Latest news and stories about housing in government in Lisboa, Portugal for expats and residents.
President of the Republic António José Seguro hosts hearings with ten parliamentary parties at Belém Palace to address social cohesion and housing policy following calls for cross-party consensus.
Police in Portugal intervened to dismantle housing protest camps and made arrests across major cities including Lisbon and Porto. The actions followed nationwide demonstrations that drew thousands to the streets to protest Portugal's worsening housing crisis.
Around one hundred protesters in Lisbon unanimously approved a plan to pitch tents at Rossio this Saturday under the slogan 'We have no house, we're setting up tents!'. The popular assembly also outlined new demands addressing public housing needs, including dissolving Gebalis and reallocating defence spending towards housing initiatives.
Protesters in Portugal have returned to central public squares to continue demonstrations against the soaring cost of living and escalating housing crisis, shortly after police dismantled their encampments and detained 55 individuals.
During the state of the city debate, Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas challenged the Socialist Party's record on housing, questioning how 885 million euros from real estate and land sales between 2008 and 2021 was spent, while noting that only 36% of the roughly 3,500 homes delivered during his tenure were newly constructed by the municipality.
A reflection on five years of political change and public service dedicated to the residents of Lisbon.
Thousands of protesters have gathered across major Portuguese cities including Lisbon and Porto to demonstrate against the soaring cost of living and housing crisis, drawing inspiration from similar movements in Spain.
The 'Casa para Viver' platform organized a vigil in Lisbon to urge political parties to reject the government's request for legislative authorization regarding tenancy law, citing concerns over evictions and rising rents.
The state maintains a significant unused real estate portfolio while the rental market sees a notable surge in the supply of moderately priced housing units.
Lisbon faces an identity crisis fueled by mass tourism and foreign real estate investment, leading to gentrification and the displacement of locals. The author advocates for policy interventions like rent control to preserve the city's authentic community spirit.
The Casa Para Viver platform has submitted an open letter to the Portuguese Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, formally demanding a reduction in rental costs amidst the ongoing national housing crisis.
Lisbon faces a significant housing crisis with approximately 44,000 vacant or abandoned properties, rendering over 20 percent of the city's total housing stock inaccessible.
The government maintains its decision to auction properties despite criticism that these buildings could have been repurposed to address the public housing crisis.
The Portuguese state has sold two vacant buildings in central Lisbon for 20 million euros, a price point that likely precludes their original intended use for public housing.
With only four months remaining until the European recovery fund deadline, the Minister of Infrastructure reports that 20,000 of the planned 26,000 houses have been completed under the Recovery and Resilience Plan.
Eight vacant government properties in Lisbon, recently sold or slated for auction, represent a missed opportunity to create approximately 450 public housing units.
Carlos Moedas' four-and-a-half-year tenure as Mayor of Lisbon is criticised for a lack of strategic vision and execution, marked by worsening housing crises, budget cuts, infrastructure failures, and allegations of political mismanagement.
Protesters gather at Rossio Square, with concerns raised regarding the timing of the event on Halloween night.
A partnership between Caritas, the Patriarchate of Lisbon and the State aims to rehabilitate as many Church properties as possible to house families at controlled costs. A campaign is currently underway across 285 parishes.
In Lisbon, the demonstration will start at Largo Luís de Camões, in Chiado, and end at Rossio, where, according to the Lisbon Camp movement, tents are expected to be set up again for overnight stays in the square.
On the eve of another demonstration, there was no sleep at Rossio. It was a day of voting on the future of the 'Lisbon Camp-out'. There are new schedules and a delegates' plenary for sensitive issues.
The PSP had requested restrictions from the Aeronautical Authority so that protesters would not launch drones indiscriminately.
Tents are only accepted as a 'symbolic element' and must be dismantled by 12:30 am. The commander of the Lisbon Metropolitan Command guarantees that the PSP will prioritise dialogue.
José Luís Carneiro agrees with the President of the Republic's appeal for parties to set aside 'political bickering' and argues that António José Seguro's message was not directed at the Socialists.
The Lisbon encampment is holding a new protest on Saturday between Marquês de Pombal and Rossio, followed by a gathering in the latter square with the possible assembly of tents.
Pedro Nuno Santos criticised the Socialist Party's (PS) abstention during the vote on the 2027 State Budget. In his first major interview since stepping down as party leader, he stated that while he accepted the voting direction, he disagreed with it, arguing that it grants the AD Government another year to implement reforms with the Chega party. He defended that the PS should position itself as a clear alternative to the current PSD government, citing irreconcilable policy differences. Additionally, Santos addressed his attendance at a recent housing protest in Lisbon, condemning the police intervention against peaceful demonstrators and accusing the government of attempting to dehumanise the protesters to deflect from the underlying housing debate.
Between 2008 and 2021, the Lisbon City Council sold 1,630 municipal houses, and the majority are now being resold at market prices.
Between 2008 and 2021, the Lisbon City Council sold 1,630 municipal homes, and the majority are now being resold at market prices.
