Greece's renovation grant: stage two is for certificate holders only, and the rules say a 60% advance

Greece's home renovation grant is moving to its second stage, but only for owners who already hold an eligibility certificate.⁴⁸ The certificate stage has closed, so new applicants cannot join.⁴⁷ The minister has announced a 50% advance, yet the decision in force still sets the first instalment, which it calls the advance («προκαταβολή»), at 60%.¹⁴

What is the scheme, and what is it called?

The official name is «Ανακαίνιση Κατοικίας» (Anakainisi Katoikias, "Home Renovation"), and the minister and the press call it «Ανακαινίζω» (Anakainizo, "I renovate").⁴⁶¹ It gives grants to low- and middle-income households to renovate homes and make a mild energy upgrade.¹¹² Its budget is €479.8 million of public money from ΕΣΠΑ 2021-2027, Greece's programme of EU structural funds, which the ministry rounds to €480 million.¹⁵

It is not the older «Ανακαινίζω – Νοικιάζω» ("Renovate – Rent") scheme run by ΔΥΠΑ (Dimosia Ypiresia Apascholisis, the public employment service), which covers 60% of invoices up to €8,100.¹⁴ The legal basis of the new scheme is a joint ministerial decision (κοινή υπουργική απόφαση, ΚΥΑ), 86272 ΕΞ 2026, published in the Government Gazette (ΦΕΚ, Fyllo Efimeridas tis Kyverniseos) on 2 June 2026 and amended twice since.¹²³

Can I still apply?

Only if you already hold an eligibility certificate.¹⁴ The certificate platform opened on 15 June 2026 with a deadline of 24 August 2026.⁵ On 28 August 2026 the government extended it to 30 September 2026 for vacant homes only.^9101113 Domna Michailidou, Minister of Social Cohesion and Family (Υπουργείο Κοινωνικής Συνοχής και Οικογένειας, Ypourgeio Koinonikis Synochis kai Oikogeneias), said in an interview on the TV channel OPEN on 1 October 2026: "Applications have closed" (in our translation).⁴ The minister said about 14,000 applications were made for vacant homes and about 80,000 for lived-in ones.⁴ TA NEA puts the total at about 94,000 certificates.⁶

A certificate does not guarantee funding.¹ The ministry's launch release spoke of about 25,000 homes.⁵

How does stage two work?

Stage two is the funding application (Αίτηση Χρηματοδότησης), filed online.¹ Vacant ("closed") homes go first, then homes the owner lives in ("open").¹ Open homes are put in order by income, under the second amendment.³ On 5 October 2026 enikos reported that the platform was expected to open within October, starting with vacant homes.⁸ By 8 October 2026 we had found no published opening date.

Is the advance 50% or 60%?

The decision in force says 60%.¹ Article 12 of ΚΥΑ 86272 ΕΞ 2026 sets the first instalment, which it calls the advance («προκαταβολή»), at 60% of the approved grant, and the owner can draw on it only after paying 40% of their own share through the banking system.¹ The remaining 40%, the second instalment, is paid after the works are completed.¹ Neither amendment changes this.²³ The ministry's own launch release of 15 June 2026 also said 60%.⁵

The decision in force sets the first instalment at 60% of the approved grant, not 50%.

The 50% figure comes from the minister's television interview of 1 October 2026, reproduced on the ministry's website.⁴¹⁷ Press reports trace back to that statement, and none of those we read cites a ΦΕΚ or ΚΥΑ that sets 50%.⁶⁷¹⁶¹⁷ On the maximum €36,000 grant, a 50% advance would be €18,000, the figure TA NEA gives, and a 60% advance €21,600, by our calculation.⁶

The money goes into a special blocked bank account; it is tax-free and cannot be seized.¹

How much money is on offer?

The base grant is 80% of eligible costs for Income Category I and 70% for Category II.¹ Three add-ons of 5 percentage points each apply: a home in a mountain or island area; a single parent with sole custody, or a three-child or large family; and a disability in the household, which counts only if the owner lives in the home.¹ The ceiling is 95% for Category I and 85% for Category II.¹¹⁵

The grant cannot exceed €300 per m² of main living space, VAT included, so €36,000 is the most any one home can receive.¹ Engineers' fees, permits and similar costs are eligible up to €2,500 in total.¹

Which conditions catch people out?

• Permit date. The home needs a building permit issued by 31 December 1990, or an equivalent document such as a pre-1955 certificate.¹
• Size. Main living space must be 120 m² or less; for three-child and large families the limit is 150 m² if they will live in the home, but the extra 30 m² do not count towards the grant.¹
• Energy. The home must be rated Γ, the Greek equivalent of C, or lower on its Energy Performance Certificate (ΠΕΑ, Pistopoiitiko Energeiakis Apodosis), and the works must raise it by at least one class.¹ Energy work must be 20% to 40% of the eligible budget.¹¹⁵
• Income. Income means taxable income on the 2025 tax return.¹ Category I, with the higher rates, covers single people up to €18,000 and married couples or civil partners without children up to €25,000; Category II goes up to €25,000 and €35,000 respectively, and the limits rise with each minor child.¹³
• Vacant homes. A vacant home must have used under 100 kWh of electricity in 2024 and 2025 combined.² If let, the lease must run at least five years as a main residence, declared to ΑΑΔΕ (Anexartiti Archi Dimosion Esodon, the tax authority), with fixed rent for at least three years, and the home may not be entered in the short-term rental register (Μητρώο Ακινήτων Βραχυχρόνιας Διαμονής) for five years.¹
• Transfer. Selling or otherwise transferring the home, for example as a gift, within the five-year period means repaying the whole grant.¹

What are the deadlines?

The works must be completed within 18 months of the approval decision and by 31 December 2028 at the latest.¹

What about owners who live abroad?

The decision does not mention citizenship or tax residence.¹ It tests income on the 2025 Greek income tax return, and an "open" home must be the main residence on that return.¹ How this applies to owners who live abroad is not clear from the text; that is our reading, not an official answer. In practice, anyone without a certificate cannot join this round.⁴

What English-language coverage gets wrong

One English article, published two days before the decision, says families get €5,000 more per child; in the decision, the €5,000 per additional minor child raises the income limit, not the grant.¹⁸¹³ Another gives base rates of 60% to 80%, where the decision says 70% and 80%, and uses the name of the older ΔΥΠΑ scheme.¹⁹¹¹⁴ Both give the budget as €500 million; the decision sets €479.8 million, which the ministry rounds to €480 million.¹⁸¹⁹¹⁵