Owning a home at The Ellinikon from abroad comes down to three separate questions: when your own unit is genuinely ready, what your building’s management and service charges cover, and who can get inside and follow up when you are not in Athens. Settle all three in writing before handover, and again before you leave the home empty.
Picture the usual situation. Your apartment is approaching handover, the photos look finished, and you will spend a few weeks a year in Athens at most. The developer has a date, the building will have a management company, and an app promises to tie everything together.
What the brochures do not tell you is who checks inside your apartment in February, who chases the cracked tile on the snagging list, or who lets the internet engineer in when you are in London or Dubai. This guide is about those gaps.
Three questions are easy to blur together:
- Is your home ready? Your own unit, its utilities and its access.
- Is the district ready? Roads, parks, shops and neighbouring buildings still under construction.
- Is the care arranged? The people and permissions that look after the home between your stays.
Your Ellinikon ownership at a glance
| Stage | What to settle |
|---|---|
| Before handover | Your contractual handover date, an independent engineer, who attends if you cannot travel, and the building’s budget |
| At handover | Inspection, a written defect list, keys and access cards, meter readings, manuals and system demonstrations |
| First month | Utilities in your name, management scope and contacts, insurance, a baseline condition record, repair follow-up |
| Between stays | Regular checks, alerts routed to someone who can attend, defect follow-up and arrival preparation |
The Ellinikon and Elliniko: which kind of property do you own?
The Ellinikon is the branded development on the former Athens airport site, led by LAMDA Development. Elliniko, also written Hellinikon, is the established suburb – the actual name of the area around it.
The difference matters, because the services and rules depend on where your home sits.
Inside the development, homes are grouped into distinct neighbourhoods:
- Little Athens, a residential neighbourhood beside The Ellinikon Park and the coast
- The Ellinikon Riviera, the coastal-front projects such as Riviera Tower and The Cove
- East Village, a newer residential neighbourhood on the eastern side
Before anything else, write down your exact project, building, unit number and the entity that manages the building. You will need these for utilities, insurance and every conversation with management.
If you own an existing apartment in Ano or Kato Elliniko, outside the development, your building has its own arrangements: a building manager, shared charges and house rules. It does not automatically receive Ellinikon services just because it is nearby.
What is open now, and when will your home be ready?
Public places you can already visit
Three parts of the development are already open to visitors. They are useful for getting to know the area on a viewing or handover trip, but they are not the finished park or masterplan.
- The Experience Park was the first part of the project to open to the public, and entry is free.
- The Experience Centre sits inside a renovated hangar in the Experience Park. Admission is free, but you must book in advance.
- The Ellinikon Sports Park has free entry. Some organised activities or programmes may need registration or a fee.
Opening hours change, so check the developer’s visitor information before you go. It also covers public transport and parking.
Building completion, handover and neighbourhood completion
Completion varies by residence. Here are some of the targets the developer currently publishes:
| Residence | Neighbourhood | Published completion target |
|---|---|---|
| Promenade Heights | Little Athens | H1 2027 |
| Atrium Gardens | Little Athens | H2 2027 |
| Park Rise | Little Athens | H1 2028 |
| Skyline Havens | East Village | H2 2028 |
Targets as listed on the developer’s residences page on 8 October 2026.
Treat these as published targets, not your handover date. Your contract sets the date that applies to you. Even within one project, dates can differ: Sunset Groves East and West have separate targets.
The developer plans the first phase of Little Athens for completion across 2027 and 2028. In practice, you may receive your keys while neighbouring blocks, roads and amenities are still being built.
The developer says homes and communal areas will be fit for use and occupancy at handover. That is not the same as a home ready for your first stay. Before you book flights, ask:
- Is your unit complete, with the snagging list closed or scheduled?
- Are permanent utilities connected, and in whose name?
- Is the access route to your entrance, parking and storage usable?
- Are the common areas finished?
- When will the promised shared amenities open?
- What works will continue next to your building, and for how long?
What should you confirm before accepting handover?
Inspection, snagging and written follow-up
A new-build handover is the moment to find defects, while the developer’s team is focused on your unit. Use an appropriately qualified, independent engineer for the technical inspection.
Then make sure the follow-up survives your flight home:
- A written defect list with photographs
- A named contact at the developer’s aftercare team
- Agreed repair dates for each item
- A way to confirm completed repairs from abroad, such as photos or a re-check by your representative
Where Home Watch Athens fits: Yanis can take part in the handover process with the developer for members and keep the follow-up moving. Technical assessment and any certification remain the engineer’s job.
Handover does not end every obligation on the developer’s side, but defect periods depend on your contract and Greek law. You can always consult a lawyer about what applies to you. For the full process, see our guide to new-build handover and snagging.
