Government: Housing crisis news in Portugal

Thousands of demonstrators marched through Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra, and other cities on Saturday to demand government action against surging housing costs and planned rental lease reforms. In Lisbon, protesters marched down Avenida da Liberdade toward Praça do Rossio, where activists from the Lisbon Encampment (Acampada de Lisboa) planned to re-pitch tents following a popular assembly vote.

Minister of Internal Administration Luís Neves called the protests legitimate and peaceful, stating there is no standoff between the government and civic movements. The Public Security Police (Polícia de Segurança Pública or PSP) deployed officers along the march routes to manage traffic disruptions and said they would prioritize dialogue with demonstrators.

Socialist Party (Partido Socialista or PS) leader José Luís Carneiro defended his decision to allow the passage of the 2027 State Budget (Orçamento do Estado), warning that triggering a domestic political crisis would worsen conditions for families facing high living costs. Speaking in Valongo, Carneiro cited widespread inflation in food, energy, and housing, alongside political and economic turbulence in major partner countries including Spain, France, and Germany. He said the PS will instead focus on introducing targeted budget amendments during committee debates.

Vila Nova de Gaia Mayor Luís Filipe Menezes has accused Minister of National Defence Nuno Melo of lying, denying that he missed any scheduled meeting regarding surplus military land in Serra do Pilar.

Menezes stated he requested the plot a year ago to build roughly 3,000 affordable and youth housing units, but claimed Melo has blocked the transfer despite openness from Prime Minister Luís Montenegro and infrastructure ministers. The Ministry of National Defence (Ministério da Defesa Nacional) previously asserted that the municipality breached a 2002 agreement and that Menezes failed to attend a scheduled negotiating session. Menezes rejected the ministry's account and placed sole blame for the stalled project on Melo.

The Public Prosecution Service (Ministério Público) has opened an official investigation into the conduct of the Public Security Police (Polícia de Segurança Pública or PSP) during housing protests in Porto on October 15. The Attorney General's Office (Procuradoria-Geral da República or PGR) confirmed the inquiry remains under judicial secrecy following allegations by housing activists that police violence left 39 demonstrators injured. In a separate proceeding, 55 protesters detained during recent unrest have been summoned to appear before prosecutors on October 27.

Minister of Infrastructure and Housing Miguel Pinto Luz announced that explanations provided by Benjamim Pereira, president of the Institute for Housing and Urban Rehabilitation (Instituto da Habitação e da Reabilitação Urbana or IHRU), are “sufficient” and confirmed he will remain in office. Pinto Luz reiterated, however, that Pereira's controversial remarks questioning whether current society is willing to make the financial sacrifices past generations endured to buy homes were “unfortunate” and do not represent government policy.

Opposition parties in Parliament swiftly condemned the decision to keep Pereira in his post. The Left Bloc (Bloco de Esquerda or BE) demanded his immediate resignation, while the Portuguese Communist Party (Partido Comunista Português or PCP), Livre, and PAN formally requested urgent parliamentary hearings to question the public housing chief.

Parliament held an urgent debate on Portugal's housing crisis on Wednesday, with the government and opposition trading blame over soaring costs and supply shortages. Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Carlos Abreu Amorim defended the administration's housing strategy and blamed the crisis on past inertia under the Socialist Party (Partido Socialista or PS). Meanwhile, the PS announced it will force a mandatory parliamentary hearing for Minister of Infrastructure and Housing Miguel Pinto Luz over an alleged conflict of interest in recent urban planning legislation.

Housing and Infrastructure Minister Miguel Pinto Luz announced that the government is open to reviewing rental legislation with the Socialist Party (Partido Socialista or PS), while Social Democratic Party (Partido Social Democrata or PSD) Vice-President Alexandre Poço confirmed readiness to negotiate complementary housing solutions across party lines. The opening follows calls from President António José Seguro for a broad cross-party agreement between the PSD-led government and opposition parties. Speaking in Lisbon, Seguro warned that the country faces a severe housing shortage that requires political cooperation rather than impasse as nationwide debates and protests intensify.

Portuguese Communist Party (Partido Comunista Português or PCP) Secretary-General Paulo Raimundo condemned the government's recently approved rental legislation, claiming the rules are tailored to benefit real estate investment funds. In a televised interview, Raimundo argued that demonstrators are taking to the streets due to severe cost-of-living pressures and depressed salaries rather than by choice. He also noted that the vast majority of housing protesters seek peaceful demonstrations to highlight their economic struggles.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through Lisbon, Porto, and Coimbra to protest soaring living costs and escalating housing prices. Organised by the General Confederation of Portuguese Workers (Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores Portugueses or CGTP), the protests called for higher wages to counter steep inflation and rents. In Lisbon, housing activists gathered at Rossio Square to establish an encampment, drawing attention to government policies and the country's housing shortage.

Update: Housing Activists Camp Overnight in Lisbon and Porto Squares

Protesters maintained overnight tent encampments in Lisbon's Rossio and Porto's Praça D. João I after demonstration permits expired at midnight, with police opting not to intervene. In Porto, demonstrators voted during an assembly to continue occupying the square, while emergency services extinguished a rubbish container that had been set on fire nearby.

The Socialist Party (Partido Socialista or PS) accused Chega of harming Portuguese families by endorsing government proposals to overhaul urban leasing rules. PS lawmaker Luís Testa argued the changes will cause widespread evictions, while Chega deputy Vanessa Barata asserted that previous Socialist policies created the housing crisis. The Portuguese Communist Party (Partido Comunista Português or PCP) also attacked the executive, claiming the state is acting like a property speculator.

