Greek STR Welcome Book 2026: Contents and EN-EL Template

Greek STR Welcome Book 2026: Mandatory Contents and English-Greek Template

Under Νόμος 5170/2025 and the related ΑΑΔΕ implementing decision Α.1095/2025, every Greek short-term rental must keep a property information book — the welcome book — visibly available inside the property and producible at inspection within minutes. The mandatory contents are specific: the ΑΜΑ registration number, owner and manager identification, 24/7 emergency contacts, safety switch and escape route instructions, building access rules, noise rules and waste segregation guidance. A missing or incomplete book carries a fine of around 1,000 to 3,000 EUR, and on the islands municipal police add their own penalties of around 500 to 1,500 EUR. This guide gives foreign owners the full mandatory checklist, a bilingual English-Greek page-by-page structure, and the format decisions (print, PDF, QR) that work when you manage the property from London or New York.

Until recently the welcome book was a hospitality nicety — something conscientious hosts prepared to reduce guest questions. Νόμος 5170/2025 turned it into a compliance document. Since joint inspections by ΑΑΔΕ (the Greek tax authority), the Fire Brigade and municipal police began in late 2025, inspectors systematically ask to see the book, and they check its contents against a defined minimum. For a remote owner, this is one of the cheapest compliance items on the entire Greek STR list: it costs nothing but a few hours of work, yet its absence is one of the most commonly recorded deficiencies at inspections of foreign-owned properties.

Why the Welcome Book Became a Legal Requirement

The logic of the law is guest safety and traceability. The Fire Brigade wants evidence that guests are informed about the extinguisher location and escape route (see our companion guide on Greek STR fire safety requirements 2026). ΑΑΔΕ wants the ΑΜΑ (Αριθμός Μητρώου Ακινήτου) displayed so any guest, neighbour or inspector can verify the property is registered. Municipalities want noise rules and waste segregation communicated, because tourist-heavy districts in Athens, Mykonos and Santorini generate the bulk of neighbour complaints.

The law does not prescribe a specific format or binding. A printed folder, a laminated booklet or a professionally designed book all qualify, as long as the mandatory contents are present and the document can be produced at inspection quickly — in practice within about 5 minutes. What does not qualify is a purely digital version with no on-site copy: inspectors expect something physical in the property, and a printed book also serves guests when the WiFi is down.

The Mandatory Contents Checklist

Element	What it must contain	Who checks it
ΑΜΑ display	The full ΑΜΑ registration number, prominently on the first page	ΑΑΔΕ, municipal police
Owner and manager identification	Owner name and ΑΦΜ, full property address, 24/7 contact phone (may be the co-host or manager), email	ΑΑΔΕ
Emergency contacts	112, police 100, Fire Brigade 199, ambulance 166, forest fire reports 1571, coastguard 108 (islands), nearest hospital and pharmacy	Fire Brigade, municipal police
Safety switches and escape route	Location of fuse board, water shut-off, gas valve, fire extinguisher; escape route sketch	Fire Brigade
Building access instructions	Entrance procedure, keybox or smart lock use, stairwell and lift rules, who may enter	Municipal police
Noise rules	Greek quiet hours (typically 15:00-17:30 in summer afternoons and 23:00-07:00 at night), building-specific rules	Municipal police
Waste segregation	Which bin colour takes which material, bin location, collection days	Municipal police
Climate Resilience Fee statement	The per-night fee amount the guest has paid, with reference to the legal basis	ΑΑΔΕ

Two of these deserve emphasis because they surprise foreign owners. First, the ΑΜΑ must appear inside the book even though it is already on your listing and on the A5 plaque at the entrance — the book is a third, independent display obligation. Second, the Climate Resilience Fee statement: guests must be able to see what portion of their payment is the government stayover fee (from 1.50 to 15 EUR per night depending on category and season — see our Greek tourist tax host guide).

Bilingual by Design: Why English Alone Fails Inspection

Many foreign owners produce a polished English-only book because their guests are overwhelmingly international. This fails inspection. Municipal police and Fire Brigade officers ask for a Greek version, and the law's intent is that the safety-critical content be readable by any authority on the spot. The clean solution is a side-by-side EL/EN layout: Greek in the left column, English in the right, on every page that carries mandatory content. Pages that are purely hospitality (restaurant recommendations, beach guides) can stay English-only.

You do not need to speak Greek to produce this. The mandatory sections are short, formulaic texts — emergency numbers, switch locations, quiet hours — that translate reliably. Have your co-host or property manager proofread the Greek column once; after that the text rarely changes year to year.

