Source: Freepik Author: Redaction The PS proposal to increase the IRS deduction for house rent to 600 euros won parliamentary approval on 27 November, with Chega abstaining. The reinforcement of tax support for students was also approved in the votes for the 2024 State Budget (OE2024), with the PCP abstaining. The deduction of house rent expenses from the personal income tax (IRS) was allowed for 550 euros, higher than the 502 previously accepted. Following the increase in rents of up to 6.94 per cent, as of January, the PS argues that, with the proposal presented, tenants will have an additional reduction of around 100 euros in their IRS, in addition to the deduction resulting from updating the limits of the IRS brackets . For taxpayers with an income corresponding to the first IRS bracket, the proposed deduction for rent expenses is to increase from 800 to 900 euros . The reinforcement of tax support for students means an increase to a maximum of 400 euros in the deduction of rent for displaced students. This measure aims to promote the strengthening of young peoples incomes, in line with the increase in IRS Jovem exemptions. It is therefore proposed to increase the tax deduction for displaced students from 300 euros to 400 euros, reducing the respective IRS tax burden and relieving young people of their income , argues the measure proposed by the Socialist Party. Following the approval of PS proposals, the IRS withholding tax for tenants was also reduced. The measure covers people with a monthly salary income of up to 2,700 euros gross and a lease or sublease agreement for their first home, duly registered with the Tax and Customs Authority (AT) or a loan agreement for the purchase, construction or construction of their own permanent home. Read also: Landlords have doubts about updating old rents
Source: Freepik Author: Redaction Primary and secondary school teachers, placed in schools in the regions of Lisbon and Tagus Valley and the Algarve, will receive a subsidy of up to 200 euros to pay rents. The support was approved in the Council of Ministers and will be in force until 2025, covering about four thousand teachers, with an estimated cost of eight million euros. The measure, contemplated in the State Budget for 2024 , will only enter into force on January 1 of next year, however, the decree provides for the inclusion of contracts concluded from September 1, 2023 , only applicable to teachers who are placed more than 70 kilometers from home. The Minister of Education indicates that the measure applies to the regions of Lisbon and Tagus Valley and the Algarve, since these are the regions of greatest difficulty to place teachers due to high housing prices . João Costa, Minister of Education, adds that the support will be similar to the extraordinary support to the rents already in force , that is, it will be attributed to teachers whose effort rate is above 35% with housing costs, and to perform this calculation will be considered the charge with permanent housing . The estimate of the guardianship is that this measure will reach about four thousand teachers displaced in these two regions, however, this number may be higher, since it will include all teachers who meet the eligibility requirements for support . Follow this and other topics in SUPERCASA Notícias
Source: Freepik Author: Redaction The Institute for the Financial Management and Equipment of Justice (IGFEI) has signed a protocol with the Institute for Housing and Urban Rehabilitation (IHRU) making 23 former magistrates houses available to be converted into affordable housing , most of which are unused and vacant. The Ministry of Housing announced the signing of the protocol, explaining that the agreement between the two entities includes 23 properties for affordable rent in Cascais, Redondo, Vila Franca de Xira, Portalegre, Peniche, Ovar, Oeiras, Moimenta da Beira, Évora, Elvas, Castelo de Vide, Barreiro and Alcanena. In the statement in which this information was released, the Ministry of Housing explains that, according to the document, the IHRU will be responsible for promoting the operations necessary for the rehabilitation of the properties, as well as making them available for housing under the Affordable Rental Program . Read also: The Rent to Sublet Program has already received 1,054 applications
Source: Freepik Author: Redaction The Rent to Sublet program was one of the measures included in Mais Habitação (More Housing), which came into force on October 7 and has since benefited several families, 105 homes have been handed over since November 10, when the draws began . Participation was significant, with a total of 1,054 applications. The announcement of the start of applications was made by the Institute for Housing and Urban Rehabilitation (IHRU) last Friday, which marked the drawing of lots for the 105 homes put out to tender for affordable rent, as part of the Rent to Sublet Program and the Rental Support Program . According to the IHRU, houses were drawn all over Portugal, including the islands , with the competition divided as follows: South and Azores competition , which includes 71 properties distributed across the municipalities of Lisbon, Oeiras, Amadora, Almada, Sintra, Loures, Odivelas, Torres Vedras, Marinha Grande, Albufeira and Praia da Vitória, on the island of Santa Cruz. The North competition , which includes 11 homes