Last reviewed 17 October 2026 · Demetre E. Katsouris, Managing Partner
In a nutshell. Disputes over Greek real property are decided by the civil courts on the strength of title deeds, the cadastre record, possession evidence and expert surveys. The principal actions are the ownership action to recover property from a possessor, the claim or defence of adverse possession after ten years with title or twenty years without, boundary and encroachment actions, the action to correct an inaccurate first cadastre registration, and claims for the deposit or damages where a preliminary sale agreement is broken. Katsouris Law Firm conducts each before the competent court.
What are the main real-property actions?
- Ownership (vindication) action. The owner recovers the property from whoever possesses it without right, proving title by a chain of registered deeds or by adverse possession.
- Adverse possession. Ownership acquired by possession in good faith with a lawful title for ten years, or by possession for twenty years without either (Civil Code arts. 1041 and 1045). It is both a sword, for the family that has farmed a plot for generations without a registered deed, and a shield against a claimant with an old title. Against property of the Greek State it is in principle excluded, but the categories of public property differ and art. 4 of Law 3127/2003 creates an exception, so the position is examined case by case.
- Boundary and encroachment actions. Where a neighbour’s building or fence crosses the line; the court relies on a surveyor’s expert report and the cadastral diagrams. Remedies run from demolition of the encroaching part to compensation where demolition would be disproportionate.
- Easements. Rights of way, of water and of light, created by deed or acquired by long use; actions to establish, enforce or extinguish them.
- Nuisance and emissions. Noise, water, construction damage from an adjoining plot; injunctions and damages.
How is an inaccurate cadastre registration corrected in court?
Where the first registration at the Hellenic Cadastre records the wrong owner, the wrong area, or “unknown owner”, and the error cannot be corrected by the administrative routes, the true owner brings an action for correction of the inaccurate registration before the competent court (Law 2664/1998 art. 6(2); the periods are area-specific, and for the earliest areas were last extended by Law 5160/2024 art. 36 to one year after the Cadastre’s nationwide-completion act, whose publication is to be confirmed). Registrations in favour of “unknown owner” pass to the Greek State on the expiry of the period, which is why the firm treats these actions as urgent; the judgment, once final, is registered and replaces the inaccurate entry. The firm’s Insight on cadastre errors and its page on Law 5321/2026 set out the administrative routes that are attempted first.
What happens when a preliminary sale agreement is broken?
A notarial preliminary agreement binds both parties to the final deed. If the seller refuses, the buyer may claim the final deed by court judgment, which substitutes for the seller’s signature, or recover the deposit with the agreed penalty. If the buyer defaults, the seller retains the deposit and may claim further loss. A private preliminary agreement does not give the buyer a right to the property, only to damages; the firm’s page on preliminary agreements explains why the notarial form is used.
How does the firm conduct a property case?
Title examination at the land registry and cadastre for the full chain; a surveyor’s report where area or boundaries are in issue; a written opinion on the strength of the claim and the limitation position; the mandatory initial mediation session where the law requires it; interim measures where the property or the evidence is at risk — a prohibition on alienation, a prenotation of mortgage, a preservation of the status quo; then the action, the pleadings and the hearing. Judgments affecting title are registered so that the record follows the court.
Frequently asked questions
A neighbour has built over our boundary. What can we do? An expert survey fixes the line; the court may order removal of the encroaching part or, where removal would be disproportionate, award compensation and a right over the strip.
Our family has used a plot for fifty years without a deed. Can we register it? Possibly by adverse possession, proved by witnesses, tax declarations and acts of ownership over twenty years; the route — administrative or judicial — depends on what the cadastre shows.
The cadastre says “unknown owner” for my grandfather’s field. The correction may be administrative or by court action, and it is time-limited, the period depending on the cadastral area (Law 2664/1998 art. 6; Law 5160/2024 art. 36); the sooner the file is opened the better.
Can we obtain an order stopping a sale while the case runs? Yes, as an interim measure where there is urgency and a probable right.
Related Insights
- Correcting an error at the Hellenic Cadastre
- Law 5321/2026 and the National Cadastre
- Legal guide to buying property in Greece by an Athens lawyer
info@katslaw.eu · +30 210 898 2864 · WhatsApp +30 693 3333 144
This page is general information and does not constitute legal advice. It reflects the law as at the date shown and may change.
