A Greek owners’ meeting can feel a little like a small theatre production, with everyone expected to perform a role or react in certain ways. You might encounter confrontation, laughter and perhaps some dramatic scenes, often over things that seem simple. How much are the common charges going to be this year? Can we fix the leaky shared pipe now? Can we paint the building?
Athens’ multi-unit dwellings are generally shared by a large number of owners, often with very different expectations regarding necessary repairs and the budget required. Where there is no adequate reserve fund, owners are called upon to contribute to repairs. Proposals may therefore meet resistance, particularly where owners disagree about urgency or cost.
In practice, clearly defective or dangerous parts often receive priority. Other repairs and improvements can involve considerable negotiation. However, this is not a legal rule that maintenance can wait until something is about to collapse.
Meetings generally address matters affecting the building’s shared parts and administration. Owners may have different financial means, objectives and attitudes towards problems, which makes a clear agenda and properly recorded decisions particularly useful.
Quick answer
- The building manager, or diaxeiristis, usually calls the geniki synelefsi, the general meeting of the polykatoikia’s owners.
- Meetings are often annual, with additional meetings when needed, according to the building’s regulation.
- Voting usually follows the applicable hiliosta, the shares in thousandths allocated to each apartment.
- Law 3741/1929 does not provide one universal notice period, quorum or proxy limit. The building’s regulation, or kanonismos, must be checked.
- Certain challenges to meeting decisions must be brought within six months of the decision, under Article 101 of the Civil Code applied by analogy. The rule has exceptions, so a disputed decision needs prompt legal assessment. ΕΦΕΤΕΙΟ ΠΕΙΡΑΙΩΣ
If you are abroad when a meeting is called, email the building manager and request the written agenda and notice in accordance with the building’s regulation. Ask to receive them directly, rather than relying on a notice posted in the entrance hall.
Your presence is not always required for a valid decision to bind you. A later demand for your contribution may be the first indication that a decision was made in your absence.
This guide covers meeting procedure and representation. The structure of the building itself is explained in our polykatoikia guide.
What rules govern a Greek building meeting?
Two layers of law are relevant: the special provisions of Law 3741/1929 on horizontal ownership and the Civil Code’s provisions on co-ownership.
Under Article 4 of Law 3741/1929, owners can unanimously establish rules for general meetings and authorise specified majorities to decide matters concerning the maintenance, improvement and use of common parts. The required majority may differ according to the importance of the decision.
This does not mean every subsequent decision requires unanimity. It means the agreed framework must be checked to establish the voting rule for the particular item.
Law 3741/1929 does not set universal figures for meeting notice, quorum and every voting threshold. These matters are normally addressed in the building’s regulation.
Where no applicable agreement resolves ordinary administration, Article 789 of the Civil Code provides for decisions by a majority calculated according to ownership shares, rather than the number of owners.
In reality, the conditions for a valid meeting vary between buildings. For example, Piraeus Court of Appeal decision 384/2024 describes a regulation requiring representation of 75% of votes at the first meeting, 60% at the second and permitting a third meeting regardless of attendance. Those were that building’s quorum rules, not universal rules or the majority required to approve every proposal. ΕΦΕΤΕΙΟ ΠΕΙΡΑΙΩΣ
Who calls the meeting?
Law 3741/1929 does not prescribe one universal convening procedure. Most often, the meeting is called by the building’s manager, usually annually and when additional decisions are needed.
The regulation may also specify the proportion of ownership shares entitled to request or convene a meeting.
Between meetings, the diaxeiristis handles matters within their authority. Our guide to the building manager’s role explains those responsibilities.
How much notice must owners get?
There is no universal notice period defined by Law 3741/1929. Check the regulation for the required period and method of notification, including any different arrangements for extraordinary or repeat meetings.
The notice should identify the date, time, place and agenda. Whether notification was legally sufficient depends on the applicable rules and circumstances.
Courts have applied the six-month challenge period to procedural defects, including failures to follow the prescribed notification arrangements. A defective invitation does not necessarily mean you can ignore the resulting decisions. dsanet.gr
From abroad:
- Give the manager your current email address.
- Assign someone in Greece as a local contact.
- Keep written records of notices, agendas and meeting minutes.
What items will be discussed at the meeting?
Read the agenda, or imerisia diataxi, carefully. Check the rules governing decisions on matters that were not included in it.
Be cautious about vaguely worded items such as “working on the building”. Request the relevant quotes, the proposed scope and a written distribution of costs before giving voting instructions.
For a proposed roof repair, our guide to who pays for roof repairs explains the allocation questions to check.
How are quorum and votes counted?
Quorum is the proportion of voting shares that must be present or represented for the meeting to proceed validly. It is different from the majority needed to approve a proposal.
