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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

From the palaces of Lapa to the planned streets of Alvalade: eleven Lisbon neighbourhoods read through their buildings, to help you choose where to live.

Granite, schist, lime and timber, and the licensing rules revised in 2026: what to check before renovating a house in Portugal, from the survey to the tax side.

What the caderneta predial is, how to obtain it free online, how to read its codes and values, and what it says, and does not say, about an old house in Portugal.

A village is not one property but many. Titles, heritage protection, planning, rural tourism and tax: what to check before buying a village in Portugal.