spread across the municipalities of Porto, Maia, Gondomar, Vila Nova de Gaia, Vila Nova de Famalicão and Penacova. Vila Nova de Gaia competition , in which 8 houses with 2 or 3 bedrooms will be raffled off. Porto competition , which includes 2 houses in the parish of Ramalde. Matosinhos competition , for which 4 houses have been allocated. Lisbon competition , which includes 9 properties, mainly in the municipality of Amadora. Rents vary according to the location of the property, with the most expensive rent reaching around 800 euros per month and the cheapest 450 euros per month. How can you access the Rent to Sublet program? To register for the competition, you must meet the requirements set out by the IHRU , which include the need for permanent housing and have an annual income of up to the 6th IRS bracket. However, priority is given to households aged up to 35, single-parent families or those with an income drop of more than 20% compared to the previous three months or the same period in the previous year. To apply, if you meet the eligibility requirements, simply register on the Affordable Rent Platform and issue the Application Certificate . Then register and submit it on the IHRU Arrenda Platform. When the draw takes place, the homes will be allocated in order of preference , by sorting the applications submitted. These will be validated and a request will be made to submit documents . If your application is selected, after this process, visits to the accommodation will begin and you will be asked to sign the Accommodation Form , then insurance will be taken out and the rental contract will be signed , which will make your allocation of housing official. Are you clear? You can also read: Banks prepare private moratorium accessible to all
Source: Freepik Author: Redaction Last Thursday, 9 November, the President of the Republic promulgated the law that changes the extraordinary support for families to pay their rent , according to a note published on the website of the Presidency of the Republic. This means that, in view of the increase in rents to a maximum of 6.94 per cent next year, the state undertakes to take on any increase above 2 per cent to compensate for the rise: the President of the Republic has promulgated the governments decree amending the extraordinary support for families to pay their rent, the published note reads. This measure aims to reinforce support for tenants with incomes up to the 6th IRS bracket and rent effort rates above 35 per cent. Tenants who do not currently receive the extraordinary support, and who see their effort rate exceed 35% with the planned update, can also be covered by the measure if their contract is prior to 15 March 2023. With rents increasing in line with inflation, and without any government-imposed brake on their rise, according to SUPERCASA Notícias calculations, a 500 euro rent will increase by 34.70 euros next year, while a 1,000 euro rent could see an increase of 69.40 euros. The government also clarified that both the extraordinary support in force and the reinforced support for the update on rent increases in 2024 will be in force for the next five years . Read also: Can rent rises be challenged? Find out and Without a brake on rents, the government supports up to 4.94% of the increase
Source: Freepik Author: Redaction The Lisbon Landlords Association (ALP) has asked the government for clarification on the updating of pre-1990 rents, i.e. old rents . The doubt arises following the changes contemplated in the Mais Habitação law, which allow old rents to be updated based on the coefficient calculated annually by the National Statistics Institute (INE). Diana Ralha, from the ALPs board of directors, says that landlords with contracts prior to 1990 should already know whats going to happen to their contracts . The lack of information so far has led landlords to question whether the values will be updated to 1/15th of the property value , as was planned, or whether there will be some compensation defined by the state . According to Diana Ralha, only after these parameters have been defined should the legal coefficient of 6.94 per cent for 2024 be applied in parallel. Landlords have until the end of November to notify tenants by letter of the amount of the increase in 2024. The time lag has led to doubts about whether the application of the coefficient from January onwards prevents a new update in the case of these contracts. For this reason, at the beginning of the week the ALP sent a request for clarification to the Ministry, questioning whether landlords who update their rents now using the INE coefficient are then prevented, in 2024, from making any further updates using the model that the government may approve for these contracts , but received no response . For his part, António Frias Marques, president of the National Landlords Association (ANP) advises members to wait for the Ministry of Housing to clarify the criteria for updating old rents and what compensation there might be for landlords for freezing rents for more than 10 years. Follow this and other topics in SUPERCASA Notícias
