According to market experts, the number of unregistered properties owned by municipalities and regional authorities may reach hundreds of thousands, leaving a vast stock of public assets unused. The President of BluPeak Estate Analytics, Mr. Vassilis Iliopoulos, points out that “this entire portfolio remains outside the market and largely unexploited,” emphasizing that the recording and digital monitoring of municipal properties is a prerequisite for any development or housing policy.
BluPeak, in collaboration with Navigator CRE of the United States, recently presented its proposal for the establishment of a National Digital Property Registry, a project described as a fundamental reform for the country. The company argues that property-related information in Greece is currently dispersed across various databases — the Land Registry (Ktimatologio), E9 tax forms, municipal records, energy performance certificates, DEDDIE (electricity operator), and EYDAP (water utility) — with no common data language or interoperability. The result is inconsistency, delays, and the absence of a strategic framework.
The objective of the project is to integrate all these fragmented elements into a single, reliable digital ecosystem, in which every property — public or private — will possess a unique, up-to-date digital identity. This platform would connect all relevant authorities, from tax services to municipalities and urban planning departments, providing a comprehensive view of each property’s use and condition.
The proposal is based on mature European best practices that have already proven effective. In Switzerland, for example, the Land Registry has evolved into a “Government Digital Twin”, incorporating all public-law restrictions within a unified institutional framework. Portugal operates the BUPi system, a “single portal” through which citizens can digitally map and declare their properties, while in the Netherlands, the Key Registers provide open data on buildings, addresses, and parcels of land.
Estonia has achieved full interoperability through its X-Road system, linking the land registry with the population register and notarial services, while Denmark operates BBR, a national building registry updated in real time by municipalities. Similarly, Lithuania maintains a unified digital cadastre with automated geometry and boundary checks to prevent errors and overlaps.
A common denominator among all these countries is the adoption of international standards such as INSPIRE (for geospatial interoperability) and LADM (for modeling property rights and restrictions), along with policies promoting high-value open data, enhancing transparency and innovation. BluPeak estimates that if Greece follows a similar path, it could evolve into a European benchmark for property management by 2030.
The company has already launched pilot projects in three Greek municipalities — Chalki, Rafina, and Karystos — which serve as “living laboratories” of digital transformation.
In Chalki, which is becoming Greece’s first fully digital island, a database has been created that consolidates information from municipal fees, the Land Registry, energy consumption, and local permits, offering a complete digital identity for each property.
In Rafina, a data lakehouse model is being implemented, integrating urban planning and fiscal data, and providing local authorities with tools for monitoring and designing housing policies.
In Karystos, a digital property map combines data on agricultural land, tourism infrastructure, and public assets suitable for development, enabling the municipality to plan regeneration and investment projects based on real-time data.
According to BluPeak’s data, the initial results from the pilot projects are encouraging: data completeness exceeds 80% within the first nine months; the time required to identify and verify a property has decreased from 15 days to just 3; and municipal revenue collection has increased by 12%. At the same time, a significant number of inactive or abandoned properties have been identified, which can now be utilized.
Experts emphasize that the creation of the Digital Property Registry is not merely an IT project, but a comprehensive reform requiring institutional safeguards, interoperability, and political commitment. The adoption of a unified data dictionary, a clear delineation of roles among municipalities, the Land Registry, and ministries, and the mandatory exchange of information via APIs are considered essential steps for the project’s success.
“Greece has all the tools to move from fragmented management to transparency and effective utilization,” notes Mr. Iliopoulos. If the plan proceeds, by the end of the decade the country could possess a fully operational, interoperable, and secure digital property management system — a strategic instrument for development, social policy, and sustainable investment.
