“Strong restrictions” on regime have yet to come into effect
Since the government announced “strong restrictions” on the Alojamento Local (AL short-term holiday letting) regime, homeowners have been falling over themselves to sign properties up for before things change.
Say reports today, in less than two months, 5,400 new AL properties have officially registered. This is more than double the number that registered during the same period last year.
In other words, by making an early announcement of its intentions, the government has actually catapulted properties in the opposite direction, and out of reach of thousands of people desperate to find long-term, affordable rented properties.
According to SIC television news today, the Algarve has been the district where the greatest rush to sign up for AL has been identified: close to 2,500 new properties have embraced the regime. Lisbon too has seen more than 665 new AL properties come on board.
Enthusiasm in Porto has been slightly more muted: only 323 new AL registers. Even so, this is 50 more than signed up in the same period last year.
Restrictions on AL are among a number of measures announced by the government in February, ostensibly designed to try and fix the country’s dire housing crisis. It is not even certain the measures will be approved by President Marcelo who has intimated he believes a number of the more ‘radical’ decisions, affecting private enterprise, may be illegal. And all the while, SIC claims, the number of new AL registrations will simply continue. As of today, the country has “close to 115,000 AL properties” on its books…
