A long queue of potential renters gathered yesterday to view an apartment in the Katsampas area of Heraklion, Crete. Families, couples, and students all waited their turn to see the three-bedroom apartment on the third floor of a 20-year-old building, listed for a modest rent of €400 per month.

The landlord, who works in tourism, spoke on ERT this morning about the frenzy that ensued the moment the online listing went live. “The apartment is an 85-square-meter penthouse in a three-story building. I decided to rent it for €400 because that’s its fair value,” he explained. Such was the demand that he ended up holding a lottery to determine which family would get the lease, even as some attempted to bribe him.

“It’s just a normal little house, and that’s the fair price for it,” he said. “We posted the ad at 7:00 PM, and two minutes later, the phone started ringing. Calls continued until 3:30 in the morning.” He added, “Even real estate agents called me, but I didn’t use their services. Only a friend helped us because neither my wife nor I use social media.”

The landlord described the surreal scene outside his building: “I scheduled viewings between 1:30 PM and 4:30 PM, but when I arrived at 1:00 PM, about 70 people were already waiting. The neighborhood thought we were holding a funeral because the crowd remained until 7:30 PM. In total, around 100 families came to see the apartment.”

Faced with intense pressure, including attempts to bribe him, the landlord chose to stay true to his principles. “Some people offered me a year’s rent in advance. Others wanted to pay more to secure the apartment. I didn’t want to do that. I rented it at the original price I had set, without demanding guarantees or anything else. It was difficult to choose, so we shortlisted four families we thought needed it the most and invited them back the next day. They drew straws, and the apartment went to a family we believed needed it the most.”

The winning family consists of parents with two twin children. Their story touched the landlord. “For four years, the family had been living apart: the father with one child at his parents’ house, and the mother with the other child at hers, because they couldn’t find a place to live together. Their previous home was a studio apartment where the children slept on the sofa.”

When asked if he considered raising the rent in light of the overwhelming demand, the landlord replied, “The apartment is worth €400, no more. Just because others rent moldy studio apartments for €500 doesn’t mean I should follow suit. These things catch up with you. Where you tread, others will tread on you; that’s how it works.”

In a subsequent interview with SKAI, the landlord addressed criticism. “I wouldn’t have spoken publicly, but someone on protothema.gr accused me of deliberately creating a spectacle to auction off the apartment. My response is simple: I could have taken a year’s rent upfront, but I didn’t. I rented it at the stated price, without even asking for a two-month deposit.”