Houses, places and the Portuguese property market, written by us

A crown, an eagle and the date 1760: the story of the Mellos Josés Palace in Elvas, Portugal, and of the family of soldiers whose arms it carries.

He spent his life designing cities. In 1971 he drew a house on a ridge above the Castelo de Bode reservoir — and it has never been sold.

Buying a house no longer leads to a Golden Visa. What remains of the investment permit, what replaced NHR, and how the 2026 nationality law changes the horizon.

Caderneta, certidão, energy certificate, CPCV, deed. How to sell a house in Portugal in 2026, in order, and what buyers still ask for even when the law no longer requires it.

Monte, herdade, quinta: the vocabulary, the architecture and the checks that matter before buying a farmhouse in the Alentejo, from the land register to the cork oaks.

VPT, bank valuation, asking price: three numbers that are not what your house is worth. How property valuation in Portugal works in 2026, and what no algorithm sees.

Stamp duty, the head of the estate, the declaration of heirs, the undivided estate and capital gains: how heirs sell an inherited house in Portugal, step by step.

Registration, condominiums, Lisbon's contention areas, tax and the rural tourism route: the rules for short-term rentals in Portugal as they stand in 2026.

What the habitation licence is, how the law changed in 2024 and again in October 2026, and what to check when a Portuguese house is older than 1951.

What you pay, what you can deduct and how to reach zero tax, within the law. The rules on capital gains tax in Portugal for property in 2026, with this year’s changes.

Selling off market in Portugal: when a discreet sale makes sense, how it works, what it costs in exposure and which legal duties stay exactly the same.

Estate agent fees in Portugal are agreed, not fixed. How the mediation contract works: exclusivity, when commission is due, VAT, renewal and notice.

Regions, healthcare, visas, the tax on pensions after NHR, the cost of living and whether to rent or buy first: a measured guide to living and retiring in Portugal.

Tax residence, not nationality, now sets the transfer tax. NIF, fiscal representative, mortgages, money trail and powers of attorney for buyers from abroad.

IMT, stamp duty, deed, registration, mortgage costs, IMI: what a purchase in Portugal costs beyond the price, with a worked example at 2026 rates.

A rice estate, a fishermen's pier on stilts, thatched houses by Aires Mateus and a new planning regime: how to read Comporta and Melides before you buy.

In 1905 the owner of the Constância tile factory built on Rua das Janelas Verdes and dressed it in his own ceramics. The story of an Art Nouveau showcase.

On Lisbon's Avenida da República, an architect trained in John Pawson's studio spent four years taking an apartment back to its essentials, in light, wood and lioz stone.

From the Avenidas Novas to Alvalade, Lisbon's apartment buildings of 1930 to 1960: Art Deco, Português Suave, modernism, and what to check before buying.

Before buying a quinta or a plot in Portugal, check the land registry and BUPi. What changed in 2026, what it costs now, and what to verify on the ground.

When the energy certificate is required in Portugal, what it costs, how long it lasts, and how to raise the class of an old house without betraying it.

Between the dunes and the pines near Santa Cruz, a hotel built from a dream, and a four-bedroom villa that carries its architecture home.

National monuments, public and municipal interest: what a heritage classification changes when you buy a listed building in Portugal, from pre-emption to tax.

The 2026 IMT brackets, the new 7.5% rate for non-residents, stamp duty, IMI and AIMI, with worked examples. What you pay to buy, own and sell property in Portugal.