Source: Freepik Author: Redaction Last Tuesday, October 31, the Minister of Finance, Fernando Medina, announced that nearly 3,000 homes have already been finalized to be integrated into the affordable rental market . Of the 17,500 contracted homes, 10,000 are still under construction and 4,500 are in the design or tender phase. For Medina, these figures represent a structural change in the housing market. The promise to build more housing is underway, considering that the creation of a public initiative park capable of ensuring affordable rents is currently one of the governments biggest concerns, which aims to have a lasting, profound impact on the reality of access to housing . Fernando Medina also said that the measures for families with housing loans will make it possible to reduce installments (...) and stabilize them over a period of two years , and that the law that allows banks to fix the installment of housing loans came into force on Thursday, November 2. On the subject of rents, Medina assured that it was decided to extend the amounts of support to compensate for the increase in rents, and its scope was extended to specific professions with a shortage of housing capacity in specific areas of the country , arguing that Portugals effective taxation is far below that of highly industrialized countries such as France and Germany . Read more: Government considers updating pre-1990 rents , Government promises to review criteria for access to rent support
Source: Pixabay Author: Redaction Contracts under the New Urban Lease Regime (NRAU) will see an increase of 6.94 per cent, in line with the rise in the inflation rate. The increase in rents is provided for in the NRAU, however, landlords can choose to maintain rent prices, or increase them by any amount, as long as it doesnt exceed the 6.94 per cent coefficient stipulated by law. In the coming weeks, the government is expected to rule on the more than 151,000 pre-1990 rental contracts , whereby households whose adjusted gross annual income is less than five times the national minimum wage have benefited from a rent freeze for more than 10 years. The government has postponed the transition of these contracts to the NRAU due to the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, but a decision on updating rents should be announced in the coming weeks. As of 2024, it has already been decided that the income of landlords with contracts prior to 1990 will be exempt from IRS taxation for as long as they are in force , in addition to the Municipal Property Tax (IMI) on these properties. The rent update is due to come into force at the beginning of next year, and must be published in the Diário da República by today, 30 October. After this procedure, landlords can announce the rent increase to their tenants, but it can only be applied 30 days after the announcement. On this subject, read also: No brake on rents, government backs up to 4.94 per cent hike , Can rent rises be challenged? Find out more
Source: Freepik Author: Redaction Unlike in the past, in 2024 the government will not apply any brake on rent rises, which will increase by a maximum of 6.94 per cent. To combat the increase in rents, the Council of Ministers approved a reinforcement of support for the most vulnerable families, which will cover the update of the monthly instalment by up to 4.94%. The state will contribute more than two thirds (4.94 per cent) of the increase in rent for households up to the 6th IRS bracket, with effort rates of more than 35 per cent, the government confirmed in a statement. This way, tenants will only have to bear a 2 per cent increase proposed by landlords. Any higher increase, up to the maximum limit of 6.94 per cent set by law, will be fully borne by the state. The measure reinforces the subsidy of 20 to 200 euros per month, extraordinary support in force since last year, which aims to help the 185,000 families with low incomes and effort rates of more than 35 per cent. According to the Minister of Housing, Mariana Gonçalves, the reinforcement will be applied automatically to families who already benefit from rent support, however, the number of tenants covered by this measure may increase, since the rise in rents may put more families with an effort rate above 35 per cent. Outside of this measure are commercial property rents, which will rise by up to 6.94% as of January, pre-1990 rents , which have different rules and their updating must result from a negotiation process between tenant and landlord, and new contracts , which are prevented from having their rents increased by more than 2% under the Mais Habitação (More Housing) programme. Both the current support and the increased subsidy on rent increases will remain in force for the next five years . On this subject, read also: Can rent increases be challenged? Find out
