Latest news and stories about housing shortage in property in Portugal for expats and residents.
A significant shortage of student accommodation persists in Portugal, with an estimated deficit of 119,000 beds for university students. Despite recent efforts to increase supply, experts emphasize that both public and private sectors must intensify their efforts to meet the growing demand for housing.
Real estate agencies achieved record growth in early 2026, fueled by high demand despite a persistent housing supply shortage that continues to drive up property prices.
Industrialized construction is seeing increased adoption in Portugal, yet systemic barriers continue to hinder the achievement of necessary economies of scale.
In Lisbon, Vitória lives with her boyfriend and her daughter in a three-bedroom flat shared with another family — a mother who has two daughters. In Porto, Gabriela sleeps in the same room as her two 16-year-old daughters. There are increasing cases of families sharing homes.
The reduction in supply was observed in six of the 20 district capitals and autonomous regions analysed, with Coimbra and Porto recording the largest drops.
The availability of rental properties in Portugal saw a 22% decrease during the spring season.
The Bank of Portugal estimates a housing deficit of 300,000 units accumulated over the last decade. Improvements are noted, but they are very small. 'It is necessary'
Home News Portugal experiences shortage of affordable houses Portugal experiences shortage of affordable houses Access to housing in Portugal faces a structural bottleneck. This stems from a severe mismatch between family incomes and the available housing stock.
The European Central Bank highlights the lack of housing supply, noting that Portugal is experiencing some of the steepest price hikes in the market.
A study indicates that the high demand for rental properties in Portugal leads to a significant portion of listings being removed within a single day.
Home News 11% of rental properties booked in less than a day in Portugal 11% of rental properties booked in less than a day in Portugal The Portuguese residential rental market remains under pressure and highly asymmetric.
The state's first public auction to fund housing takes place this Tuesday. It includes two buildings in the capital where the PS wanted to see affordable housing. However, the city council claims to have sufficient property assets.
Lisbon faces a paradox: while the city struggles with a housing shortage, thousands of properties remain vacant due to legal disputes, undivided inheritances, and slow eviction processes. New government proposals aim to accelerate evictions for non-payment and allow individual heirs to unlock the sale of inherited properties. These measures seek to remove legal barriers that have kept thousands of homes off the market for decades, ensuring existing housing stock can finally be utilised.
The article discusses Portugal's National Building Renovation Plan (PNRE), highlighting its shortcomings in effectively promoting sustainable construction. Despite the sector's significant contribution to global carbon emissions—responsible for nearly 40%—the plan primarily focuses on reducing emissions from energy use within buildings, neglecting the reduction of embodied carbon from materials and design. Key issues include the lack of clear, operationalized targets for integrating sustainable materials, insufficient measures for renovating vacant homes (which could help address housing shortages), and the absence of a detailed, phased implementation roadmap with defined responsibilities and regional considerations. However, the plan's creation of a National Network of Recovered Construction Materials Banks is a positive step toward promoting material reuse and environmental sustainability in construction.
Saudi businesspeople have identified investment opportunities in Portugal's housing and tourism sectors, which they consider 'a great place to invest', the president of the Saudi Arabia-Portugal Business Council told Lusa. 'Most municipalities have housing opportunities and there is a housing problem in Portugal. I think this is a very ...'
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.
A report finds that housing availability in 72 municipalities is inadequate to satisfy current buyer and renter demand.
Home News Portugal needs to build homes Portugal needs to build homes Portugal faces a major housing shortage, which is expected to persist for at least the next decade.
Home Property Portugal’s housing challenge and the sustainable solutions shaping a new way forward Portugal’s housing challenge and the sustainable solutions shaping a new way forward Portugal’s housing shortage has become one of the most pressing social and economic issues of recent years, affec
The limited number of beds prevents most students from accessing the halls of residence.
