Greece's hidden pool crisis: 100,000+ undeclared backyard escapes
The number of unlicensed swimming pools that have been declared by owners using the provisions of the law on the legalization of illegal construction in the last 15 years is close to 40,000, based on estimates by Kathimerini.
According to data provided to the newspaper by the Ministry of Environment from the Technical Chamber's database on illegal swimming pools, from 2011 to the present, a total of 1,905,631 square meters of unauthorized pool space have been declared. Given that an average swimming pool is usually 5×10 meters (i.e. covers 50 sq.m.), it follows that more than 38,000 swimming pools have been declared.
The swimming pool industry, however, estimates that the real number is much higher, and that only 20% of existing swimming pools are declared to the tax authorities. "I believe that in reality there are many more illegal swimming pools. I will give you an example: our association estimates that there are approximately 120,000-130,000 swimming pools in residences throughout Greece. 22,300 are declared to the tax office. The most common illegality is the type of permit," said Alexandros Kralis, president of the Association of Greek Swimming Pool and Whirlpool Businesses (SEEPY).
Normally, a building permit is required to make a pool. However, to avoid the cost that varies depending on the region and the engineer's fee, many people prefer to issue a small-scale permit. With this permit you can only install a prefabricated swimming pool, without excavation and without using concrete, he explains.
"They issue a small-scale permit and build a proper pool instead. Recently, someone asked me about some technical issues because he wanted to build a pool on Mount Pelion, where they are prohibited because there is a special protective framework," Kralis said.
Another very common illegality is that the pool is featured on the plans as a 'water feature,' that is, a shallow ditch, which in reality is a regular pool or jacuzzi. "Everything happens because there are no inspections," he adds.
The solution, for Kralis, is straightforward. "If the state really wanted to identify illegal swimming pools, it could approach the 10-20 major companies in the sector and ask for their invoices for the last decade. But they prefer voluntary declarations over investigation."
