Last reviewed 17 October 2026 · Demetre E. Katsouris, Managing Partner
In a nutshell. Greek construction and development work rests on three instruments: the preliminary agreement with the developer, the work contract under which the building is constructed, and the horizontal-property deed that divides the completed building into units. The landowner’s or buyer’s protection against delay, defective work or the developer’s insolvency is written into those documents or does not exist. We draft and negotiate them for landowners entering an antiparochi, for purchasers of units and for developers, and we coordinate the engineers whose certificates the law requires.
Who this service is for
Families who own an older house on a plot in the southern suburbs and have been offered an antiparochi; purchasers of units in buildings under construction; developers and contractors who require enforceable documentation; owners undertaking substantial renovation; and parties to construction disputes.
What is an antiparochi, and where do landowners lose?
In an antiparochi the landowner transfers part of the plot to the developer, the developer constructs the building at its own cost, and the landowner receives an agreed percentage of the finished building — apartments, parking and storage with their land shares — in lieu of a cash price. In Attica the landowner’s percentage commonly falls between 35% and 50% of the built area. The exposures are consistent: transferring the developer’s plot shares at the outset rather than against progress and sales; the absence of security — a bank guarantee, a mortgage over the developer’s share, or at minimum staged transfers; a specification described in adjectives rather than by brand, grade and standard; the absence of a delivery date with a daily penalty and a long-stop date; a permit that yields less buildable area than the percentage assumed; and unpermitted works on the existing house that must be addressed before demolition. Where the plot is owned by siblings, the allocation of specific units among them should be agreed and recorded before the developer is selected, and any unfinished inheritance completed first.
What documents do we prepare?
- The preliminary agreement, notarial and registered against the plot, fixing the percentage, identifying the landowner’s units by reference to the permit plans, and setting the specification, timetable, penalties, security and the mechanism for staged transfer of plot shares.
- The construction (work) contract, under which the developer builds the landowner’s units as contractor: technical specification, stages, the landowner’s engineer’s supervision and certification of each stage, and defects liability.
- The horizontal-property deed and table of ratios, executed once the permit issues, allocating identified units and plot shares to each party.
- The transfer deeds of plot shares to the developer’s purchasers as each unit is sold, so that the landowner retains the land until the building has progressed and a buyer exists.
- For purchasers: the pre-contract and the deed, as described under Off-Plan and New-Build Purchases.
How is the tax treated?
The transfer of plot shares to the developer or its purchasers is a transfer for consideration in kind and attracts transfer tax at 3.09% on the value of the shares transferred; which party bears it is a contractual term, ordinarily the developer. The construction of the landowner’s units is a supply of services attracting VAT at 24% on the value of the work. The developer’s own sales of new units fall within the VAT suspension to 31 December 2026 where elected. The percentage should be agreed only after the tax arithmetic has been run with the firm’s tax adviser.
Frequently asked questions
Should I accept a higher percentage or a cash sum on top? A mixed arrangement — a lower percentage with a cash payment at the outset — leaves the landowner with something if the project stalls.
Can the developer pre-sell units before the permit issues? It can market them on the strength of the preliminary agreement; no plot share should transfer until the horizontal-property deed exists.
What happens if the developer becomes insolvent mid-construction? With a registered preliminary agreement and staged transfers, the landowner retains the untransferred plot shares and the building on them and may complete with another contractor. Without them, the landowner holds a share in a part-built building alongside the developer’s creditors.
Related Insights
- Antiparochi: giving your plot to a developer in exchange for apartments
- Legal foresight in construction: safeguarding investment value
- Buying off-plan or new-build: what to demand from the developer
- Legalising unpermitted works in Greece
Offered an antiparochi?
Send us the proposal before signing anything. info@katslaw.eu · +30 210 898 2864
This page is general information and does not constitute legal advice. It reflects the law as at the date shown and may change.
