Building permits in the Crete Region 2026: 28 new apartment buildings
From 1 January to 3 November 2026 the first building permit was issued for 28 new apartment buildings in the Crete Region, more than in the same period last year (17, +65%).
In numbers
- 28 new apartment buildings in 2026 (to 3 November 2026), 3% of the whole country.
- 26 in the whole of 2025.
- 12,284 m² total built area; half of the apartment buildings are below 350 m².
- On average 4.6 levels per building.
By municipality
Same period each year: 1 January to 3 November.
By month
| Month | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| January | 3 | 2 |
| February | 1 | 8 |
| March | 0 | 3 |
| April | 3 | 5 |
| May | 2 | 2 |
| June | 0 | 2 |
| July | 1 | 3 |
| August | 4 | 1 |
| September | 1 | 1 |
| October | 2 | 1 |
| November | 4 | 0 (to 3 November) |
| December | 5 | – |
How tall they are built
| Levels | Apartment buildings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 16 | 57% |
| 5 | 8 | 29% |
| 6 | 3 | 11% |
| 7 | 1 | 4% |
Levels: all floors together with the ground floor or pilotis, as on the permit form.
Renovations and small-scale works
In the Crete Region, 5,423 small-scale building works approvals were issued this year (5,037 in the same period last year, +8%).
| Work | 2026 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Painting, repairs and scaffolding | 2,810 | 2,288 | +23% |
| Insulation and waterproofing | 1,758 | 1,452 | +21% |
| Interior alterations and renovations | 1,524 | 1,355 | +12% |
| Windows, doors, facades and openings | 1,157 | 949 | +22% |
| Roofs, canopies and pergolas | 768 | 697 | +10% |
| Pools and tanks | 231 | 217 | +6% |
| Fences and outdoor areas | 204 | 199 | +3% |
| Heating, fireplaces and chimneys | 159 | 125 | +27% |
How we count
We count only new apartment buildings: buildings with at least 4 levels and dwellings on at least 2 floors. Each project counts once, on the date of the first building permit; revisions, updates and pre-approvals do not count as a new permit. A permit does not mean that works have started.
The works come from the Small-Scale Building Works Approvals (Law 4759/2020) that the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE) posts on Diavgeia, based on the standardised catalogue of works on the form. An act may list more than one work, so it counts in each relevant category. Source: TEE acts on Diavgeia. The numbers are recalculated every evening, because some acts are posted late.
In the first quarter of 2025 permits were few across the country: after the Council of State ruling on the "bonuses" of the NOK (the New Building Regulation) in December 2024, the building services approved only permits without them (Parapolitika). That is why the comparison with 2025 shows a bigger change in the first months.