Latest Mediterranean property laws news and analysis. 73 MedRealty stories.
Three years ago, the Portuguese government rewrote residency by investment rules. The main change: direct purchase of real estate no longer gives a residence permit. The foreign pr…
Read →The regional government is preparing a new law that will allow municipalities to prohibit the purchase of apartments not for personal residence. The idea sounds noble: fighting spe…
Read →We are talking about agevolazioni prima casa, a tax deduction for the first home. On real estate worth 100,000 euros, the tax falls from 9% to 2%. At expensive facilities, the savi…
Read →It all depends on who's selling. If an individual pays registration tax (from 2% to 9% depending on status). If the developer - VAT from 4% to 22%. But here’s the main thing: taxes…
Read →When you buy a property in Italy, there is an intermediate stage between the offer to buy and the final notarial deed – the so-called compromesso. It is a mutual obligation: neithe…
Read →The European Commission requires Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, France, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Fi…
Read →Debts for common building expenses accumulate over years on Cyprus, but this will not prevent you from obtaining ownership rights to a property. A Cypriot court has confirmed that …
Read →Portugal is preparing for new foreign investment controls that will directly affect those planning to invest in property and business in the country. The European Union is tighteni…
Read →Parliament is debating two bills that would allow the state to revoke citizenship from naturalised Italians convicted of serious crimes—murder, human trafficking, sexual violence. …
Read →The government has enacted a major overhaul of the rental market. The headline change: abolition of the 2% cap on rent increases when renewing a lease. This restriction had been in…
Read →The region, two hours from Lisbon, has transformed from quiet rural backwater into a magnet for international investors. Unspoilt coastline around Comporta and Melides, historic to…
Read →Nearly half of Americans purchasing Portugal's golden visa describe themselves as investors diversifying their risk exposure. There is no panic or capital flight—simply a mature ap…
Read →In the first quarter of 2026, construction output on Cyprus grew by just 0.7% year-on-year—seemingly stable. Yet prices tell a different story. The construction price index surged …
Read →The country has begun its first wave of inspections, checking 1,500 properties against new safety standards. The drive targets primarily owners renting residential units to tourist…
Read →Athens is introducing new regulations that give owners greater flexibility. Previously, tax debt blocked any property transactions—now the situation is changing. The Greek governme…
Read →The Spanish government plans to approve a new housing package in July through Royal Decree-law. The scenario sounds familiar: in March, a similar decree (8/2026) introduced a two-y…
Read →Parliament is preparing to reject a proposal from the Chega party to ratify a decree imposing loss of citizenship as an additional punishment for crime. The measure has already bee…
Read →Portugal has nearly completed processing one million migrant regularisation cases, but the final stretch is proving protracted. The specialist agency AIMA, established in mid-2024,…
Read →Despite amendments to citizenship legislation, Portugal's golden visa continues to attract foreign investors. Between January and May 2026, golden visa funds received €283 million—…
Read →Cyprus is operating a programme that enables people to purchase property through a mortgage before transitioning to a rent-to-own arrangement. While the mechanics may appear comple…
Read →The government has abandoned plans for a further reduction in personal income tax in the second half of the year, citing budgetary exhaustion. February storms inflicted significant…
Read →Vale Paraiso Eco-Resort, a 53-hectare development on the Castelo do Bode reservoir, has stalled after attracting millions of euros from foreign investors. Conceived in 2004 but dev…
Read →The investment fund Invel has closed fundraising at €400 million—nearly a third above its original target. Including leverage, the fund's total firepower will exceed €1 billion. Th…
Read →Property sales in Cyprus surged 11.9% in the first five months of 2026, with 8043 transactions compared to 7185 a year earlier. Limassol led the charge, recording 2537 contracts—an…
Read →The majority are holders of golden visas (ARI), who contend that the new rules breach their rights and the expectations they held when obtaining residency status. The complaint has…
Read →Greece's tax authority (AADE) has issued new regulations for those planning to relocate to Greece or return to the country. The key provision allows relocating residents to import …
Read →From 1 July, Greece is introducing strict restrictions on short-term rentals, prompting apartment owners in Athens and Thessaloniki to expedite permit applications and close deals …
Read →Spain's Constitutional Court has agreed to hear a complaint from more than 50 opposition deputies against Catalonia's housing and planning law of 11/2025. The legislation extends p…
Read →Spain's Supreme Court has annulled the national register for short-term lettings, but a battle over reimbursement is now underway. Property owners who paid registration fees are de…
Read →Greece's government has presented a 10-year housing strategy for 2026–2035 that includes rent caps, tax incentives for affordable mortgages, and reduced VAT on social housing const…
Read →In Moraira, residents are locked in legal proceedings with local authorities over plans to build a waste-sorting facility in a residential area. Residents fear noise, lorry traffic…
Read →Last year, Barcelona's property market saw 15,960 apartments and houses sold. Growth was minimal, rising just 1% year-on-year. However, foreign buyers have set a new record, accoun…
Read →Neil purchased a house near Barcelona in 2005 for €289,000 at the peak of the Spanish property boom. When the crisis struck, he relocated to Germany and, unable to sell, was forced…
Read →The Vox party has proposed extending the residency requirement from five to ten years for foreign nationals seeking long-term residence permits. Under current EU rules, five years …
Read →Thousands of Cypriot residents are living in apartment blocks plagued by serious maintenance issues and poor management, warns Savvas Georgiades, vice-chairman of the Developers' A…
Read →Greece's tax authority AADE has initiated a sweeping review of residential property buyers. The impetus is straightforward: property transfer tax revenues rose 14 per cent in the f…
Read →Elounda Hills on Crete has entered the final stages of regulatory approval. The development spans 950 acres with views over Mirabello Bay and the island of Spinalonga. Developer Mi…
