Real Estate · Commercial & Leasing

Commercial
Leases

We act for landlords and tenants on leases of offices, retail units, warehouses and industrial space across Greece. We draft and negotiate leases, advise on renewals, rent reviews and exit from a lease, and act in disputes between landlords and tenants. We also provide legal support on business property transactions, including investment acquisitions, sale-and-leaseback and portfolio transactions

3 YrsMin. Lease Term
Landlord & TenantBoth Sides Represented
NationalCoverage
2002Firm Founded
Minimum Three-Year Term
Greek commercial leases carry a minimum term of 3 years by operation of law where a shorter term is agreed or no specific term is set. Term, renewal, rent review and early termination therefore have to be considered while the lease is still being negotiated.
Landlord & Tenant Representation
We act for landlords and tenants on leases of offices, retail units, warehouses and industrial space, from single leases through to complex property portfolios across Greece.
Rent Structure & Reviews
We advise on rent structure, review clauses, security and, where agreed, rent linked to the tenant's turnover. We also look at the audit and reporting mechanisms needed to make those terms work.
Disputes & Termination of the Lease
Non-payment, unlawful termination and renewal disputes, eviction proceedings, and the "aéras" (goodwill) payments that are a fixture of Greek retail leasing but frequently misunderstood by foreign occupiers.
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Overview Scope of Service

Commercial Real Estate

The decisive terms of a commercial lease
are not always the obvious ones.

We act for landlords and tenants on leases of offices, retail units, industrial space and logistics facilities across Greece. We draft and negotiate leases with an emphasis on the terms that determine the relationship in practice: term, rent and rent reviews, renewal, termination rights, security, permitted use, fit-out works, service charges and reinstatement obligations. A Greek commercial lease is governed by a specific statutory framework that has to be taken into account even where the contract is based on a foreign group's precedent. We examine the contractual terms together with the applicable law, so that the lease reflects the actual transaction and can work in practice.

Retail leasing carries its own layer of practice entirely. Shopping-centre leases bring turnover rent, exclusivity and anchor-tenant covenants, and common-area service charges that need to be read line by line against the landlord's actual cost base. Greek retail leasing also still carries the practice of “aéras” — key money paid for an existing commercial lease position — which is commercially real but legally delicate, and needs to be structured, or resisted, with clear eyes. Industrial and logistics leases raise a different set of questions: permitted-use and environmental pass-through, sub-letting and assignment restrictions, and specification obligations that matter as much as the rent figure.

The economic value of a commercial lease also depends on its term, on the review and renewal mechanics, on how costs are allocated and on each party's rights in the event of default. For that reason we examine the lease as part of the wider commercial relationship, rather than as a standard contractual document.

Alongside leasing, we support investment transactions in commercial real estate, including acquisitions of income-producing property, single buildings and portfolios, and sale-and-leaseback transactions. In those transactions, the review of the existing leases, of title and of the planning position of the property forms part of the overall legal assessment.

Landlord & Tenant Representation
Landlord & tenant representation, all sectors
Leases of offices, retail units, industrial and logistics space, from negotiating the key commercial terms through to drafting and signing the final agreement, for landlords and tenants alike.
Retail
Shopping Centres · Turnover Rent · Exclusivities
Retail and shopping-centre leases, with terms on turnover-linked rent, exclusivity clauses, anchor-tenant rights and, where relevant, key-money questions.
Disputes
Rent · Termination · Recovery of Possession
Disputes over unpaid rent and breach of contractual obligations, notice and termination of the lease, recovery of possession, and disagreements over renewal or the terms of the lease.
Investment
Acquisitions · Portfolios · Sale-and-Leaseback
Legal support on acquisitions of income-producing business property and portfolios, and on sale-and-leaseback transactions for companies seeking to realise value from their real estate while continuing to occupy it.

Scope of Service

Leases, disputes and
investment transactions.

Commercial Lease Drafting & Negotiation
Rent structure (fixed, indexed, turnover), questions of term and of renewal and termination mechanics, security deposits and bank guarantees, permitted use, and other obligations
Rent StructureTerm & RenewalBreak Clauses
01
Retail & Shopping-Centre Leases
Legal support on retail and shopping-centre leases, including turnover-linked rent, exclusivity clauses, non-compete terms, anchor tenants and key-money questions
Turnover RentExclusivity ClausesAéras / Key Money
02
Industrial & Logistics Leasing
Specification-for-use clauses, environmental and permitting pass-through, sub-letting and assignment restrictions, for warehouse, distribution and light-industrial occupiers.
Permitted UseAssignment & Sub-lettingEnvironmental Pass-Through
03
Lease Disputes & Eviction
Non-payment and unlawful termination, eviction proceedings, disputes over renewal terms or key money, and force-majeure/hardship arguments — including the precedent set by COVID-era rent relief in commercial tenancies.
Eviction ProceedingsNon-PaymentRenewal Disputes
04
Portfolio & Multi-Site Leasing
Coordinated lease negotiation across multiple sites for retail chains and multinational occupiers entering or expanding in the Greek market, with consistent terms across the portfolio.
Multi-Site RolloutMarket EntryConsistent Terms
05
Acquisitions · Portfolios · Sale-and-Leaseback
Investment acquisitions of commercial assets and portfolios, sale-and-leaseback structuring for corporate owner-occupiers, and due diligence covering title, rent-roll review, lease abstracting, zoning and environmental exposure.
Investment AcquisitionsSale-and-LeasebackRent-Roll Due Diligence
06

Leasing, acquiring or disposing of commercial premises?
Let's look at the lease before it becomes a problem.

Let's look at the terms before you sign