New Government wants to end forced rental of empty houses in Portugal

by times news cr

2024-04-12 22:12:11

The PSD/CDS-PP Government confirmed on Wednesday that it will revoke the measures of the Mais Habitação program that it considers “wrong”, including the forced leasing of vacant houses, one of the most controversial measures approved by the previous socialist government, which generated some concern among emigrants.

According to Lusa, the executive led by Luís Montenegro intends to counter the withdrawal of this proposal with the “almost automatic injection into the market of vacant or underused properties and public land”.

Law No. 56/2023, ratified on October 6 last year, implemented a coercive rental regime for housing, located in urban agglomerations, that had been abandoned for more than two years. In this scenario, it would be up to the State or municipality in question to “pay the owner the rent due” and collect “the rent resulting from the sublease” that would be made later.

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Emigrants protected by law

According to the aforementioned order, the municipal councils would be responsible for carrying out periodic inspections of the habitability conditions and use of buildings and verifying, in particular, irregular housing rental or sublease situations, regarding which the local authorities would have powers to “notify the owners ”.

The controversial regime provided for a series of exceptions in relation to dwellings that, under normal circumstances, could be considered vacant, but which, as they comply with a certain specificity, are not, namely those that constitute the residence in the national territory of Portuguese citizens who are emigrants.

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Still, the program generated some concern among emigrants. At the time the measure was announced, the president of the Lisbon Owners Association considered, in statements to Contacto, that the rights of emigrants were not safeguarded.

The then Minister of Housing, Marina Gonçalves, assured the socialist deputy Paulo Pisco, elected by the Círculo da Europa, that emigrants had “no reason whatsoever to have any type of fear regarding the possibility of being forced to rent their homes, because they are protected by law.”

2024-04-12 22:12:11

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