Everything owners abroad ask before trusting someone with their Athens home, from what happens on a visit to keys, membership and repairs.
A founder-led, members-only home watch service for people who own a home in Athens but live abroad. Yanis visits every member home once a month and sends a photo report on WhatsApp. Everything else is quoted separately and only goes ahead once you approve it.
Home Watch Athens is a founder-led, members-only home watch and property management service in Athens, Greece, for people who own a home in Athens but live abroad. Founder Yanis Zisis personally visits each member's home every month, works through a 12-point checklist and sends a photo report on WhatsApp. Repairs, bills, admin and other services are available to members, quoted separately.
A home watch service is professional oversight of a home while the owner is away: regular, documented visits to catch problems early, such as leaks, humidity, pests and blocked drains, and to arrange repairs before they escalate. It's different from a rental or letting agency, because the home is looked after, not rented out.
Home Watch Athens was founded by Yanis Zisis, who was born in Volos, Greece, and spent 15 years living and working in fintech in London. He created the service after a hidden kitchen leak at his own Athens apartment went unnoticed and his insurer refused the claim because there was no proof the home had been checked. Read Yanis's story.
Most property management agencies in Athens focus on rentals and sales. Home Watch Athens only looks after homes that stay yours: one person holds your keys, visits every month and reports with photos. There is no rental income taken and no fixed-term contract; the membership is billed monthly and you can cancel anytime.
No. Home Watch Athens doesn't handle Airbnb listings, bookings, guests or rented homes, or renovations for them. The service is for holiday homes and empty apartments in Athens and the Attica region.
No. Home Watch Athens is not a security or alarm company. The service is regular visits, preventive checks and personal oversight of your home, documented with photos after every visit.
Yes. Home Watch Athens is a registered Greek business listed in GEMI, the official General Commercial Registry, with Greek VAT number EL113567334. It holds professional liability insurance with a Greek insurer and has 5-star reviews on Trustpilot.
Yanis deliberately keeps a short list of member homes so that every one gets consistent, personal attention. Limiting the number of homes is what makes one-keyholder, founder-led care possible, and it's why membership starts with a short application.
Each visit takes approximately 60 minutes and follows a 12-point checklist: full interior inspection; air circulation and airing; heating, air conditioning and hot water operated; leak, moisture and odour check; pest check; tap and toilet flushing; balcony and terrace check with drain leaf removal; visual electric panel inspection; indoor plant watering; mail collection; a 10-minute car start/stop; and a photo report via WhatsApp. See the full property check.
The membership includes one visit a month. Visit dates aren't fixed in advance. Extra visits can be added whenever you need them, for example before you arrive, after a storm or during a long absence, and are quoted before they go ahead.
After every visit Yanis sends you a timestamped photo report on WhatsApp showing what was checked and anything that needs attention, and the visit is logged in your member account. If something needs action, you're told straight away, with a quote if a paid service is required.
Yes. During onboarding Yanis walks through the home with you, or on a video call, and adds your personal checks to the standard checklist: a known damp corner, a pool pump, a storage room or anything else that matters to you.
Every visit is carried out by Yanis Zisis, the founder. There are no rotating staff, so it's always the same person who was there last time.
Yes. Members can add pre-arrival cleaning and fridge restocking, so the home is ready when you land. These are quoted separately. See holiday home management.
The membership includes one Home Watch visit a month, of approximately 60 minutes, with a 12-point checklist and a photo report on WhatsApp. Everything else is a member service, quoted separately and only if needed.
Members can add maintenance (repairs, contractor supervision, AC servicing, pest control, drain clearing), pre-arrival cleaning, bills and admin (utility bills, building meetings, insurance renewals, dealing with your building management company and developer), emergency and storm visits and renovation oversight. Each is quoted and approved by you first.
Membership is one monthly fee for the monthly visit. Yanis confirms it after your application, once he knows where your home is and what it needs. It is billed monthly and you can cancel anytime.
No. The membership is billed monthly and you can cancel anytime.
Yanis Zisis, the founder, is the sole keyholder for every member home. No staff, cleaners, contractors or other third parties hold your keys. How key holding works.
Keys are stored securely and are never labelled with your address or any identifiable property details, so a lost key can't be traced back to your home.
Yes, with your written authorisation. Yanis attends in person, stays while the work is done and sends you photos when it's finished. Keys are never handed over for unsupervised access.
