Apokoronas municipality intervenes as local family faces home auction

Summary

The municipality of Apokoronas has filed a formal submission with the Chania court of first instance after a local resident's primary home was put up for forced auction. The municipality argues that families across the area are increasingly unable to meet their financial obligations due to worsening economic conditions, not unwillingness. While stressing full respect for judicial independence, the municipality says it intends to keep raising the social dimension of such cases publicly.

Local family faces home auction — Apokoronas municipality writes to court

A family in Apokoronas is facing the forced auction of their primary residence, prompting the municipality to file a formal submission with the Chania single-judge court of first instance. The move signals that the municipality intends to act as a public advocate in such cases, while stopping short of attempting to influence the court's ruling.

What is happening

A forced auction proceeding has been initiated against the primary home of a resident of Apokoronas. Under Greek law, the single-judge court of first instance (Monomeles Protodikeio) handles such matters. The municipality submitted a formal written intervention to that court, requesting that the social circumstances surrounding the case be taken into account.

The municipality states that this is not the first time it has intervened in such a case, and that it will continue to do so.

The municipality's position

According to the municipality, a home represents far more than a financial asset — it is the result of a lifetime of effort and the foundation of a family's survival. The submission argues that growing numbers of families in the area are struggling to meet their debt obligations not because they are unwilling, but because economic conditions have become increasingly severe.

In a statement, the municipality said it cannot remain indifferent when residents risk losing their homes, and that behind every such case are families, children, elderly people and real fear about the future. It was careful to add that its intervention is not intended to direct the court's decision — judicial independence is fully respected — but rather to ensure the social dimension of the case is visible in the proceedings.

What this means in practice

The current intervention concerns a specific individual case. However, the municipality is signalling a broader policy: it is prepared to intervene formally with the relevant authorities whenever a resident of Apokoronas faces the loss of their primary home through forced auction.

Residents in similar situations may wish to contact the Apokoronas municipality to explore whether support or representation is possible.

Note: This report is based on a press release issued by the Apokoronas municipal authority.

Official source

PRESS RELEASE — Intervention by the Mayor of Apokoronas in a case of forced auction of a fellow citizen's primary residence

28 May 2026, 7:20 AM

The Mayor of Apokoronas, Charalampos Koukianakis, has proceeded with a formal intervention to the Chania Single-Judge Court of First Instance (Monomeles Protodikeio Chanion) regarding a case of forced auction of a fellow citizen's primary residence, expressing the anxiety and concern that exists within the local community.

As noted in the Mayor's letter, the home for a family is an asset — it is the effort of a lifetime and the very survival of that family.

The Municipality of Apokoronas, which stands daily beside its citizens, sees more and more families struggling to meet their obligations — not because they do not want to, but because conditions have become suffocating.

The Mayor of Apokoronas stated:

"We cannot remain indifferent when people of our area risk losing their home. Behind every such case there are families, children, elderly people, anxiety and fear for the next day. As a Municipality we have an obligation to stand beside our fellow citizens and to give voice to this anxiety. We did it publicly in a previous similar case and we will continue to do so with seriousness, humanity and respect for the institutions. Our intervention does not aim to dictate decisions to Justice. Justice is independent and we respect it absolutely. But we have a duty to highlight the social dimension of these cases. Because when a family loses its home, it is not only the family that is hurt — the whole of society is hurt.

Apokoronas has always been a place of solidarity, humanity and support for its people, and as long as we have the strength and the ability, we will stand beside every person who is tested and struggles to remain standing in their place."