A Page-by-Page Structure That Passes Inspection and Earns Reviews

Page	Content	Language
1	Welcome note, owner details, ΑΜΑ number	EL/EN side-by-side
2	Emergency numbers in large type	EL/EN
3	Check-in, check-out, WiFi credentials	EL/EN
4	House rules: noise, smoking, pets, occupancy	EL/EN
5	Safety: fuse board, water and gas shut-offs, extinguisher, escape route sketch	EL/EN
6	Building access, lift, waste segregation and bin days	EL/EN
7	Appliance instructions: air conditioning, water heater, hob	EN mainly
8	Local guide: sights, beaches, transport	EN mainly
9	Restaurants, supermarket, pharmacy	EN mainly
10	Climate Fee statement, GDPR notice, farewell and review request	EL/EN

The GDPR notice on the final page is a short paragraph (50-70 words is enough) explaining that guest data is transmitted to ΑΑΔΕ as a legal obligation and retained for 5 years. It is not a headline requirement of the welcome book itself, but inspectors respond well to it and it closes a genuine data-protection gap for hosts who register guests electronically.

The Safety Pages: What the Fire Officer Actually Reads

At a joint inspection, the fire officer opens your book at the safety section and cross-checks it against the physical property. They verify that the extinguisher location described in the book matches where the extinguisher actually hangs, that the escape route sketch corresponds to the real layout, and that the fuse board and water shut-off descriptions are accurate. A floor-plan sketch — even a hand-drawn one — marking the extinguisher, fuse board and exits is the single easiest way to pass this check.

Write the switch instructions in plain operational language. For example: "The fuse board is in the entrance hallway, left of the front door, at head height. If the power cuts out, check whether a breaker has flipped down and push it back up. If it trips again, call the host." Guests under stress do not read paragraphs; they scan for locations and actions, so use bold locations and short imperative sentences.

Building Access, Noise and Waste: The Neighbour-Complaint Triad

These three items exist in the law because they generate the most friction between STRs and residents. Treat them as one block:

• Building access: explain exactly how guests enter (street door code, keybox location and code delivery, smart lock app), which areas are shared, and that guests must not buzz neighbours or prop open the street door. Under Νόμος 5189/2026, self-check-in via keybox or smart lock is permitted for solo and couple stays, while larger groups require an in-person representative — state in the book who that person is and how to reach them.
• Noise rules: quote the Greek quiet hours explicitly. Most foreign guests have never heard of the Greek afternoon quiet period (κοινή ησυχία), typically 15:00-17:30 in summer, and violating it in an Athens apartment block is the fastest route to a complaint that reaches municipal police.
• Waste segregation: blue bins for recyclables, green or grey for general waste, and in many municipalities brown for organic. Give the bin location to the metre and the collection days. On islands this is checked actively: local police in Mykonos and Santorini treat overflowing STR waste as an enforcement priority in peak season.

Print, PDF or QR: The Format Mix That Works Remotely

The best-performing setup for a remotely managed property combines three formats. A printed A5 or A4 spiral-bound book stays in a fixed, visible spot — coffee table or kitchen counter — and satisfies the inspection requirement. A PDF copy goes to the guest automatically 24-48 hours before arrival via the platform messaging flow. A QR code sticker in the kitchen or hallway opens the digital version for guests who never open attachments.

Digital welcome book platforms (Touch Stay, Hostfully, YourWelcome and similar) cost around 10-25 EUR per month per property and add automatic translation, click-to-call emergency numbers and instant updates without reprinting. They are worth it from the second property onwards; for a single property, a well-made PDF plus print does the job. Whatever you choose, the printed copy remains non-negotiable — a phone-only book does not exist as far as an inspector is concerned, and villas often have outdoor areas with no connectivity anyway.

Annual Maintenance Calendar for Remote Owners

A welcome book decays: restaurants close, bin schedules change, the Climate Fee rates are adjusted, phone numbers rotate. Build a light annual cycle and delegate the physical part:

• January: verify the Climate Resilience Fee rates for the new year and update the fee statement page.
• April, before high season: refresh restaurant and local recommendations, reprint changed pages (10-20 EUR per copy at a local print shop, handled by your cleaner or co-host).
• September: review the season's guest questions and reviews; anything asked more than twice belongs in the book.
• Every 5 years or after renovation: re-verify the safety pages against the property — extinguisher position, fuse board, escape route.

Photograph the finished book in place and store the photos with the rest of your compliance evidence in a cloud folder. If an inspection happens while the property is between cleans and the book has wandered into a drawer, your local contact can locate and present it in minutes. For how to structure these delegated routines end to end, see our guide on remote property management from London or NYC, and slot the book into your wider Greek Airbnb compliance checklist.

The Cost-Benefit Case in One Paragraph

Producing a compliant bilingual welcome book takes 4-8 hours the first time, or 1-2 hours a year with a template, plus around 10-20 EUR of printing. Against that: a 1,000-3,000 EUR fine for absence, municipal penalties on the islands, and a documented reduction in guest phone calls of roughly 60-70% once the common questions are answered on paper. Hosts with a strong book also see measurably better reviews, because check-in confusion and appliance mysteries are the two most common sources of 4-star ratings on otherwise excellent Greek properties. Few compliance documents pay for themselves this directly.

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