Source: Freepik Author: Redaction In the fourth quarter of 2023, according to the data recently released by INE and sent by AICCOPN to the newsroom of SUPERCASA Notícias , 34,126 family homes were transacted, for a total amount of 7,174 million euros, which corresponds to variations, compared to the previous quarter, of -0.4% and +1.4% in number and value, respectively. Regarding the evolution of real estate prices, there was a maintenance of the appreciation trend, with the housing price index increasing 1.3% compared to the previous quarter. In January 2024, at the level of the licensed area, the municipalities registered reductions of 12.6% in residential buildings, and 14.7% in non-residential buildings, compared to January 2023. As for the number of fires licensed in new constructions, this month saw a decrease of 16.4% year-on-year to 2,394. Regarding the new housing construction cost index, in January there was an increase of 1.9% year-on-year, as a result of variations of -0.9% in the material component and +5.7% in the labor component. By the end of February 2024, cement consumption in the domestic market totaled 646.3 thousand tons, which corresponds to a growth of 13.4%, compared to 569.8 thousand tons recorded in the same period of 2023. In the public works segment, in the first two months of 2024, significant growth is verified, compared to the same period of 2023. Indeed, as regards the amount of public works tenders promoted, there was a significant increase of 173% year on year to EUR 624 million, with the opening of a tender for the High Speed Railway Line Concession, in the amount of EUR 661.4 million, to be decisive for this development. As for the total volume of public works contracts concluded until February and reported on the Base Portal until March 15, it shows an increase of 15%, in terms of year-on-year comparable change, to 414 million euros. Read more topics like this in SUPERCASA Notícias
Source: Freepik Author: Redaction The new support for water efficiency in the Algarve, for companies in the tourism sector , was presented last March with the motto save water, protect the future , and the rules on how it will work are now known. This is support for Algarve companies in the tourism sector that can demonstrate investments to improve their water efficiency , for which support totalling ten million euros has been allocated. The aim is to incentivise and improve the management of the Algarve regions water reserves , avoiding future supply problems and leading to greater control over the drought situations reported in recent months. To implement these measures, a water efficiency recognition label called Save Water has been created , which will be awarded to companies with tourist resorts that show that they have adopted practices and measures to rationalise water use . To this end, a support line has been set up to encourage this type of company to join. Who can apply for support and what benefits can it offer? According to the decree published in the Diário da República last Thursday, 4 April, companies can apply for water efficiency support if they can prove that they are open for business in the tourism sector and are in good standing, with investments of more than 10,000 euros in water solutions . If eligible, these applications can receive 50 per cent of the eligible expenses, up to a maximum of 50,000 euros per company. Eligible projects are those with a CAE for tourism in rural tourism establishments, hotels or camping and caravanning sites, as well as projects whose aim is to realise investments with an eligible expenditure value of 10,000 euros or more . Projects with a maximum implementation period of 12 months or which have not been started by the time the application is submitted can also apply, as well as being aligned with the action plan for implementing the measures eligible for the Save Water label . Thus, selected companies can receive support that includes, among several other possibilities, the purchase of water-efficient devices and equipment, auditing or consultancy to implement measures to improve, monitor and control reuse systems or cover the costs of training or capacity building for employees with the aim of adopting good practices to reduce water consumption or cover expenses when the intervention of auditors or accountants is required to validate the expense of payment requests, up to a limit of 15 per cent of the amount invested and with a limit of 2,500 euros. Excluded from the benefits of the support are the costs of buying property or work done by the company for itself, as well as cash payments , and there is a limit of one application per company. How can you formalise your application? The application must be made formally on the Turismo de Portugal helpline or electronically, by sending the appropriate form available on the Turismo de Portugal website. Accompanying this form, you must also submit documents such as the authorisation for electronic consultation of the tax and social security situation, a tax return, the access code to the permanent certificate of commercial registration and proof of IBAN. Once the application has been submitted, Turismo de Portugal has 20 working days to analyse the applications submitted and, if they are accepted, an initial automatic advance will be made once the terms of acceptance have been validated. This advance will be equivalent to 50 per cent of the approved incentive, and the final payment will only be made on the basis of the declaration of expenditure on the eligible investment. Read also: Portuguese companies have record levels of financial autonomy
