Latest news and stories about government policy in property in Lisboa, Portugal for expats and residents.
Government demand incentives for first-time homebuyers are clashing with supply shortages and demographic shifts, drawing criticism from the IMF and Bank of Portugal over potential impacts on housing prices.
Rui Tavares concludes his tenure as leader of the Livre party at the 17th congress, where he criticized the government's housing policies and the PS's political strategy, while the party prepares for new leadership under Jorge Pinto.
The Sana hotel group, already owing over four million euros in rent for the Quartel da Graça concession, has formally requested a contract review citing a need for financial rebalancing.
This Wednesday features the ECO Festival's 10th-anniversary celebration, a parliamentary debate with the Prime Minister, the release of INE's April housing evaluation survey, and the publication of the financial stability report.
The Lisbon City Council has cancelled 40% of local accommodations due to inactivity, marking a significant move in the city's management of 'ghost' AL licenses. This week's highlights also include insights from César Araújo on the influx of Asian products into Europe, discussions on the PRR, and advancements in Quantum Computing. Other topics cover the unpredictability of European funds and TAP's potential role within the Air France/KLM group.
Cascais City Council has exercised its right of first refusal to buy 32 plots near Quinta da Marinha for €30 million, blocking a sale the owner had negotiated with two private firms. The council approved a loan to finance the acquisition, raising issues about use of public funds to secure strategic, high-value land in one of the municipality’s most expensive areas and the implications for local planning and market dynamics.
An unemployed mother with children aged 4 and 2 had been paying rent to Gebalis since her partner passed away. The documents provided were deemed insufficient, and she was evicted without any support.
Azambuja council has refused to endorse a proposed €2 billion data centre as a Project of Potential National Interest, warning that the vast development could not be handed a “blank The post Azambuja refuses ‘blank cheque’ for proposed €2 billion data centre appeared first on Portugal Resident.
There is no such thing as 'affordable housing' in the terms in which it is used, nor is it a technical category of construction. It is a financial category, or even, more strictly, a political category.
The City Council has approved the regulations for the 'Less Noise' programme, allocating 2.8 million euros for Lisbon. The opposition criticises the reimbursement model and the amounts, stating they 'do not even cover the cost of one window per house'.
João Maria Jonet is critical of city council spending on “absurd things”. Recently, a proposal of his prevented the Cascais City Council from continuing to provide “tax breaks” to luxury developments.
Almost 5,900 beneficiaries have already received housing support. More than 3,600 applications were rejected and one hundred are still awaiting corrections.
Rui Tavares steps down as leader of Livre, criticising the Government and the new rental rules, which he describes as “delusional”. The party congress in Sintra is expected to elect Jorge Pinto as the new spokesperson. The candidate states that “it is inevitable that Livre will come to power” and accuses the PS of giving “blank cheques” to the Government.
According to Sebastião Bugalho, “it is possible to govern through dialogue, without depending on any single partner”, but he clarified that the PSD does not take “anyone's vote for granted”.
The outgoing spokesperson for Livre stated this Saturday, July 11, that it was “an enormous privilege” to hold this position, accused the Government of “inhumane ideas”, and rebelled against the right-wing constitutional review. Rui Tavares was speaking at the 17th Livre Congress, taking place this weekend in Sintra, Lisbon district, in his final speech as the party's spokesperson. The founder and leader of Livre said it was a privilege to serve as spokesperson for the last four years, sharing the role first with Teresa Mota and then with parliamentary leader Isabel Mendes Lopes. In a half-hour speech, Tavares targeted the Government and the far-right, specifically regarding the constitutional review process, which is currently suspended until December at the request of the PSD and Chega parties. Tavares criticised the situation, stating that the country is in a constitutional “limbo” and warned that the Constitution should not be used as a bargaining chip for political agendas. He also condemned the Government's new rental measures, accusing the executive of promoting a “policy of selfishness, aggression, and lack of solidarity,” and vowed to defeat these “inhumane and cruel” ideas.
Paulo Raimundo visited the Sacavém Fire Department and criticised the rental measures announced by the Executive, warning of the risk of 'accelerated evictions' and rent increases.
The ministry overseen by Joaquim Miranda Sarmento rejected the Left Bloc's request to access the contract between the State and the Sana Group, to whom the Quartel da Graça was leased. The party considers the decision “unacceptable” and insists on access, even if it is “partial”.
The municipality calls it a “good day for the city in terms of rationalising assets”. The opposition criticises the alienation of municipal property in the face of the housing sector crisis.
The Institute for Housing and Urban Rehabilitation (IHRU) was not consulted before the sale of two state-owned properties in central Lisbon in March, because “there was no such obligation,” the president, Benjamim Pereira, said in parliament this Wednesday. The official noted that it was only a month later, in April, that the minister...
Tenants from the Bairro dos Lóios neighbourhood expose a calculation formula based on a marker that is “completely out of touch with the real cost of living”. They speak of the accumulation of “ghost debts” due to delays by the State.
The PSD parliamentary leader said that “not even André Ventura” would claim that the Government was delaying the delivery of houses for electoral purposes.
The meeting between António José Seguro and Emmanuel Macron is scheduled for 13:15 local time (12:15 Lisbon time) at the Élysée Palace, the official residence of the French President in Paris.
According to the UN agency, about 16,000 people have been forced to leave their homes and many are on the streets. Furthermore, the PS accuses the Government of holding back ready-to-deliver houses for the elections.
PS Secretary-General José Luís Carneiro accused the Government on Tuesday, June 30, of holding back ready-to-occupy houses for a new electoral cycle, calling the situation “absolutely unacceptable and inhumane”. Carneiro, speaking at the end of the party's parliamentary sessions in Amadora, claimed these properties, intended for young families and emergency housing, have been vacant for a year and a half. He plans to visit these buildings to expose the government's alleged political maneuvering, while also challenging the government to change course and accusing it of playing games with the Chega party.
The PS leader considered that projects like this one contradict 'the thesis that there were only projects on paper' during the time of socialist governments.
The PS has requested a “status report” from the Minister of Finance regarding the concession process of the Graça Barracks to the Sana hotel group, citing concerns over “contractual non-compliance”.
The Socialist Party (PS) has requested a status update from the Minister of Finance regarding the concession process of the Graça Barracks to the Sana hotel group, citing concerns over 'contractual non-compliance'. In a parliamentary inquiry addressed to Minister Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, the PS parliamentary group highlights reports that the Sana group has requested a contract revision from Estamo, the state-owned real estate management company, to alter deadlines for construction work. The PS is calling for transparency, noting that the contract required completion by the end of 2023, yet work only began in March 2026. The party is seeking clarification on outstanding payments to the state, the status of the concessionaire's request for financial rebalancing, and what measures the government intends to take regarding the breach of contract.
The PS voted against the start of the PDM revision in Sintra. At the centre of the controversy is an attached document that classifies agricultural and ecological reserves as 'instruments of corruption'.
At the closing of the PSD Congress, the Prime Minister announced the privatisation of the Cascais railway line, changes to leasing regulations, and reforms to the evaluation of civil servants.
The opening of a tender for the lottery of 25 homes has been approved. The measure is part of a package announced by Moedas during the elections, when he promised 700 affordable units for young people in historic neighbourhoods.