Source: Freepik Author: Redaction Last Tuesday, 10 October, the National Statistics Institute (INE) announced that if the government doesnt intervene, rents currently in force could be increased by 6.9% from 2024. Last year , the government imposed a 2 per cent limit on rent increases to mitigate the effects of inflation, otherwise tenants would see a 5.43 per cent increase in rent. However, for 2024, there is no forecast of a new brake measure. So if your landlord informs you that he intends to increase your rent next year, make sure that the amount does not exceed the approved coefficient. If you confirm a higher increase, be aware that you can object to the amount communicated, as it is in breach of the legally established coefficient. In order to communicate the rent increase , your landlord must notify you of his intention to increase the rent at least 30 days before the date on which the new rent is due to be paid. The letter must state the amount and the date on which it will come into effect. Please note that it is only possible to increase the rent after one year of the contract. Opposition to the rent increase must be made by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt and within 30 days of receipt of the letter from the landlord. If the lease is covered by the exception regime provided for in Law no. 19/2022, of 21 October, it cannot be terminated by the landlord solely on the grounds of opposition to the amount of rent. The lease can only be terminated by the landlord in particular situations of non-compliance by the tenant. However, the landlord can oppose the renewal of the contract , as long as the notice is sent within the period laid down by law. Are you clear? Read also: Rents rose by more than 20 per cent in the 2nd quarter of the year
Source: Freepik Author: Redaction In partnership with the IHRU (Institute of Housing and Urban Rehabilitation) , the Municipal Housing Council will organise a public session on October 30 to clarify and boost the cooperative housing movement in the municipality of Setúbal , with the participation of government representatives. The aim is to clarify the intention to open a tender for the construction of collective housing , with affordable rental properties for cooperatives. The proposal for the tender envisages the construction of new housing on a plot already identified by the IHRU, with funding being worked on by the office of the Minister for Housing, Marina Gonçalves. Setúbals Local Housing Strategy (ELH) covers the construction of 1,500 homes for public, supported and affordable rent, and another 160 homes for private affordable rent, plus the rehabilitation of 3,700 homes and the creation of emergency accommodation for homeless people or victims of domestic violence, an investment that is included in the PRR (Recovery and Resilience Plan) and has a deadline of the end of 2026. As for direct public development, the municipality is preparing 540 supported rent homes, while the IHRU is preparing around 960 homes to be put up for affordable rent. Regarding this initiative, Carlos Rabaçal, the municipalitys councillor, explained: All this information was provided to the Municipal Housing Council, which welcomed the work carried out by the municipality, which is working resolutely and with great commitment to meet the housing needs of the people of Setubal, emphasising the fact that housing is a constitutional right and a fundamental human right. Other topics that SUPERCASA Notícias suggests: Lisbon invests 500M€ to rehabilitate neighbourhoods , HLE in Viana do Castelo will reach 641 families or Housing licences to be speeded up with new law
Source: Freepik Author: Redaction According to INE (National Statistics Institute) data released last Thursday, rents rose 11% to a median of 7.27€ per square metre in almost all municipalities in the second quarter of this year. However, the increase was even greater in municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, with four standing out: Lisbon , Vila Franca de Xira , Guimarães and Oeiras . When comparing these four municipalities with the same period last year, the increase was over 20 per cent among the countrys 24 most populous municipalities. Lisbon saw the biggest rise, with an increase of 20.8 per cent, followed by Vila Franca de Xira, with 20.6 per cent, and Guimarães, where the increase was 20.6 per cent. Oeiras also saw the same trend, with a rise of 20.2% to €13.22 per square metre. According to INE, in 11 of the 24 municipalities the rise was greater than the increase recorded in the country as a whole , the majority of which belong to the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. As for prices, only 7 of the countrys 24 most populous municipalities have a median rent below the national average , with Barcelos and Vila Nova de Famalicão standing out, with values of 4.40€/m 2 and 4.70€/m 2 respectively. Guimarães, despite the more pronounced rises seen in the last quarter, continues to have lower prices than the national average, having gone from a median rent of 4.23€/m 2 in the second quarter of 2022 to 5.10€/m 2 this year. INE comments, on analysing the change between quarters, that for 10 of the 24 municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, there was a slowdown in median rents , while on the other hand, there was an increase in year-on-year rates of change in 14 municipalities, The municipalities of Guimarães (+13.4 percentage points), Coimbra (+9.7 percentage points), Oeiras (+7.2 percentage points), Santa Maria da Feira (+7.1 percentage points), Vila Nova de Gaia (+6.+ percentage points) and Maia (+5.3 percentage points) stand out from this group . With regard to the number of new rental contracts signed in the period under review , this fell by 1.2 per cent nationally, with INE noting that only 9 of the most populous municipalities saw an increase: on the other hand, the number of new contracts fell in 13 municipalities, with Funchal (-21.7 per cent) and Lisbon (-19 per cent) standing out. Keep up to date with SUPERCASA Notícias : Median value of bank appraisals of houses breaks new record , Housing loan portfolio decreases since eight months ago