The plots of land sold by Domus Inc. are usually situated outside the city limits (Outside the Town Planning Zone). The properties “Inside the Town Planning Zone” are usually smaller in size, more expensive and not suitable for major developers.
Each case is examined on an individual basis and a basic requirement for the sale or purchase of land (Outside the Town Planning Zone) is the granting of specific attestations from public services and that the building restrictions and land usage are in public knowledge.
Some basic regulations that sellers or buyers should be aware of are:
1) An attestation by the Forestry Department is necessary; this Attestation determines whether all, part, or none of the land is classified as forest area. The section of the land that has been classified as forest may not be built upon.
2) An attestation (if necessary) by the Archaeological Service that the land is not classified as an archaeological site. In the event that a section or all of the land has been classified as an archaeological site, then that section or all of the land cannot be built upon.
3) A land survey map is necessary and, in the event that the land is adjacent to the sea, the shoreline must be determined on the land survey map. The section of the land that is between the sea and the shoreline may not be built upon.
4) Building restrictions regarding hotel development should be in public knowledge.
5) Building restrictions regarding residential development should be in public knowledge.
6) It is useful, but not necessary, to have a land survey map accompanied by a 'statement of identification of boundaries', by the owners of the bordering land plots. This is a private notarized document defining the boundaries of the plot of each respective land owner, in order to ensure there are no future claims by any party.
Hotels may be built on almost all land plots and the same building restrictions apply throughout Greece, apart from a few exceptions concerning which separate legal restrictions apply while, in a few of these, residential development is permissible due to the decreased square metres that may be built upon.
Land for sale is divided into the following categories:
1) Land without any permit for any kind of urban planning. This land may be built upon using the existing urban planning legislation in force and only a few square metres may be built for residential usage, while they are suitable for the construction of hotel units, since more square metres can be built this way.
2) Land holding a planning permit. These are land plots holding a planning permit and regarding which building restrictions stipulate that a more extensive section, measured in square metres, may be built upon, making them suitable for residential development.
3) Land holding a building permit. These are land plots already holding a building permit for a holiday resort or residential complex.
4) Land on private islands regarding which special legislation applies, prohibiting any type of building on certain private islands.
5) Land exceeding 50,000 square metres, on which private land development and residential/tourism-related/commercial development are allowed.
6) Land exceeding 150,000 square meters, on which CONDO HOTELS may be built.
7) Land exceeding 100,000 square meters, which may be or has already been characterized as Area Under Special Zoning Regulations (PERPO), within which zoning could take place and also the building for the urban/ Tourists’/ Commercial development could be increased.
Note: The urbanisation of land that is beyond city limits:
1) May concern the segmentation of a land plot, which usually allows, under certain conditions, to parcel out the land into plots that are at least 4,000 square metres each. The prefecture of Attica constitutes an exception, within which the segmentation allows the creation of land plots with a surface coming up to at least 20.000 square meters each. And there are also other areas in Greece, within which the segmentation allows the creation of land plots with a surface coming up to at least 8.000 square meters each.
2) May arise from private land development, enabling one to incorporate land outside urban planning into the urban plan, which means that one defines the minimum square metres of the land plots that are integral and suitable for building, the building ratio, the coverage ratio, the allowed building height, the minimum frontage of the land plots and the land usage.