Your keys, documents and system demonstrations
Collect and check:
- Keys, access cards and fobs, with a count of each
- Your parking space and storage unit, clearly identified
- Meter readings, photographed on the day
- Owner manuals and warranties for installed systems and appliances
- A demonstration of the heating, cooling, hot water, ventilation and any smart-home controls
- Aftercare contacts and how to report a problem
- Copies of the property documents relevant to your unit
If you cannot travel, ask the developer in advance who may attend for you and what authority they need. Inspecting a property is different from signing documents on your behalf. Signing may require a specific power of attorney, so confirm the requirement before anyone attends.
What do building management and Smart Living actually cover?
The developer markets its own Smart Living services. These include management of residences and shared spaces, optional everyday services such as cleaning and repairs, and Livio, The Ellinikon app.
That is genuine provision, and it may cover much of what you need. But the public descriptions do not tell you what your building’s package includes, what is in the service charge, what costs extra, or what you can delegate. Get those answers in writing for your building.
Shared areas, your apartment and optional services
Use this table as a list of questions to resolve for your building. It is not a statement of who is responsible.
| Task | Confirm with | Evidence to request |
|---|---|---|
| Shared systems (lifts, communal plumbing, roof, shared pool plant) | Building management | Service scope and maintenance schedule |
| Plumbing inside your apartment | Building management and developer aftercare | Where responsibility starts and who to call |
| Checks inside your empty apartment | Building management, or your own representative | Whether included, how often, and what is reported |
| Alarm or leak alert response | Building management and any monitoring company | Who is notified, who may enter, and the response steps |
| Developer defects | Developer aftercare team | Defect list, reporting route and target dates |
| Contractor access | Building management | Approval process, permitted work hours and contractor requirements |
| Optional services such as cleaning and repairs | Smart Living or building management | Price list, booking route and how you approve costs |
Access and communication while you are abroad
Ask building management about:
- Registering authorised keyholders
- Visitor and contractor registration, and approval times
- Permitted work hours and noisy-work rules
- Booking lifts or loading areas for deliveries
- App permissions, and whether your representative can have their own access
- Emergency contacts, including out-of-hours
Confirm whether your selected package includes documented checks inside an empty apartment, and how often. Many management services focus on shared areas.
Agree how your local representative communicates with management, and ask to be copied in. Never share your own passwords or work around building rules; ask for proper access instead.
What will you pay after you receive the keys?
Service charges and costs that continue while the home is empty
Amenities vary by project. The developer says the operating and maintenance costs of communal amenities are covered by service charges, shared among residents and usually paid monthly.
There is no reliable universal monthly figure for The Ellinikon. Ask management for:
- Your building’s annual budget
- How costs are allocated between apartments
- Payment frequency and method
- Any reserve fund or extraordinary costs
- Which optional services are charged separately
An empty apartment still pays its share of shared costs. For how these charges work in Greek buildings generally, read our guide to Greek building service charges.
Utilities, insurance, tax and private maintenance
Your own running costs usually include:
- Electricity: standing charges and consumption, even when you are away
- Water and connectivity: supply, internet and any TV service
- Insurance: your own policy, alongside the building’s cover
- ENFIA: the annual property tax, based on the properties you own on 1 January
- Maintenance: servicing for the equipment your unit actually has
Ask each provider and the developer to confirm in writing what starts when, what is included, and what VAT applies.
On tax, check your E9 property declaration in the AADE E9/ENFIA application. Where your purchase deed went through AADE’s myPROPERTY system, the E9 may have been created automatically, but confirm it. AADE’s own pages give different deadlines, so ask your accountant which one applies. Our Athens Riviera new-owner checklist covers the wider administration.
On insurance, the building’s policy for shared areas does not necessarily cover your interior or contents. Ask your insurer directly about conditions for an empty home and what evidence of visits they expect. See our guide to home insurance for overseas owners.
How do you set up the home without repeated trips to Athens?
Utilities and systems
In a new build, electricity is often a first connection rather than a transfer of an existing account. Ask the developer whether the permanent supply is connected and in whose name.
HEDNO, the network operator, handles new connections online through myDEDDIE, using TaxisNet credentials. Your supplier contract is a separate step.
Before you leave, confirm:
- Electricity activation and the supply number
- Water supply and meter identity
- Internet availability at your exact unit, not just the street
- Who owns each activation task, and the deadline
Our guide to moving utilities into your name explains the difference between a first connection and an account transfer.
Get the system manuals and absence-mode instructions before switching anything off. Some systems are designed to keep running.
Furnishing and deliveries
Plan furniture around confirmed building access:
- Loading areas and delivery windows
- Lift dimensions and door widths
- Installation requirements for appliances
- Packaging removal, which buildings often restrict
Appoint one person to receive goods, inspect them, photograph any damage and coordinate the trades the building has authorised.