Read →Portugal is undergoing a subtle but significant shift in economic geography—and the implications for investors are substantial. For decades, the narrative centred on Lisbon and Por…
Read →Portugal's immigration authority AIMA is drowning in thousands of cases—and if you're planning a move, this directly affects you. As of May 2026, the agency has accumulated so many…
Read →Portuguese real estate is often more than an investment—it represents a life project. Yet many foreign owners give little thought to succession planning until it is too late. If yo…
Read →Spain's Supreme Court has annulled the national register for short-term lettings, prompting property owners to demand reimbursement of registration fees they have already paid. The…
Read →Venice's population has fallen below 48,000, while Florence residents no longer recognise their city. Italy faces a mounting crisis as tourist lettings have displaced locals from t…
Read →Florence has nearly tripled its restricted zone for short-term tourist lettings. Whereas restrictions previously applied only to the UNESCO city centre, from 20 June they will exte…
Read →In May, rental prices across Spain rose by 4 per cent to a record 15.1 €/m²/month. Madrid saw a 7.8 per cent increase, Alicante 8.3 per cent, and Málaga 5.2 per cent. The pattern i…
Read →For those who relocated to Italy before Brexit: the carta di soggiorno is no longer merely advisable—it has become a practical necessity. The British Embassy in Rome has confirmed …
Read →Two people died in a building collapse in Limassol—a wake-up call that cannot be ignored. According to the head of the Cyprus Developers Association, the current system for managin…
Read →Spain is tackling its housing crisis through measures that risk confusing and deterring investors from the market. Catalonia has taken this approach to extremes. Local politicians …
Read →The government has launched a new regulated migration protocol, with results exceeding expectations. Applications are growing by 20–30 per cent monthly. In total, 8,435 application…
Read →Until May 2025, tourist apartments were banned only within the UNESCO heritage zone, affecting 35,600 properties. The prohibition now extends to nine residential districts beyond t…
Read →An hour's drive from Lisbon, the Troia Peninsula operates by a different logic entirely from the Algarve or Cascais. Located in the Alentejo region, Troia offers 15 kilometres of w…
Read →Thousands of Spaniards took to the streets of Madrid in May. Young people, teachers, professors—all unable to afford a flat. Despite economic growth, wages have failed to keep pace…
Read →It may sound counterintuitive, but non-residents can acquire a primary residence in Italy whilst remaining abroad and still qualify for first-time buyer tax relief. Provided you ar…
Read →Italy's property auction market is expanding for good reason—genuine savings are available. State-owned company Invimit, which operates under the Italian Ministry of Finance, is di…
Read →Italian real estate at auction is not a gamble but a carefully structured process. Property reaches auction for three reasons: the debtor cannot settle with creditors, a company ha…
Read →Italian municipalities are aggressively disposing of abandoned buildings through symbolic pricing. The mechanism is straightforward: local authorities identify the owner of a semi-…
Read →Remote work is becoming an increasingly viable pathway to Europe, with more countries launching digital nomad visas—a trend that has moved from niche offering to mainstream in 2026…
Read →Spain's real-estate market is decelerating for the first time in years, with sales dropping 2.6% in the first quarter of 2026. A paradox has emerged: despite weakening demand, pric…
Read →Spain is growing faster than other eurozone countries—GDP is forecast at +2.1% in 2026. Yet this masks a deeper problem: property prices are rising while supply is falling. The cau…
Read →The saga began in July 2025 when the Spanish government launched a mandatory registration system for tourist lettings (NRA). Property owners were required to obtain a special licen…
Read →From 1 May 2026, Greece will introduce new eviction rules that accelerate the process whilst providing tenants with a guaranteed six-month rent-free period to relocate. For propert…
Read →Greece is launching the 'I Renovate' programme in June, a state initiative for property owners seeking to modernise their homes. The scheme covers full renovations and energy effic…
Read →From 2025, a state resettlement programme is in effect for the Evros region in the country's north-east. The scheme covers the municipalities of Sofli, Orestiada and Didymoteicho, …
Read →Greek authorities have opted against hastening liberalisation. The ban applies to central districts of the capital and is designed to address the housing crisis. Tourism has displa…
Read →Cyprus's Technical Chamber has demanded a halt to certificate revocations until a comprehensive audit is completed. The underlying issue: certain local authorities failed to conduc…
Read →$400,000 and a Turkish passport in your pocket. It sounds too good to be true, but this is a genuine scheme that has been operating successfully for years. Turkey offers one of the…
Read →Since the pandemic, tourists have shifted en masse from hotels to private villas and apartments. This has transformed Fethiye's rental market: demand has surged, land prices have c…
Read →The majority of disputes follow a familiar pattern: a purchaser deposits funds or pays in full, yet the seller refuses to execute the transfer of ownership. The reasons vary—from i…
Read →A curious paradox has emerged in 2025. Authorities were confident that eliminating short-term tourist lettings would flood the long-term rental market with properties. The logic se…
Read →Property purchases by non-EU foreign buyers fell 17% in 2025, despite the absence of any formal legislation. The decline stems entirely from high-profile rhetoric from Prime Minist…
Read →An English couple, both in their fifties, decided to build a seaside villa in Tarragona before retirement. Everything appeared ideal: a reputable developer, an experienced lawyer, …
Read →Cyprus is experiencing a fundamental shift in how foreign investors approach the property market. Rather than viewing real estate purely as a financial asset, overseas buyers are i…
Read →A tax reform came into effect on Cyprus on 1 January that directly affects property exchange schemes. The principal change concerns capital gains tax legislation. The law now inclu…
Read →Tens of thousands of buyers in Cyprus have yet to receive title deeds despite having paid in full for apartments and houses. The phenomenon is known as the "stuck buyer" problem. A…
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