Source: Freepik Author: Redaction In January 2024, cement consumption on the domestic market totalled 339,000 tonnes, a year-on-year increase of 23.6%, according to the housing statistics summary sent by AICCOPN to SUPERCASA Notícias . With regard to municipal licences for new construction or refurbishment of residential buildings, there was a reduction of 6.5 per cent compared to the same month last year . As for the number of dwellings licensed for new construction, there was also a year-on-year decrease, with a variation of -16.4 per cent, for a total of 2,394 dwellings. In January, there was a year-on-year increase of 24.7% in the volume of new mortgage loans , excluding renegotiations, granted by financial institutions, which totalled 1,184 million euros. The implicit interest rate on mortgage loans stood at 4.66% that month, an increase of 2.47 percentage points on the same month last year. With regard to the median value of housing valuations for the purposes of bank loans, January saw an increase of 4.4 per cent year-on-year, as a result of variations of 3.2 per cent in flats and 6.1 per cent in houses. Centre region in the spotlight In the Centre Region, the number of dwellings licensed for new construction in the twelve months ending in January 2024 was 4,321, an increase of 17.1% on the 3,723 dwellings licensed in the previous twelve months. Of these, 13 per cent are studio or one-bedroom units, 26 per cent are two-bedroom units, 47 per cent are three-bedroom units and 14 per cent are four-bedroom units or higher. As for the bank valuation of housing, there was a year-on-year variation of 3.8 per cent in this region in January. Follow more topics like this in SUPERCASA Notícias
Source: Freepik Author: Redaction In 2023, cement consumption on the domestic market totaled 3,904 thousand tons, which corresponds to an increase of 1.8% year-on-year , according to AICCOPN in its housing statistics summary shared in a statement with SUPERCASA Notícias . As far as municipal licensing is concerned, in 2023 there will be a decrease of 8.8% compared to 2022 in the total number of licenses issued for new construction or rehabilitation work on residential buildings. However, in terms of the number of dwellings licensed for new construction, there was a year-on-year increase of +4.9%, to a total of 31,742 dwellings. In December, the stock of mortgage loans amounted to 98,863 million euros, which corresponds to a reduction of -1.4% year-on-year. The implicit interest rate on mortgage loans stood at 4.59% that month, which is an increase of 2.70 percentage points on the same month last year. The median value of housing appraisals for the purposes of bank loans in December rose by 5.3% year-on-year, as a result of variations of 4.3% in apartments and 5.4% in houses. Region in the Spotlight: Porto Metropolitan Area In the Porto Metropolitan Area, the number of dwellings licensed for new construction in 2023 was 8,232, an increase of 14.3% on the 7,205 dwellings licensed the previous year. Of these, 28% are studio or one-bedroom units, 32% are two-bedroom units, 33% are three-bedroom units and 7% are four-bedroom units or higher. As for the bank appraisal value of housing, this region saw a year-on-year change of 3.7% in December. Read also: Portuguese furniture exports rise again , Construction helps to mitigate the effects of inflation
Source: Freepik Author: Redaction The National Statistics Institute (INE) said on Thursday 8th February that there was a deep downward trend in industrial turnover, which fell by 7.9% in December. In November, the decrease had been 4.9 per cent, with sales abroad falling more significantly. According to INE, the indicator has been negative for nine consecutive months : the Industrial Turnover Index showed a nominal year-on-year change , without accounting for the effect of inflation, of -7.9 per cent in December (4.9 per cent in the previous month), a result that is likely to be influenced by December 2023 having two fewer working days than the same month in 2022. Without the energy grouping, turnover fell by 7.5% (-5.2% in November) . Abroad, the drop in sales is more significant: the indices for the domestic and foreign markets showed variations of -3.1% and -14.9% respectively (-0.2% and -11% in the previous month). In terms of major groupings, intermediate goods contributed the most to the unfavourable performance of the index , although the most significant drop was seen in capital goods and energy: intermediate goods made the most negative contribution to the change in the total index, -3.7 p.p., as a result of the -11.5 per cent