Liability insurance is no longer an optional extra for a short-term rental in Greece. Since 1 October 2025, every property offered as a short-term rental must carry insurance against civil liability for damage or accidents that may occur. For an Airbnb host, that changes the question from “Should I buy cover?” to “Can I prove that the right property is covered by a valid policy?”
The rule is brief, but the buying decision is not. A cheap policy can still leave dangerous gaps if the insurer was not told about short-term-rental use, the insured address is wrong, a pool is excluded or the host assumes platform protection is a substitute for a Greek policy. This guide explains what Greek law requires, what liability insurance normally does, what to ask before buying and what evidence to keep ready for an inspection.
This is general information, not legal or insurance advice. Policy wording, property features and an owner’s legal or tax status can change the appropriate cover. Ask a licensed insurer or broker to confirm the requirements for your property in writing.
What Greek law requires from short-term rentals
Article 3 of Law 5170/2025 introduced minimum operational and safety standards for properties rented on a short-term basis. Among them is a direct requirement for civil liability insurance covering damage or accidents that may occur. The Ministry of Tourism confirmed that the new framework took effect on 1 October 2025.
The Ministry’s implementation guidance explains the practical point: the owner must maintain a liability policy for each short-term-rental property with an insurance company legally authorised to operate. A host with two apartments should therefore not assume that a certificate naming only one address automatically covers both. The schedule, insured party, period and address should all match the real operation.
The law also requires other measures, including an electrician’s declaration, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, a residual-current device, escape signage, pest-control documentation, a first-aid kit and emergency contact information. Insurance is one part of the compliance file, not a replacement for these safety duties.
What liability insurance actually protects
Civil liability cover is designed to respond when a third party alleges that the insured is legally responsible for bodily injury or property damage. In a holiday rental, a third party might be a guest, a visitor, a neighbour or the owner of another apartment affected by an incident.
Consider three ordinary Greek-hosting scenarios:
- A guest slips on a wet exterior stair and suffers an injury.
- A poorly secured fixture falls and damages a guest’s laptop.
- A leak from the rental damages the apartment below and the neighbour seeks compensation.
A liability policy may investigate the allegation, fund a legal defence and pay an eligible settlement or judgment, but only within its wording, limits and exclusions. It does not mean every accident automatically becomes the host’s liability, nor does it guarantee payment whenever a guest complains. The insurer will examine what happened, who was responsible, whether the risk was declared and whether the claim meets the contract.
Liability insurance is not the same as property cover
This distinction causes expensive misunderstandings. Liability insurance principally addresses claims made by other people. Building insurance protects the structure against specified events. Contents cover protects the host’s furnishings and equipment. Guest-damage cover may address damage caused by a visitor. Business-interruption cover may replace eligible lost income after an insured event.
One product can bundle several of these sections, but the word “insurance” on a certificate does not prove that all of them exist. Ask the insurer to identify each section and its limit. A policy that satisfies the liability requirement may still provide no reimbursement for a guest breaking the host’s own television.
A security deposit or Airbnb damage claim is different again. It is a way to pursue eligible guest-caused loss after a stay; it is not third-party liability insurance and does not remove the statutory requirement.
Does Airbnb AirCover satisfy the Greek requirement?
Hosts should not assume that it does. Airbnb describes Host Liability Insurance as part of AirCover for Hosts, subject to programme terms, limits, exclusions and the conditions of an eligible Airbnb stay. A statutory compliance document, by contrast, needs to show that the specific Greek property has the required current cover.
Platform protection and a host’s own policy can also work differently when a booking came through another channel or directly from the guest. A property advertised on Airbnb, Booking.com and its own website needs a risk arrangement that reflects all of those reservations, not only stays made through one platform.
The prudent approach is simple: show the AirCover terms and the Greek requirement to a licensed Greek insurer or broker, describe every booking channel, and obtain written confirmation of the policy arranged for that address. Do not rely on a dashboard badge, a marketing headline or an informal telephone answer as inspection evidence.
12 questions to ask an insurer or broker
Price matters, but clarity matters more. Use the following questions when comparing Airbnb liability insurance in Greece:
- Is short-term-rental use explicitly declared? Standard residential insurance may exclude commercial or paying-guest activity.