The building’s regulation should be checked for quorum requirements and what happens if they are not met. A lower quorum at a repeat meeting cannot simply be assumed; it must have a valid basis in the applicable rules.
Voting normally follows the relevant hiliosta. A flat with 85 out of 1,000 voting shares, for example, represents 8.5% of the total.
The shares used for voting and those used to allocate particular expenses are not necessarily identical. Our koinoxrista guide explains expense allocation.
Check the regulation for:
- The quorum and the procedure if it is missing.
- The majority required for each type of decision.
- Whether the majority is calculated against all voting shares or those represented.
- Any special requirements for changing the regulation or owners’ rights.
Article 13 concerns the formal requirements for agreements regulating or changing owners’ rights and obligations, including a notarial document and registration. It does not impose those requirements merely because an item appears on an agenda.
Changes affecting ownership rights or the use of common parts may require all owners’ consent. Some regulatory amendments may be permitted through other lawful procedures, but an ordinary majority vote cannot be assumed sufficient. ΕΦΕΤΕΙΟ ΠΕΙΡΑΙΩΣ
Can someone else vote on my behalf?
Check the building’s regulation before appointing a representative. It may address who can act, the form of authorisation and any limits on the number of proxies one person may hold.
There is no general reason to assume your representative must own another apartment in the building. What matters is whether the appointment complies with the applicable rules.
A good written authority:
- Names you, the flat and your representative.
- Identifies the meeting or the period covered.
- Says which agenda items it covers.
- Gives voting instructions where you want a particular vote.
Some arrangements accept a signed authorisation, while others may require further formalities. See our guide to power of attorney for property issues in Greece.
Meetings are generally conducted in Greek. It is therefore useful to have someone you trust attend and report back on what happened.
What are the minutes, and why ask for them?
The minutes, or praktiko, record attendance, the shares represented, the matters discussed and how decisions were voted on.
Request a copy after every meeting and keep it with the building’s regulation and relevant property documents.
The minutes help you establish:
- Whether the meeting had the required quorum.
- What was approved.
- The recorded voting result.
- What you are expected to contribute.
- Who was authorised to carry out the next steps.
Does a decision bind absent owners, and can it be challenged?
Decisions properly taken in accordance with the law and the regulation generally bind all co-owners, including absent ones. The allocation of related costs must follow the applicable rules.
For certain defective decisions, case law applies Article 101 of the Civil Code by analogy and requires a challenge by lawsuit within six months from the decision date. The period does not generally start when an absent owner discovers the decision.
This matters where, for example, a challenge concerns procedural defects or failure to follow the regulation. Waiting for a payment demand may leave you with less time to act.
However, the six-month rule is not an absolute rule for every possible defect. Case law distinguishes decisions that are merely challengeable from those that are legally nonexistent or absolutely void, including certain decisions outside the meeting’s authority or contrary to mandatory law.
Ask a Greek lawyer to assess the particular decision promptly. Do not assume either that every defect disappears after six months or that absence from the meeting preserves a later right to challenge it. ΕΦΕΤΕΙΟ ΠΕΙΡΑΙΩΣ
Is the law changing in 2026?
The Ministry of Justice announced an initiative on 2 July 2026 to modernise the co-ownership framework dating from 1929.
A drafting committee was announced, with the stated aim of completing its work by autumn and legislating a Property Code by the end of the year. These are announced objectives, rather than confirmation that new voting rules have taken effect. Υπουργείο Δικαιοσύνης
Press reports about a proposed 51% threshold or other changes should not be used as the basis for your building’s decisions before the relevant legislation is enacted.
Our apartment-building reform overview covers current rules and proposed changes.
What should owners abroad do now?
- Obtain the building’s regulation and the documents showing your applicable ownership and voting shares.
- Confirm that the manager has your current contact details.
- Decide who will represent you in Greece and formalise the authority in writing.
- Ask for agendas and minutes of recent meetings.
- Keep everything in one organised place.
Almost all problems encountered by foreign owners originate from the fact that nobody is representing their interests during a meeting and most owners have no idea what decisions were taken by the meeting and how these were voted. Members need to be informed of the agenda items prior to the meeting and who represents their interests.
Yanis, Founder of Home Watch Athens
How Home Watch Athens can help
Home Watch Athens is a founder-led, members-only property oversight service for people who own homes in Athens and Attica and live abroad.
Through our administrative representation service, I can attend and vote at polykatoikia meetings on your behalf where properly authorised and permitted by the building’s rules. You receive a written report afterwards, and we can request a copy of the official meeting minutes.
We can also review building charges and highlight unusual increases. When representing you, I act within your agreed instructions and authority.
Find out more through our property management service in Athens. We do not manage short-term letting properties.