variation (-3.8 per cent and -10.8 per cent in November) and investment goods and energy fell by 14.7 per cent and 9.1 per cent (-2.3 per cent and -3.6 per cent in the previous month), contributing -2.4 per cent and -2.1 per cent (-0.4 per cent and -0.7 per cent in the previous month), explains INE in its bulletin. On the other hand, there was a 1.2 per cent increase in consumer goods after the nil variation recorded in November. Thus, over the year as a whole, turnover in industry fell by an average of 3.1 per cent, compared to the previous year when there was growth of 21.7 per cent , explained by the fact that prices in industry rose by 20.5 per cent in 2022 and fell by 2.2 per cent in 2023. However, in the fourth quarter of 2023, the year-on-year change in industrial sales stood at -5.3 per cent (-8.1 per cent in the previous quarter), says the Portuguese statistics office. More topics to follow: Average wage increase of 2.97 per cent wont offset inflation in 2023 , Large exporting companies anticipate 2.9 per cent increase or Global investment activity expected to increase in 2024
Source: Freepik Author: Redaction AICCOPN has released to SUPERCASA Notícias its latest housing statistics summary , with advanced production indicators for January 2024. According to the information received in a press release, cement consumption on the domestic market totalled 3,632 thousand tonnes up to November, corresponding to a year-on-year increase of 2.5%. In terms of municipal licensing , in the first eleven months of 2023, there was a year-on-year decrease of 9.3% in the total number of licences issued for new construction or refurbishment of residential buildings . However, in terms of the number of dwellings licensed for new construction, there was a year-on-year increase of 5.4 per cent, to a total of 29,703 dwellings. The stock of mortgage loans totalled 99.064 billion euros in November, a contraction of -1.1% year-on-year, and the interest rate on mortgage loans stood at 4.52% that month, up 2.93 percentage points on the same month last year. With regard to the median house valuation for the purposes of bank loans, there was a year-on-year increase of 5.6% in November. Region in the spotlight: Lisbon Metropolitan Area In the Lisbon Metropolitan Area , the number of dwellings licensed for new construction in the twelve months ending in November totalled 6,193, an increase of 1.5% on the 6,100 dwellings licensed in the previous twelve months. Of these, 9 per cent are studio or one-bedroom units, 29 per cent are two-bedroom units, 41 per cent are three-bedroom units and 21 per cent are four-bedroom units or higher. As for the bank valuation of housing, there was a year-on-year variation of 4.8 per cent in this region in November. Keep up to date with this and other topics in SUPERCASA Notícias
Source: Freepik Author: Redaction On Thursday 11 January, the European Court of Justice ruled that a VAT rate of 5% should be applied to repair and renovation work on permanent dwellings or holiday homes , provided that the end consumer can prove that they live in the property in question. As a result, he will be able to carry out these works at a lower cost than if these services were taxed at the normal rate. According to what has been defined by the Court of Justice, only the repair services are at issue and not the materials used in these works, however, it is clarified by the court that, in order to be eligible for this tax reduction, the property must be used for a definite and permanent dwelling, also including holiday properties, as long as they are used during certain periods of the year. A property licensed for residential purposes that is not being used for that purpose, and on which repairs or renovation are being carried out, is not eligible for the reduced VAT rate. In addition, repair or renovation services applied to properties which, at the time the work is carried out, are used by their owner for investment or commercial purposes, are also excluded from the possibility of applying the 5% VAT rate. See also: Ordinance simplifying licences comes into force in March
Source: Freepik Author: Redaction Provisional data from the INE (National Statistics Institute) points to a 2.5% increase in new housing construction costs in November 2023 , which rose as a result of the increase in labor costs , which rose by 8.7%, 1.8 percentage points more than in the previous month. New housing construction costs are estimated to have risen by 2.5% year-on-year, one percentage point more than in the previous month, says INE. On the other hand, the price of building materials fell by -1.8%, or -2.3% compared to October. According to the statistical office, the materials that contributed most to this variation were steel for concrete and heavy and light profiles, as well as mild and galvanized sheet steel, in addition to coatings, insulation and waterproofing materials, all of which fell by around 15% . In a reverse trend, cement, ready-mixed concrete, paints, primers, undercoats and varnishes rose by around 10% year-on-year. Also read: Building a house: what are the specifications?
