Rental nightmares in Portugal

Our first Portuguese rental was an apartment near Colegio de Rosario in Porto, and it soon proved to be a nightmare: cars blocking the streets around the college entrance, honking all day long, planes passing above on their way to landing, almost continuous yelling from the college sports grounds celebrating goals, all-day loud music and songs for about one month before the festa final. Not to mention the idiot neighbour above us walking on hardwood floors with high heels for hours and hours during the night, and with whom it was impossible to reason to stop doing it. We broke our lease after 6 months because we simply couldn't live a normal life. Although the owner agreed to let us leave before our 3 year term (because she didn't know the law) she then rescinded and kept our deposit, so we had to sue her to get back our deposit plus interest plus legal expenses.

Second apartment was way better, although it's not perfect - we have no balcony and there's a small park in front of our building in Bonfim which tends to get noisy from time to time at night and it's a nuisance to have to sleep with the windows closed during summer. But we have a reasonable owner and the apartment is located in a very convenient area of the city, so we lived in it for 4 years and we'll continue to stay here for now.

A few warning signs I would add for anyone renting in Portugal from abroad: no live video walkthrough, refusal to show the exact address until after a deposit, pressure to pay by bank transfer immediately, no clear written deposit/refund terms, and listings where utilities/internet are vaguely described. For Lisbon especially, also ask about noise, heating/AC, stairs/elevator, and whether the monthly price includes bills.

If you need a long-term lease for D7/D8 paperwork, confirm registration with Financas before you count on the place. If you only need a 1-3 month landing pad while you search locally, furnished monthly inventory can be safer than committing to a 12-month contract sight unseen.

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It is still worth comparing with Idealista/OLX and local agents; whichever route you use, get everything in writing before paying.

Olá all, from our first move to Portugal where we rented ourselves in 2020, and from our experience as landlords providing turn-key rentals in the Alentejo - below are a few key points. Every country is unique and so it was just up to us to adapt! I'll use Cheryl's useful questions as a basis:

Q) What is the strangest or most surprising thing you have discovered in a rental property?

-- We learned when we first arrived (in 2020) that utilities may not be connected at the time of the move, and it was common for places to not include appliances. On the utility side this may mean that there is no power or no water on the first day of the tenancy. WIth equipment, it's common in many rentals in many countries not to include appliances, but it was a surprise to us at the time that the hot water cylinder or gas boiler was also considered a tenant-provided appliance, and so may be missing. Recommendations: double check the heating and hot water systems are installed and included, or plan for it if otherwise. Double check with the landlord what utilities are included and if they are connected at the time of move in (bills or be adjusted or pro-rated later).

Q) Did you deal with pests, noisy neighbours, strange building rules, or difficult landlords?

-- We've had friends need to leave places when they discovered sound or heat insulation was not installed between apartments, and then found it untenable. For historical places where you can see the beams, you can tell if there is any insulation by just checking ceilings. If you can see the clay tiles bridging wooden beams, that generally means no insulation. If you see dropped ceilings or drywall, you may be in luck. Even if there in insulation like newly renovated places, it is frequently only 5cm lã de roche (rock wool).

Q) What warning signs should newcomers watch out for before renting in Portugal?

-- People often are scared about mould from reading forums and articles. We renovate and rent properties for a living so need to manage this successfully. The solution is just the physics of it - unless there is an active leak or something, it can be managed in most situations. Moist air condenses on cold walls, so additional heat and ventilation makes a huge difference (and warm air also holds more moisture, rather than it condensing so easily on walls). So if the walls are warm and the humidity is managed (from ventilation or dehumidifier), then you can stay on top of it. Insulation of course is essential to ensure you can actual heat a place without breaking the bank, with efficient forms of heat like heat pumps.

Q) What advice would you give other expats to avoid rental disasters?

-- Many of our tenants come to us because we guarantee landlord engagement with the immigration process. So ensure your future landlord will do the following before signing: Across our 10+ international tenants, their immigration paths have varied in their requirements but all their applications have required the following from us (the landlords) at the start of their tenancy: 1)  can sign the contract remoteley (print, sign, scan or digital signatures etc.), 2) register the lease on Finanças 3) provide Modelo 2 proof of this, 4) sign notarised affadavits proving the lease when required for the in-person AIMA appointment, 5) issue the rent receipts, 6) provide proof of their ownership e.g. Caderneta Predial (tax document) or the Certidão Permanente do Registo Predial (land registry). Different lawyers seem to have differing lists of essential docs but this is what we commit to provide, and whatever else our tenants need of course.

Yes it's true you can now as a tenant "force" the registration of the lease with Finanças, but with your immigration on the line, we think it's much safer ensuring this is discussed beforehand.  Many of our tenants came to us after several failures - after moving forward with properties that matched their needs, only to discover the landlord was not happy to do these things later.

I hope these are useful! Every country, every system, has its quirks and parts to manage. Portugal is a wonderful country and we are lucky to be here. Especially in Estremoz in the Alentejo - we pinch ourselves on a regular basis!