Latest news and stories about housing crisis in finance in Portugal for expats and residents.
The Governor of the Bank of Portugal identifies the housing crisis as the nation's primary internal risk, as prices have surged 180% over the last decade with no signs of decline.
Key events for Monday include the Bank of Portugal's macroprudential report, INE's confidence indicators, a European Parliament delegation visit regarding the housing crisis, and the Lusa general assembly.
Fiscal policy has turned the IMT into a significant obstacle for families accessing housing.
Portugal's housing crisis is intensifying as property prices and rents soar, outstripping local wages and leading to a surge in evictions. Despite government interventions, experts argue that structural reforms and increased public housing supply are essential to prevent further social instability.
Rita Silva, a researcher and member of the Vida Justa movement, argues that current government housing policies are counterproductive and will exacerbate the ongoing housing crisis.
Portugal is facing a significant housing crisis, necessitating a shift in perspective towards renting as a viable solution. Traditionally a nation of homeowners, Portugal must embrace a robust rental market to address the needs of those unable to purchase homes. The built-to-rent model, which focuses on long-term rental projects, alongside public-private partnerships, can enhance the supply of quality rental housing. However, any strategy must consider income levels and the need for affordable housing solutions for the middle class. A diverse rental market, supported by effective public policies, is essential for creating inclusive cities and a balanced housing market.
An IGF audit of the Institute of Financial Management’s property portfolio finds that Social Security is holding 854 empty homes while Portugal faces an unprecedented housing crisis. The report criticises inefficient asset management, poor utilisation and weak oversight of the Social Security housing stock, creating lost opportunities to relieve market pressure. The findings point to a need for clearer inventory, faster reallocation or disposal procedures, and greater transparency and coordination between agencies to convert idle public housing into usable supply.
The 29th edition of the Portugal Real Estate Fair showcases new initiatives and projects aimed at addressing the ongoing housing crisis.
The IMF's European director highlights that the housing crisis in Portugal is having a negative impact on the broader economy by forcing young people to leave urban areas.
The director of the IMF's European Department warned that the housing crisis in Portugal and other European countries is affecting economic growth by pushing young people out of urban centres. Portugal recorded the second-highest rise in housing prices in the EU.
A report from A voz do Algarve highlights that housing costs have outpaced salary growth by a factor of two over the last five years.
The persistent gap between the value of work and the cost of a house has become structural and is silently shaping the choices of an entire generation. Column by Vitor Mendonça.
Increasing supply requires more than concrete: it requires vision, coherence, and the courage to tackle the structural causes of the problem. Opinion piece by Carla Castro.
Our guest today is Bobby O’Reilly, the straight-talking Irish investor-developer behind projects in Lisbon and the ‘Margem Sul’, who saw Ireland’s Celtic Tiger boom and bust first-hand and is now The post Fixing Portugal’s housing crisis – Interview with Bobby O’Reilly appeared first on Portugal Resident.
For seven consecutive quarters, the year-on-year change in prices has not stopped rising.
There was a Portuguese dream. Simple, modest, like everything that is genuinely ours. To work, to save, to own a home. It didn't need to be big, a two-bedroom apartment would do, with a balcony perhaps, a backyard if God willed it. That dream has died. It didn't fall ill, it didn't wither away, it didn't leave silently on a foggy morning. It died. And the...
The Bank of Portugal's monthly bulletin reports a “widespread worsening” in access to housing. Not even the “most modest” homes escaped the price increases.
For many Portuguese families, buying or renting a home has never been more difficult. Data from the Bank of Portugal, published this Wednesday in the March Economic Bulletin, clearly confirms this reality. Between 2016 and 2025, the housing price index rose by about 140%, with 80% of that increase concentrated since 2019 alone. New rental prices...
In February, the European Commission chose Lisbon to present its plan to address the housing crisis, a problem driven by a lack of affordable properties and soaring costs for both purchase and rent. While Brussels aims to boost construction and regulate short-term rentals, these goals face significant hurdles, including labour shortages in an anti-immigration political climate and pressure from the tourism industry. Meanwhile, the financial burden on citizens is intensifying: Euribor rates are rising, and 2025 data shows a record 17.6% increase in housing prices, with transaction values reaching 41.2 billion euros. Despite these costs, demand remains high, particularly in Greater Lisbon. European Commissioner Dan Jorgensen has declared that having a home is a human right, yet without decisive political action, there is a growing risk that homeownership will become a privilege reserved for the few.
Why do we insist on policies that 'sound good' but destroy the cities they aim to save? This article explores how virtue signalling and a focus on short-term optics over empirical results—such as rent controls and bans on foreign investment—consistently lead to housing shortages and higher prices, as seen in the Netherlands and Canada. It argues that the media often ignores the long-term consequences of these interventions, while government bureaucracy stifles the construction needed to solve the crisis.
Real estate development has been turned into an obstacle course, with high investment, indefinite timelines, and uncertain risks, accessible only to 'high-performance athletes'.
The lack of affordable housing helps explain the growth of radical political forces in Europe, according to experts interviewed by CNN Portugal. However, it is not the only factor.
The European Commissioner for Housing will meet with ministers and mayors to discuss a plan he has just presented and to consider how to 'ensure it is implemented in a way that helps'.
European institutions in Brussels acknowledged that Portugal is among the EU member states most affected by the ongoing housing crisis, signalling significant challenges around housing affordability and supply.
The OECD warns that, despite the resilience of the Portuguese economy, there are challenges to growth. Also, two people have died and dozens were injured in an accident in France involving two Portuguese coaches.
Home News Developers warn of property risks in Portugal Developers warn of property risks in Portugal Developers have given a positive assessment of the European Union's ( EU) plan for the housing crisis.
The ZPU has been in effect since 2020; the housing crisis has worsened, prices have risen, and supply has not increased. More pressure from the state has resulted in fewer houses.
On average, in Portugal, young people leave their parents' home at 29 years old, but staying in the nest is not always an option. The delay in young people's independence in Southern and Eastern Europe highlights the financial and housing crisis, of which Generation Z is the main victim.
