Ownership: Title deed (symvolaio), plus the will or other inheritance documents where appropriate.
  • Official records: KAEK, cadastral extract, E9 and ENFIA notices.
  • The building: Plans, permits, Electronic Building Identity (HTK), regulation and hiliosta.
  • Running the home: Utilities, insurance, invoices and guarantees.

There is a letter from the Tax Office, the notary requires a specific document prior to the sale of your property, you are abroad, and the original document is in an Athens drawer that you cannot open.

Many people create big piles of documents while trying to run their homes or sell their properties. All these documents were produced by different authorities: notaries, Land Registry Offices of the Ktimatologio, Tax Offices of the AADE, architects, engineers, contractors, utility suppliers and insurance companies. Usually, it takes a long time and lots of effort to gather all of them in one place and make sure that everything is in order.

This is a checklist, with links to our detailed guides instead of repetition. Note that this is general information, not tax or legal advice.

Which ownership documents do you need?

The title deed (symvolaio) contains information about the property’s ownership and the manner in which it was acquired, such as by purchase, inheritance, gift or parental provision.

Keep:

  • The full signed copy with its annexes.
  • Earlier owners’ deeds, if you received them.
  • The will or acceptance documents, if you inherited.

Make sure that the names, tax numbers (AFM) and proportions of ownership on all tax-related documents are correct. Also make sure that they match the information held in the cadastral records. Our first-year guide to inherited property covers the wider steps after an inheritance.

What is a KAEK and which cadastral papers should you keep?

The KAEK (Kodikos Arithmos Ethnikou Ktimatologiou) is the property’s National Cadastre Code Number. A land parcel has a 12-digit code, while an apartment’s identifier includes additional digits identifying the separate ownership. Always write down the full KAEK exactly as it appears on the appropriate documents. Εθνικό Κτηματολόγιο

Keep:

  • The KAEK, written on the first page of your file.
  • A recent cadastral extract or certificate.
  • All correspondence with authorities regarding corrections to the plot’s characteristics, boundaries or ownership rights.

The Ktimatologio’s online certificate service can be accessed using Taxisnet credentials. Depending on the document requested, a fee is payable. The service requires payment within seven days of the fee notice, after which the certificate becomes available as a PDF once payment is confirmed. Αιτήσεις έκδοσης πιστοποιητικών

Remember to obtain an updated extract when needed. See our guide to checking your property in the Hellenic Cadastre from abroad.

Which tax records are essential: E9 and ENFIA?

The E9 records your property rights for tax purposes. It is separate from the Cadastre and is used to calculate ENFIA, Greece’s annual property tax.

You do not generally need to submit a fresh E9 every year if nothing has changed. Acquisitions, changes and corrections may require an E9 submission. AADE’s current guidance generally gives a deadline of 31 January of the following year for changes, with separate rules for inheritance. Some transactions also generate an E9 automatically, which you should still check for accuracy. ΑΑΔΕ

Keep, year by year:

  • The latest E9 and any amendments, as PDFs.
  • Each ENFIA notice and proof of payment.

Note: Filing and payment deadlines are date-specific, so check AADE for current information. Owners abroad can read our guides to paying ENFIA from abroad and logging in to TAXIS and myAADE.

What is MIDA? Does it change the required documentation?

MIDA (Mitroo Idioktisias kai Diacheirisis Akiniton) is AADE’s new digital property register. AADE describes it as a platform designed to bring ownership, use and other property information together in one database. aade.gr

Our E9 and MIDA guide follows these developments. Reports about the rollout have shifted, so check the current instructions on AADE’s website before assuming that a new declaration or review deadline applies to your property.

Keep your existing ownership, cadastral and tax documents organised while these systems develop.

Do you need an Electronic Building Identity (HTK)?

The HTK (Ilektroniki Taftotita Ktiriou) is a digital record of a building or flat, created by authorised engineers registered with the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE).

Ask your engineer whether your property needs an HTK. Where one has been completed, keep the final documents and the engineer’s contact details. Read our HTK guide for further information.

