Most rental properties in resort areas, whether long or short-term, are let furnished – and often poorly equipped for permanent living – and long-term unfurnished properties are difficult to find. However, in major cities the opposite is the case, with long-term rental properties usually let unfurnished and furnished properties in short supply. Note that rental accommodation usually has no heating.
Rental costs vary considerably depending on the size (number of bedrooms) and quality of a property, its age and the facilities provided. However, the most significant factor affecting rents is the region, the town and the particular neighbourhood. A small, one or two-bedroom, unfurnished apartment, e.g. 50 to 75m2, which rents for between €500 to €1,000 a month in an average Athens suburb, costs around 50 per cent less in most rural and resort areas outside the main tourist season.
You should be able to strike a good bargain when renting out of the main season, when there’s a glut of properties for rent. Some islands, e.g. Kefallonia, have a good long-term (up to 12 months) rental market and you can expect to pay from €300 a month for a one-bedroom property and from €400 a month for two bedrooms.
As well as the monthly rent, you must pay one month’s rent as a deposit. If you have a long-term contract you may have to pay up to six months rent in advance. Long-term tenants usually pay for their own water and electricity consumption unless utilities are paid for on a communal basis, a common practice in older apartment blocks.