Source: Freepik Author: Redaction In a statement sent to SUPERCASA Notícias, AICCOPN reveals that in the first ten months of 2023, the amount of public works tenders awarded totalled 5,074 million euros , corresponding to a significant increase of 73% compared to the same period last year. In turn, by the end of October 2023, public works contracts concluded and reported on the Base Portal, within the scope of public tenders, totalled 2,026 million euros, corresponding to a year-on-year increase of 28% . As a result, the difference between reported contracts and tenders launched in the same way has totalled around 3.048 million euros since the start of the year. Public works contracts awarded as a result of Direct Adjustments and Prior Consultations totalled 449 million euros in the period under review, which translates into a year-on-year variation of +32%. As a result, in the first ten months of this year, the total amount of public works contracts awarded and registered on the Base Portal totalled 2.676 billion euros, which is 33% more than in the same period last year. Read more: Topographical survey: how important is it? or Public works record their biggest financial deviation in 17 years
Source: Freepik Author: Redaction In the 2nd quarter of 2023, based on the information obtained in the Sector Situation survey sent to SUPERCASA Notícias by AICCOPN , the percentage of companies reporting a stabilisation of activity rose to 66% , which is an increase of 12 percentage points (p.p.) compared to the 54% recorded in the previous quarter. It should also be noted that, of all the companies surveyed, 25 per cent reported an increase in activity and 9 per cent reported a decrease in activity this quarter, percentages that represent reductions of 5 p.p. and 7 p.p. respectively compared to the previous quarter. In the Public Works segment, the main constraints on activity were the lack of skilled labour indicated by 70% of the companies and the increase in the prices of raw materials, energy and construction materials mentioned by 34% of the companies, percentages that correspond to variations of +3 p.p. and -16 p.p., respectively. The base price of tenders being too low, identified by 30% of companies, was the third most reported problem, followed by excessive competition / abnormally low prices, signalled by 29% of respondents. In the Private Works segment, according to the information SUPERCASA Notícias had access to, the lack of skilled labour and the increase in the prices of raw materials, energy and construction materials were reported by 80% and 66% of companies respectively. The problem of late payments became the third most reported difficulty, mentioned by 23 per cent of respondents. Unfair competition , reported by 21 per cent of companies, was the fourth most mentioned problem in this segment of activity. Follow the property market with our suggestions: Housing Statistics Summary | September 2023 , Discover 4 technological solutions for real estate agents or Lisbon invests 500M€ to rehabilitate neighbourhoods
Source: Freepik Author: Redaction The environment is increasingly a concern, but are companies as sustainable as they claim to be, or are we looking at cases of greenwashing? These days, being environmentally friendly is good for business. However, not all the environmental information provided is what it seems and it is important to understand whether sustainable products, practices and policies really are. After all, what is greenwashing? A study by Pew Research, cited by the IMB Institute for Business Value (IBV), reveals that 72% of consumers in 17 developed countries are concerned about climate change and its impact at some point in their lives. Another IBV report, from 2021, shows that more than 90% of global consumers consider sustainability as a factor when choosing a brand. This growing concern for sustainability on the part of consumers has led several companies to establish environmental policies in order to maintain their reputation and meet the expectations of consumers , who are even willing to pay more for the sake of the environment. Greenwashing happens when a company or organization tries to convey an image of sustainability when, in practice, they know they have a negative environmental impact. In other words, greenwashing is a form of disinformation often used to attract consumers. Examples of greenwashing Products with seals or logos created by brands without any environmental certification ; Use of expressions such as sustainable or zero carbon without an explanation supported by scientific evidence ; Using the term biodegradable for a product that is not; Claiming that a product is recyclable without specifying whether the product, the packaging or both are made from recycled material. The European Commission (EC), in collaboration with national consumer protection authorities, has for the first