Greek building meetings (γενική συνέλευση) — what they decide, who attends for you.

If you own an apartment in a Greek multi-unit building, you are by default a member of the building's owners' association (συνιδιοκτησία) and a participant in its general meeting (γενική συνέλευση). The meeting decides the building's shared expenses, repairs, renovations, and rules. It also decides what each owner owes towards them. For absentee owners, the meeting is the single most consequential piece of Greek property life that you are most likely to miss.

Here's how it works, what gets decided, what happens when you don't show up, and the practical ways diaspora owners stay represented.

What a γενική συνέλευση actually is

The γενική συνέλευση is the legally recognised assembly of owners in a Greek multi-unit residential building (πολυκατοικία). Greek law (Νόμος 3741/1929 with subsequent amendments) gives it the authority to make decisions binding on all owners of the building, regardless of whether they attend or vote.

Every πολυκατοικία has at least one ordinary annual meeting (τακτική γενική συνέλευση) and may have extraordinary meetings (έκτακτη γενική συνέλευση) when significant issues arise — fire damage, lift failure, façade collapse, a major repair vote, an insurance claim that affects the building as a whole.

The meeting is chaired by the building manager (διαχειριστής), who is elected annually by the owners themselves. The διαχειριστής maintains the building's books, issues the monthly κοινόχρηστα (shared expenses) bill to each owner, calls the meetings, and executes decisions made there.

What gets decided

Typical agenda items, in rough order of frequency:

• Annual budget approval. The shared expenses for the upcoming year — cleaning, lift maintenance, lighting in common areas, building insurance, building manager's small fee.
• Special assessments (έκτακτη εισφορά). One-off contributions when a large project exceeds the regular budget — façade painting, roof repair, lift replacement, exterior plumbing renovation, balcony reinforcement after seismic activity. These can run €500 to €5,000+ per owner depending on the project.
• Building manager election. Annual confirmation or change of the διαχειριστής.
• Building insurance. Selecting an insurer, agreeing the coverage level, dealing with claims.
• Use rules. Whether short-term rental (Airbnb) is permitted in the building. Increasingly, building meetings vote to ban or restrict STR use, which can override individual owner intentions. This has become a significant topic since Law 5170/2025.
• Pets, smoking, balcony renovations, satellite dishes, AC unit placement. Specific use rules.
• Legal matters. Lawsuits involving the building (against owners in arrears, against contractors, against the previous διαχειριστής), and any insurance claim resolution.

How voting works

Voting in a γενική συνέλευση is weighted by ownership share, not by head. Each owner's voting power is proportional to their χιλιοστά (literally "thousandths") — the share they hold of the total building, as recorded in their title deed.

For most decisions, a simple majority of χιλιοστά present at the meeting is sufficient. For major decisions (building rules changes, special assessments above certain thresholds, anything affecting the building's physical structure), a qualified majority is typically required — sometimes 50% of total building χιλιοστά (not just those present), sometimes 75%, depending on the matter.

The χιλιοστά system means a single owner of a large apartment can have more weight than three small-unit owners combined. It also means absentee owners can't simply be outvoted by attendees — but in practice, missing the meeting almost always results in the absent owner accepting whatever the attendees decide.

What it costs you to miss the meetings

Three categories of cost:

1. Direct financial cost. Special assessments are levied against all owners according to χιλιοστά. Whether you voted yes, voted no, or didn't attend — you owe your share. The lift-replacement project you didn't vote against still costs your apartment €3,200 when the building manager sends the bill.
2. Use-rules cost. Building meetings can vote to restrict short-term rental, change parking rules, prohibit balcony renovations, or impose new aesthetic standards. Owners who weren't present can find a year later that they've lost the ability to do something they intended to do.
3. Reputational and procedural cost. Building managers and other attending owners notice who shows up and who doesn't. Absentee owners who never engage are often the first to be threatened with legal action over unpaid shared expenses, even when the underlying invoice is contested.

How attendance works in practice

Two basic options if you can't physically be there:

Option 1 — Written proxy (πληρεξούσιο)

You designate someone to attend and vote on your behalf. Greek law requires this to be in writing, signed, and ideally notarised for major decisions. The proxy can be a family member, a friend, a Greek lawyer, or a representative service.

The strength of a written proxy depends on how specifically you've instructed it. A generic "vote in my best interest" is honoured but vague. A specific "vote yes on the lift replacement, vote no on any special assessment above €1,500, vote yes on continued building insurance with the current provider" is what actually controls outcomes.

Option 2 — Written declaration of position

For some decisions, you can submit a written statement of your vote in advance of the meeting without needing a proxy present. This works for binary motions but not for multi-stage deliberations.

The notification problem

The single most common failure mode for absentee owners isn't the meeting itself — it's not knowing it was happening. Greek building meetings are typically called by physical notice posted on the building's entryway and individual delivery to mailboxes. Owners abroad often don't receive notification at all unless they've explicitly arranged for someone to monitor the building mail and announcements.

Greek law gives building managers an obligation to call meetings with a minimum of 7 days notice (sometimes more for major decisions). In practice, the notice arrives 7-21 days before the meeting. If you're abroad and don't have a local contact watching for posted notices, you miss the window to organise a proxy.

The κοινόχρηστα question

Shared expenses (κοινόχρηστα) are the building's monthly invoice to each owner, covering ongoing common-area costs. Typical κοινόχρηστα for a mid-market Athens apartment building runs €40-€150 per month per owner, with higher costs for buildings with lifts, swimming pools, or doormen.

κοινόχρηστα are billed monthly or quarterly. They must be paid regardless of whether you live in the apartment, whether it's rented, or whether the building meetings have been controversial. Non-payment accrues interest and eventually triggers legal action — typically through a building manager-initiated court order followed by enforcement against the property.

Many diaspora-owned apartments accumulate unpaid κοινόχρηστα over years because nobody set up a payment instruction with the building manager. Reconciling and paying off these arrears is often a meaningful part of onboarding a property into proper management.

What we do for members

Building-meeting representation is one of our most-used member add-on services. The standard workflow:

• Establish written authorisation from you as the represented owner
• Coordinate directly with your building manager (διαχειριστής) so meeting notices come to us as well as to the property
• Provide you with a translated agenda and meeting briefing typically 5-7 days before the meeting
• Receive your written voting instructions on each agenda item
• Attend the meeting, vote per your instructions, document the discussion
• Send you a same-day debrief: what was actually decided, what your financial obligations are, and any items requiring follow-up

The full add-on service also includes κοινόχρηστα management (we receive the monthly invoices, verify them, pay from your authorised account, send you a quarterly summary), special-assessment review, and coordination with the building manager on any property-specific matters.