In the highly unlikely event of a key loss, Home Watch Athens replaces your locks straight away at its own expense.
No. Yanis arranges and supervises vetted local tradespeople, such as plumbers, electricians, AC technicians and painters, rather than doing the work himself. He finds the right trade, gets a fair quote, supervises on site and checks the result before the contractor leaves. Maintenance and technical oversight.
Yanis built his network through years of hands-on renovation in Athens. Every tradesperson is personally vetted for quality, reliability and fair pricing, and issues proper invoices. He doesn't use open marketplaces or take referral fees.
No. Nothing goes ahead without your written approval of the scope and cost. You get a clear quote first, and photos, invoices and receipts after every job.
Yes, as a member service. Yanis offers independent renovation oversight for owners abroad: a written brief, 2-3 vetted contractor quotes, a clear written agreement with stage payments, weekly site visits with photo reports and a full handover folder. See renovation oversight.
Yes, as a member service. Yanis can attend the handover, record defects with photos, follow up with the developer for you and start monthly visits from the day you get your keys, which is common for new-builds in Ellinikon and across the Riviera. It's quoted first.
It can. Many Greek home insurance policies include a vacancy clause that can limit cover if a home is left unattended for more than 30 consecutive days. Your insurer or broker can confirm what your own policy requires. Read the guide to Greek home insurance.
Every visit is dated and documented with timestamped photos, giving you a record of regular attendance you can show your insurer. No one can guarantee an insurance outcome, but a clear record helps if you ever need to claim.
Yes, as coordination. Yanis provides photos and a written record of what happened, liaises with your insurer and can be on site for the assessor's visit. He isn't an insurance broker and doesn't give policy advice or make policy decisions.
Yes, as a member service. Yanis can monitor, pay and reconcile electricity (DEI/PPC), water (EYDAP), gas and telecoms bills, with confirmation of every payment. Bills, admin and building representation.
Yes, as a member service. Yanis goes through the agenda with you beforehand, attends in person with your written proxy, votes on your instructions and sends you a written summary of every decision and cost discussed.
Only with your prior approval. Yanis acts on your instructions, and any decision that needs your input is discussed with you in advance, so you stay in control.
It's a member service. Emails and calls with your building management company, developer and contractors are quoted separately, only when you need them.
Yanis goes to the home, assesses the situation, takes urgent steps such as shutting off water or securing a door, sends you photos on WhatsApp and arranges repairs after your approval. Emergency and storm property checks.
Yanis is based in Athens and can often respond the same day. Timing depends on where the home is, traffic and conditions after a major event, and you're kept updated on WhatsApp throughout.
Emergency checks are available to members, but emergency and out-of-hours visits aren't part of the monthly fee and are quoted separately. Repairs are always quoted and approved by you first.
Yes. Members can request an extra visit after severe weather or an earthquake to check for water entry, leaks and visible damage, with a photo report. Balcony and terrace drains are also cleared on every regular visit.
People who own a home in Athens but live elsewhere: international owners from Europe, Israel and the UAE, Greeks abroad with a family home, holiday home owners who visit a few weeks a year, and Golden Visa holders whose home sits empty.
Yes. Golden Visa properties can't be let short term and the permit has no minimum stay, so many sit empty most of the year, exactly the homes Yanis looks after. For advice on your permit, speak to your lawyer. Golden Visa property management.
Most members live abroad, but the service suits anyone who is away from their Athens home for long periods, including owners who live elsewhere in Greece or travel often.
Yes, that's the core of the service. Yanis visits every month, checks everything properly and deals with problems as they come up. He doesn't move in like a house sitter. Property caretaker in Athens.
Apply for membership and tell Yanis about your home. He replies to every application within 24 hours, and if it's a good match, he'll reach out with more details and arrange a brief intro call. Then you hand over the keys, get your member login and monthly visits begin.
Yanis arranges the key handover as part of onboarding, in person when you're in Athens or by arranging collection if you're abroad, and records access details securely from the start.
WhatsApp is the main channel, for messages, photos and voice notes across time zones. Email is also available. You always deal directly with Yanis, never a call centre.
English and Greek. Yanis speaks Greek to building managers, tradespeople and utility companies, and English to you.
Last updated:
Tell Yanis about your home and what you'd like to know. He replies to every application within 24 hours, and if it's a good match, he'll arrange a brief intro call.
Members onlyReply within 24h
Apply for Membership
