The housing scourge

All the parties in Parliament agree that the state of the housing market is exacerbating social inequalities, especially at the expense of young people. Current salaries cannot keep up with the rising cost of housing, particularly in combination with the rising cost of living.

For many young people at the start of their careers, renting a decent home is an elusive dream – buying one is simply out of the question. The problem also impacts big cities, which see their downtown areas turned into unaffordable “playgrounds” for tourism and entertainment. 

The debate in Parliament showed us that consensus can be reached on measures designed to stop this trend from escalating. These should include limits on short-term rentals, fewer incentives for foreign investments in real estate and bolstering the stock of available housing. It is, perhaps, the biggest social problem Greece is facing today.