As we have discussed in previous articles regarding the whirlwind of new measures in short-term rentals, the changes that have come into effect have turned things upside down. Measures and amendments have been announced since roughly the middle of last year that only serve to confuse those involved in short-term rentals. You can refer to these links for a refresher on the tax measures here and here.
AMA, environmental fee (TAKK), Hosts, and other unknown terms
As is evident, after every change, amendment, new measure, etc., confusion can last for months. Suddenly, you are required to create a new AMA, pay an environmental fee (TAKK) of €8, and you hear about co-hosting, leaving you wondering how many qualifications you need to have to rent out a property through a short-term rental platform.
We will try to clarify, in simple terms, the three most common cases of confusion related to Airbnb, helping to understand this convoluted area known as “short-term rental.”
AMA
AMA, or Property Registration Number, is a unique number theoretically assigned to the property, but in reality, it’s a unique number for the manager of each property. This means that if the manager changes, a new AMA must be issued for the new manager.
- What happens with Airbnb and the change of AMA?
- Airbnb is linked through the manager’s page, i.e., the Host. Once the Host changes, unfortunately, all history (reviews, ratings) is lost.
- What happens with Booking and the change of AMA?
- Here, things are simpler. If the management changes from an individual to a company, the profile is transferred, necessary access is granted, and the individual’s profile is deactivated. In this case, the history is retained.
- What is the next step if an individual appoints a company as manager?
- If they sign a management contract between them, the company is designated as a co-host, meaning the property remains under the AMA and consequently, under the individual’s profile. If they sign a rental agreement, the property is transferred to the company’s profile, with a new AMA.
Environmental fee (TAKK)
The Climate Crisis Levy or Resilience Tax, as it is more commonly referred to. Last April, it was announced that the TAKK would be set at €0.50 per night for the low season, while for the high season, the guest would pay €1.50 per night. These amounts have now been adjusted to €2 and €8 per night, respectively, for the most part.
How is TAKK defined on Airbnb?
- You must first activate the professional tools in the host profile from the account settings, then go to the “Policies and Rules” section and add the TAKK to the accommodation taxes. Currently, Airbnb does not offer the option to declare different amounts per season. Unfortunately, this creates opportunities for irregularities, whether you declare the low season or the high season. The important thing is to declare the correct amount to the Independent Authority for Public Revenue, depending on the booking date, regardless of the amount you have declared on Airbnb.
- From the total amount of the booking, the TAKK is deducted, and the remaining amount is what is reported to the Independent Authority for Public Revenue.
How is TAKK defined on Booking.com?
- Again, things are simpler here. This platform has separated periods into high and low season, so it calculates based on check-in and automatically sets the TAKK for each date. To see your accommodation’s taxes, check the “VAT/Taxes/Charges” section. If the TAKK prices are not correctly set, you will need to contact customer service to rectify them.
Late declarations and fines
There are many cases of individual managers who attempted to declare late bookings, only to encounter various error messages from the system. The most common cases for inability to submit late declarations are:
- Expiration or cancellation of the AMA. This usually occurs after a change of management. In these cases, a change or modification of the lease must be made, designating a new AMA and resubmitting.
- Inability to submit bookings that pertain to the end of the previous year and the beginning of the new one. For example, a booking from 20/12 to 10/01 must be “split” into two separate declarations. The first declaration will cover the dates 20-31/12, and the second 01-10/01.
- Payment of fines. There is no fine for late declarations, provided the amount has been declared in the income tax declaration for the tax year. If, for example, you delayed declaring a booking that pertains to the end of the previous year, upon finalising the year, you will note it without the imposition of a late submission fine as per Article 36, Law 5036/2023, Government Gazette A’ 77/28-03-2023, and you will be exempt from the €100 fine. If you have already paid the fine, it will be retroactively cancelled.
Properties in the Capital’s Centre
Another thorny issue is properties located in the three central districts of the capital, for which the issuance of new AMAs has been prohibited since 01/01/2025 (this pertains to the centre of Athens and surrounding neighbourhoods, Pagrati, and neighbourhoods towards Kallimarmaro and Kerameikos).
However, to reassure owners who already had properties on a short-term rental platform before 01/01/2025, these properties can continue to operate normally. The issuance of AMA has been prohibited for new properties, not for existing ones. The AMA appears on the owner’s E9 statement along with the ATAK of the property, so you will not face any issues, even if your property is inactive due to renovation.
As we can understand, the area of short-term rental is always very fluid and constantly under scrutiny, as it is considered by some as a primary suspect for the rise in long-term rental prices, the lack of properties for purchase, etc.
Nevertheless, it remains a crucial source of income for our country, and no one can dispute that.