time carried out an analysis of websites with the aim of identifying violations of consumer rights in online stores. According to the EC, the consumer protection bodies involved in the analysis believe that 42% of sustainability claims were exaggerated, false or misleading. How can consumers identify and protect themselves from greenwashing? When researching a particular product, it is important to check whether there are descriptions that specifically define what makes that product sustainable , as well as certifications issued by independent organizations or European certificates . These types of certifications are awarded to tourist accommodation, for example, as a way of making sure that the product or service is in fact sustainable. Follow this and other topics in SUPERCASA Notícias
Source: Freepik Author: Redaction Whether in the colder or warmer seasons, a terrace can be one of the most used parts of the house , bringing together a number of advantages for better utilisation of spaces. Being able to enjoy the outdoors together with family and friends is perhaps one of the greatest, but in winter, for example, the terrace can also serve as a shelter , which is a huge asset that can even increase the value of your property . Fixed roof terrace Advantages of this type of terrace: Versatility: this is one of the greatest advantages of this type of roof, as it has no space limitations; Suitable for cold and wet climates: as it is more resistant, it is more suitable for cold and rainy climates; Aesthetics: there is a wide variety of possible designs and materials for construction, so you can choose the roof that best suits your preferences; The big disadvantage is that, unless it is a glazed structure, it may not let in much natural light. Terraces with movable roofs Advantages: Natural lighting: this is one of the great advantages of this roof format, especially when compared to fixed structures, since you can choose the degree of natural lighting you want; Flexibility: you can open and close the roof whenever you want, allowing a greater variety of purposes for your terrace. This advantage complements the one mentioned above; Disadvantages: Maintenance: mobile roofs require more maintenance than fixed roofs and can stop working properly. You should therefore have them checked regularly; Price: these canopies are generally more expensive than fixed canopies and require more maintenance, with a higher initial and recurring investment; Aesthetics: these roofs dont come in a wide variety of materials and designs; Aspects to consider when installing Although the terrace is part of your home, making it your own, you should bear in mind that there are various applicable laws that may prevent you from installing the roof. Therefore, before proceeding with the work, make sure you have written authorisation from the condominium . Although the flat is yours, the building belongs to the condominium collective, which means that everyone owns the common parts of the building , such as the façade, lifts, columns, roofs, terraces and the like. If you carry out any work that aims to alter the aesthetics of the building and the original architectural line, you need to notify the condominium in advance so that it can request and receive your authorisation. If, despite not having the condominiums authorisation, you go ahead with the work and it is visible from outside the building and alters its appearance, the condominium can take legal action against you, which will lead to the works being stopped and what has already been done being demolished. How can you carry out your work without harming the neighbourhood? Always try to maintain a good relationship with your neighbours , as this is not only important for maintaining a good atmosphere in the building , but also for making it easier to obtain permits to carry out your work . To maintain a good relationship with your neighbours during construction work, here are some tips: Comply with the General Noise Regulation: according to this regulation, works that may cause a noise nuisance must be carried out during working days, between 8.00 and 20.00. Try to avoid breaking this regulation so that your neighbours dont call the authorities. Anyone who breaks this regulation will be fined. Keep passageways clear: its important not to leave building materials untidy on the stairs or at the entrance to the building. Try not to block the passage of your neighbours, especially the elderly or those with walking difficulties. Remember that common areas are used by everyone. Keep the place clean: when the work is finished, leave everything clean, especially the communal areas. Other tips from SUPERCASA Notícias : Urban gardens: create one at home , Modernise your homes façade with our tips or Do you have a swimming pool at home? See how to clean it effectively
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