Soaring rental costs and a shortage of affordable housing have pushed many Portuguese families to take in unrelated flatmates or move into shared accommodation as their only viable option.
High rents: sharing a home with strangers has become the only solution for many families in Portugal
Saturday, 17 January 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
Local accommodation (alojamento local) means short-term tourist rentals—private apartments, houses or rooms rented for days or weeks—that must be registered and licensed with municipal authorities. Municipalities can suspend or cancel licences (Lisbon cancelled about 6,700 licences in early 2026), so travellers and hosts should check a listing's registration and local rules before booking or offering stays.