Porto Mayor Pedro Duarte pledged that the city council (Câmara Municipal do Porto) will be relentless against any attempts to pitch tents in Praça D. João I, where activists established an encampment to protest housing unaffordability. Duarte asserted that the central square is not a campsite and warned that public demonstration rights cannot infringe upon broader civic freedom. He also criticized organizers, arguing that parts of the protest have goals unrelated to housing and seek to provoke disruption.

Update: Protesters Pitch Dozens of Tents Defying Porto Mayor

Protesters defied the mayor on Wednesday night, pitching more than 40 tents in Praça D. João I under the observation of the Public Security Police (Polícia de Segurança Pública or PSP). Demonstrators characterized the renewed camp as an act of political despair rather than leisure, maintaining that protests must disrupt civic leaders to highlight the housing crisis.

The Lisbon City Council has refused to reverse the eviction of a widow and her two children from a municipal property in Marvila. Housing officials stated that 2,800 families are currently ahead of them in the queue for social housing, while the council also announced plans to develop approximately 90 new homes in a former government building.

The PS is launching a series of consultations with housing and construction sectors to develop new proposals for addressing the national shortage of 380,000 homes. Secretary-General José Luís Carneiro stated the party aims to present these measures soon, arguing that current government policies are insufficient to meet the needs of average families.

Portugal and Spain are struggling with significant residential property shortages, according to recent reports. The housing crisis in the Iberian region is driven by a combination of high construction costs, bureaucratic hurdles, and the impact of immigration on demand.

A legislative package aimed at addressing the housing crisis, which includes reducing the value-added tax (Imposto sobre o Valor Acrescentado or IVA) on construction to 6% and lowering income tax (Imposto sobre o Rendimento das Pessoas Singulares or IRS) on rental income, remains at the Presidency of the Republic. President António José Seguro has been reviewing the decree-law for approximately one month following its approval by the Council of Ministers.

Update: President has until May 24 to review housing package

President António José Seguro must decide whether to promulgate the housing fiscal package by May 24. Additionally, he is expected to rule on the simplification of construction licensing processes by the end of May.

Portugal has enacted a new Nationality Law that extends the residency requirement for naturalization to ten years for most foreign nationals. Citizens from the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa or CPLP) now face a seven-year wait, and the Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo (AIMA) is preparing new forms to manage family reunification requests under these stricter rules.

European Council President António Costa announced that the upcoming Irish presidency of the European Union will host a summit dedicated to the housing crisis. This follows a decade where Portugal recorded the second-highest increase in housing prices within the EU, with costs rising 180% between 2015 and 2025.

A delegation from the European Parliament's housing committee described Portugal’s housing situation as severe following a two-day visit to Lisbon. Committee president Irene Tinagli highlighted an alarming percentage of properties used for tourism and a growing gap between market prices and local wages. The group called for a better balance between the tourism industry and the need for affordable housing for residents.

A delegation of MEPs from the European Parliament is visiting Lisbon this week to evaluate Portugal's strategies for addressing the housing crisis. The group, which includes Portuguese MEP João Oliveira, will meet with government officials to discuss affordable housing programs and the impact of current property market trends. Those seeking housing should monitor potential policy recommendations that may arise from this European-level assessment of the local market.

Protesters gathered in 16 cities, including Lisbon and Porto, to demonstrate against rising property prices and recent government measures. The platform Home to Live In (Casa para Viver) organized the marches, calling for rent caps and an end to fast-track evictions. Residents should note that further actions are planned as the housing crisis continues to affect both locals and foreign residents.

Demonstrations took place this Saturday in several cities across the country against the Government's housing measures.

Update: Protests spread to 16 cities amid rising costs

Demonstrators in 16 cities criticized the government for failing to curb real estate inflation, citing an 18% rise in house prices during the final months of 2023. Protesters highlighted the extreme difficulty of finding affordable housing, with some reporting room rentals costing as much as €500 per month.

More than 100 collectives have organized a series of protests under the slogan “It's not enough” (Já não dá) to demand better access to affordable housing. The demonstrations, scheduled for the coming weekend in several cities, show the growing gap between wages and rental prices. Organizers argue that recent government measures have failed to protect tenants from irregular rent increases and precarious living conditions. Tenants and those seeking housing should be aware of the protests in major urban centers.

The Casa para Viver platform delivered an open letter to the President of the Republic at the Belém Palace (Palácio de Belém) calling for the housing crisis to be treated as a national emergency. The movement is demanding rent regulation, mortgage relief, and a veto on legislation that would accelerate evictions. Residents should note that nationwide protests are scheduled for March 21 in 14 different cities.

The government has proposed new measures to speed up evictions (despejos) for tenants who fail to pay rent, arguing that increasing owner confidence will help the rental market. Critics of the plan argue it repeats failed approaches from the 2012 “Cristas Law” (Lei Cristas) and fails to protect vulnerable residents. Tenants should note that the proposal was discussed in a recent Council of Ministers (Conselho de Ministros) meeting as part of a broader housing package.

The Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) in Lisbon is asking that the patrimony of Santa Casa — the charitable institution that owns large property holdings — be directed towards public housing policies, Correio da Manhã reports. The proposal frames Santa Casa's assets as a potential resource to expand affordable housing and influence municipal housing strategy. Any move to repurpose those assets would involve legal and political debate and could affect future public housing projects in Lisbon. Those seeking housing in Lisbon should watch municipal and parliamentary discussions on the proposal.