- Which exact address is covered? Check the apartment number, floor and any separate guest areas.
- Who is insured? The name should reflect the owner or legal entity that carries the risk. Ask how a manager or co-host is treated.
- Are both bodily injury and third-party property damage included? Request the limit for each.
- What are the per-incident and annual aggregate limits? The law text establishes the insurance duty but does not state a universal minimum sum in Article 3. Choose limits after a professional risk assessment.
- What deductible applies? A low premium may hide a large amount payable by the owner on every claim.
- Are pools, hot tubs, balconies, roof terraces, lifts or shared areas covered? These features can change the risk or require a specific endorsement.
- Does the policy cover all booking channels? Name Airbnb, Booking.com, direct reservations and any tour-operator arrangements you actually use.
- Are cleaners, maintenance workers or property managers included or excluded? Their own insurance may also be necessary.
- Are legal defence costs included within or in addition to the limit? The difference can materially reduce the amount left to pay a claim.
- Which exclusions are most relevant? Ask specifically about gradual water damage, mould, pets, intoxication, unlicensed alterations, long stays and unoccupied periods.
- What must be reported and how quickly? Save the emergency and claims contacts before a problem occurs.
Request the answers in the policy wording, schedule or an insurer-issued endorsement. A broker’s explanation is helpful, but the issued contract is what ultimately defines cover.
What happens during a short-term-rental inspection?
Law 5170/2025 authorises Ministry of Tourism officials to inspect short-term rentals, including through mixed teams with AADE. The property manager is normally notified at least ten days in advance. Inspectors must show official identification and a written inspection order, while the manager must allow access and present the required certificates and evidence.
A €5,000 administrative fine can be imposed if access is refused, the required standards are not met or the manager does not comply with the inspection obligations. If the same violation is found again during a new inspection within one year, the fine doubles; a further repeat of the same violation leads to four times the original amount.
That makes an expired policy more than an administrative inconvenience. Put renewal dates in a shared calendar, ask the insurer to send the new certificate before the old term ends and check that automatic payment has actually completed. If ownership, management, address details or property use changes, notify the insurer instead of waiting for renewal.
Build a simple inspection-ready insurance file
Keep a digital folder for each property and a backup accessible to the person who can attend an inspection. Include:
- the current policy schedule and full wording;
- the certificate showing the insured name, address and coverage dates;
- proof of premium payment where available;
- the insurer or broker’s written confirmation that short-term-rental use is covered;
- claims and emergency contact details;
- renewal reminders and previous policies;
- a short property-risk record covering pools, stairs, balconies, fireplaces and other declared features.
Store the safety documents required by the same law alongside it. The Ministry’s implementation guidance is the best starting point for checking the complete list.
How to compare policies without choosing on price alone
Ask two or three providers for quotes built from the same written description of the property. Give each one the address, maximum guest count, booking channels, annual operating pattern and risk features. Then compare limits, deductibles, exclusions, defence costs, channel restrictions and documentation—not just the annual premium.
For wider context, our European short-term-rental insurance overview explains why ordinary home insurance and commercial guest use often do not align. The more focused civil liability insurance guide covers common protection gaps across markets. Greek hosts should use those principles only after applying the specific requirements of Law 5170/2025.
A seven-step action checklist for Greek hosts
- List every short-term-rental property and confirm that each has its own current evidence of cover.
- Verify the insured name and exact address against the ownership and operating setup.
- Confirm in writing that paying guests and every active booking channel are covered.
- Review limits, deductible, exclusions and high-risk features with a licensed professional.
- Save the policy, certificate, payment proof and claims instructions in the property file.
- Calendar renewal checks at least 30 and 10 days before expiry.
- Complete the other safety and documentation requirements of Law 5170/2025.
The bottom line
Airbnb liability insurance in Greece is now both a legal compliance issue and an operational safeguard. The useful policy is not necessarily the cheapest or the one with the biggest marketing number. It is the policy that accurately describes the property, the insured party and the way guests are accepted—and whose terms the host can produce when asked.
Start with the official Greek rules, give the insurer complete information and keep the evidence current. That approach will not prevent every accident, but it removes avoidable ambiguity at the moment a host, guest, neighbour or inspector most needs a clear answer.