Which floor plans and permits should you keep?

Remember to keep the building permit, its approved plans and any subsequent approved revisions. Keep any drawings showing the property as actually built separately. Comparing these records can reveal whether, for example, a balcony has been enclosed or a room added.

Also keep:

This is why we recommend that owners and buyers read our renovation oversight page if and when any works are contemplated, whether here or from abroad.

What building documents matter in an apartment block?

A building’s founding deed and regulation (kanonismos) are the two most important documents setting out an owner’s obligations towards the building. The hiliosta figures express the thousandths representing each owner’s share of the common parts.

Under Article 5 of Law 3741/1929, the default rule is that owners contribute to common expenses in proportion to their property’s value. However, a building’s regulation may specify a different distribution, so refer to the documents for your particular building.

Ask the building manager (diaxeiristis) for copies of:

  • The regulation and any amendments.
  • Your hiliosta table.
  • Recent meeting minutes and common-expense statements.

For background, see our guides to what a polykatoikia is and koinoxrista, the building’s common charges.

Which utility and insurance papers should you keep?

Keep recent electricity, water, gas, if installed, and telecoms bills, together with the account holder’s name, account numbers, supply address and billing details. See our guide to moving utilities into your name after buying or inheriting a property.

For insurance, keep:

  • The policy schedule and full terms and conditions.
  • Renewal dates and payment records.
  • Contact information for your insurer.
  • Dated photographs of furnished rooms and their contents.

See also the points to note about an unoccupied home in our Greek home insurance guide.

Should you keep contractor invoices and guarantees?

Yes. Keep the contractor’s invoices and quotations, written agreements, guarantees and service certificates for items like air conditioning units, heating and lift equipment. Also keep before-and-after photographs of the work undertaken.

Having a record of the works done will also be useful should an insurance claim arise or a dispute occur with previous owners or buyers. For works that require a permit, retain a copy of the permit with the related final invoices.

How should you back up and organise everything?

Scan all of the above and store two separate copies, preferably in different locations. For example, use an encrypted cloud folder and a separate backup that you or someone you trust can retrieve.

The documents can be stored under five main folders:

  1. Ownership: Deed, will and tax numbers.
  2. Cadastre and tax: KAEK, extracts, E9 and ENFIA.
  3. Building: Plans, permits, HTK, regulation and hiliosta.
  4. Utilities and insurance.
  5. Works and invoices.

Create a one-page index. List the documents you have, the date of each document and where the original is stored, such as a bank safe deposit box or the files of your notary or lawyer.

Document retention periods for tax purposes vary, so check with an accountant. Keep property records for as long as you own the property and ask your accountant or lawyer which records should be retained afterwards.

For documents that may need to be signed or collected on your behalf, you may also wish to consider a power of attorney. To track administrative tasks that recur, use our admin calendar for Greek homeowners abroad.

“It is not the major incidents that cause trouble for foreign owners, it is the missing page of a deed, or the apartment plan not corresponding to reality, or an old invoice that would have settled the issue immediately. A good index and the scan of all relevant documents in up-to-date order can prevent a lot of hassle.”

Yanis, Founder of Home Watch Athens

How Home Watch Athens can help

Home Watch Athens is a founder-led, members-only property oversight service in Athens for owners abroad. Home Watch does not manage short-term rentals.

Our administrative representation service can support:

  • Monitoring, paying and reconciling utilities.
  • Tracking insurance renewal dates and supporting claims.
  • Checking building service charges and flagging unusual increases.
  • Coordinating ENFIA paperwork with the homeowner’s accountant.
  • Attending owners’ meetings and providing a full report, with supporting photos where relevant.

This support is agreed separately from the regular monthly property visit. All decisions and actions require your prior approval.

Our monthly visit report will be sent by WhatsApp and kept as a dated log of photos and the general condition of your property in your online member account. All invoices, receipts and photos relating to works that we coordinate on your behalf will be passed to you.

Take a look at Home Watch Athens, or apply for membership and we can determine whether it would work for you.