Check what is already fitted, and the approved specifications, before ordering duplicate appliances. The developer does not allow layout or finish changes during the build, apart from some predefined material options. Later alterations depend on your documents, building rules and any required approvals.
For delivery order and installation, see setting up an Athens apartment from abroad.
What needs attention when the apartment is empty?
Your first months after handover
The first months show how a new home performs. Start with a baseline condition record: photos of every room, ceilings, meters and balconies on the day you take over.
Then track repeat defects and incomplete repairs against that record. Arrange checks after maintenance visits and after heavy rain or storms. Technical concerns go to the qualified contractor, engineer or developer aftercare team.
Coastal exposure, drainage and nearby construction
Homes near the coast and next to active building sites have particular risks to assess. Exposure varies by building, floor and orientation, so focus on what applies to yours:
- Balcony and terrace drains blocked by leaves or dust
- Window and door seals
- Visible corrosion on metal fittings and outdoor units
- Construction dust on balconies, glazing and air-conditioning units
- Signs of moisture, staining or odour indoors
For practical care in coastal homes, read our guide to salt-air maintenance on the Athens Riviera.
Remote alerts and a person who can attend
Alarms, leak sensors and a working internet connection tell you something is wrong. They do not let anyone in.
Agree in advance who is authorised to enter when an alert arrives, and the escalation steps with building management and any monitoring company. Home Watch Athens is not a security patrol and does not guarantee overnight or 24/7 attendance. Read more on who can respond to an alarm.
Follow your installer’s instructions on ventilation, equipment settings and water isolation, rather than switching everything off by default.
What should you arrange before each stay?
A good arrival is prepared a week ahead:
- Access route: works can change routes and entrances, so check the current way in
- Parking and deliveries: booked through management if required
- Internet: tested before you land
- Equipment: air conditioning, hot water and appliances checked
- Building notices: any planned works or shutdowns during your stay
Elliniko is on Metro Line 2, but the walk from the station depends on your building’s entrance and current works. Check the actual route rather than assuming it is short.
While the district develops, established shops and services in neighbouring Glyfada, Elliniko and Argyroupoli remain useful.
“Before you leave your new Athens Riviera home empty, make sure you know who can get inside, who receives the alerts and who follows up on unfinished work. Having those arrangements in place makes it much easier to look after the property from abroad.” Yanis, Founder of Home Watch Athens
Your Ellinikon owner’s checklist before leaving Athens
- Handover issues recorded in writing, with photos
- One named person responsible for defect follow-up
- Meters, supply numbers and billing checked
- Building management scope understood, in writing
- Management, aftercare and emergency contacts saved
- Authorised access arranged for your representative
- Insurance conditions for an empty home confirmed
- Equipment and absence settings agreed with the installer
- A visit and reporting schedule in place
- Next arrival preparations assigned
Looking after your Ellinikon home with Home Watch Athens
Home Watch Athens is independent and not affiliated with LAMDA Development. It works alongside your building’s management, covering the practical needs your package may leave open, where building access rules permit.
Once a month, Yanis visits your home for around an hour. He airs and inspects it against a standard checklist, runs the heating, air conditioning and hot water, checks for leaks, moisture and pests, and clears balcony drains. You get a photo report on WhatsApp after every visit.
Anything beyond the monthly visit is a member service, quoted separately and only when needed. That can include taking part in the new-build handover process with the developer, communicating with building management, coordinating repairs and preparing the home before you arrive. It does not include engineering inspection, legal representation or unrestricted emergency attendance.
To discuss your building, handover stage and existing management arrangements, read more about property care in Elliniko for owners living abroad, or Apply for Membership. Yanis replies to every application within 24 hours.
Frequently asked questions
Is The Ellinikon the same as the wider Elliniko area? No. The Ellinikon is the development on the former airport site. Elliniko is the surrounding suburb, where existing buildings have their own management arrangements.
Does every Ellinikon home have the same handover date? No. Published completion targets vary by project and even by plot within a project. Your contract sets the date that applies to you.
Is Little Athens a gated community? No. The developer describes it as an open neighbourhood with public streets. Some areas within individual residential projects are reserved for residents and their guests.
Does building management check inside my apartment when I am abroad? Not necessarily. Ask whether your package includes documented checks inside an empty apartment, how often, and what is reported.
Do I still pay service charges when my home is empty? Yes. Shared operating and maintenance costs are split among owners whether or not you are living there.
Can someone attend handover or manage defect follow-up for me? Yes, with the right authority. Ask the developer in advance what your representative needs, especially if documents must be signed.
Can I change the layout or finishes of my Ellinikon apartment? Not during the build, apart from some predefined material options. For later changes, check your documents, building rules and required approvals.
What should I arrange before leaving my new home empty? Recorded defects, a named follow-up person, utilities checked, management scope confirmed, authorised access, insurance conditions and a regular visit schedule.