European property law

Squatters' rights in Greece: how long adverse possession takes

Twenty years of possession under article 1045 of the Civil Code, whatever the possessor's good faith. Ten years under article 1041 for a possessor with good faith and a lawful title.

Start with one building See what it costs

14 days before the first charge · Nothing is switched on until you say so

Statutory period: 10 or 20 years
What's different here: state land is closed to possession claims, bar a 2003 carve-out
Statute: Civil Code (AK), arts. 1041 and 1045

Greek law calls adverse possession chrisiktisia, usucapion. Ordinary usucapion under article 1041 of the Civil Code gives ownership of land after ten years to a possessor holding it in good faith under a lawful title. Extraordinary usucapion under article 1045 needs twenty years of possession and nothing else: good faith is irrelevant, which is why it is the route a squatter would have to take.

The large exception is public land. Decree-Law 1539/1938 on the protection of public property treats the State as the possessor of its land and bars acquiring it by usucapion, a protection later extended to municipalities. Law 3127/2003 opened a narrow exception for State land inside a town plan or a small settlement, up to 2,000 square metres, after ten years with a title or thirty without, and never in bad faith.

Greek law lets a possessor defend possession, and if dispossessed of land, retake it by force only immediately after being dispossessed (Civil Code art. 985). After that moment the owner's route is the courts. Acting arbitrarily to enforce a disputed right can be the criminal offence of self-help, autodikia, under article 331 of the Criminal Code.

Where Greece sits against the rest of Europe, in years

Of 31 places in Europe on these pages, 3 have a shorter clock and 10 a longer one or none at all.

Sources checked

How it unfolds

From the day someone moves in to the day a claim is possible

The same three stages in most places. The exact rule, and whether the last stage exists at all, is on each place's own page.

Day oneMoving inCaught in the act, it is usually a matter for the police: a trespass, not a tenancy.
Weeks to yearsSettled inOnce someone lives there, removing them usually takes a court order, the same route as for a tenant.
After 10 or 20 yearsA claim becomes possibleOnly if every test held, without a break, for the whole period. Where the law allows no such claim, this stage never comes.

Not yours to do, once they have moved inChanging the locks, cutting the water or power, or removing belongings yourself. It is illegal in every US state and most places on these pages forbid it too. Each page says how removal works there.

Before it is ever a court case

The record a court asks for, kept as you go

Wherever your property stands, removing an occupant usually comes down to showing who had the right to be there, and since when. Dardaris files every lease, message and document for a building by date, so that record already exists on the day you need it.

Start with one building

Every lease, with who signed it and when
Every message with a tenant, on the thread it was sent in
Every document, filed against the building it concerns

Frequently asked questions

How long is adverse possession in Greece?

Twenty years of possession for extraordinary usucapion (Civil Code art. 1045), with no need for good faith or title. Ten years for ordinary usucapion (art. 1041), which needs both.

Can squatters acquire state land in Greece?

Generally not. Decree-Law 1539/1938 bars usucapion of State land. Law 3127/2003 allows it only for State land within a town plan or small settlement, up to 2,000 square metres, after 10 years with a title or 30 without, and not in bad faith.

Can an owner in Greece remove squatters themselves?

Only in the moment. Article 985 of the Civil Code lets a dispossessed possessor retake land by force immediately after being dispossessed. Later action outside the courts risks the offence of self-help under article 331 of the Criminal Code.

Elsewhere in Europe

The same question, on a different clock. Every place sets its own period and its own shortcuts.

This is general information, not legal advice.Laws change, and a county or a city can add its own wrinkle on top of the state rule, the way New York City does. Confirm the current rule for your address before acting on it, and talk to a local attorney before relying on any of it in a real dispute.

The scenario this is really about: an occupant who does not match a signed leaseA squatter is the nightmare version of a much more common problem, an occupancy a hands-off owner finds out about too late. Dardaris tracks every lease against reality, flags an occupant who does not match a signed tenancy, and keeps the dated paper trail, notices, messages, photos, an owner needs before ever going to court, rather than after.See how

Know who is actually in your property, before it becomes a court case.

Hand over one building and see every lease checked against what is actually happening on the ground.

Start with one building

14 days before the first charge · Nothing is switched on until you say so