Portugal sees fresh protests over government policies seen as worsening housing crisis

Dozens of Portuguese cities saw protests Saturday against the housing shortage. Demonstrators demand rent caps, stronger tenant protection and more public housing. Under the slogan "they will not steal our right to live here," thousands gathered for nationwide demonstrations across Portugal on Saturday to protest the rising cost of housing and stagnating incomes. Demonstrators took to the streets of Lisbon and dozens of other cities calling for limits on rent increases, stronger protection from evictions, more public housing and measures to curb housing speculation. "We need homes to live in, not homes to speculate on. Public housing needs to be built and the price of rents needs to come down," Raquel Ferreira from the housing-rights movement 'Casa Para Viver' told local media at the start of the demonstration in Porto. The protests come as the government adopted a new bill that would make it easier and faster for property owners to evict tenants. "What should happen, and what this massive mobilisation across the country is demanding, is the withdrawal of this draft law," said José Manuel Pureza, coordinator of the Left Bloc. The new housing bill includes measures that could further exacerbate the housing crisis The proposed legislation seeks to make it easier for landlords to regain possession of rented properties by speeding up the procedure for property-owners to evict tenants. It would also give landlords greater freedom to set rental prices by removing rent caps, allow them to demand higher upfront payments such as deposits and advance rent, and changes the rules regarding older rental contracts signed before 1990. The government argues that these measures will encourage landlords to put more properties on the rental market. However, Casa para Viver believes it will leave tenants more vulnerable and instead calls for rent regulation to ensure housing costs are regulated in relation to people's incomes. Casa para Viver criticised the government for viewing €2,300 as a "moderate" income, when "more than half the people working in this country earn less than 1,000 euros." Properties worth up to €660,000 are now also classified as having "moderate" value on the property market. "The government and the parties that have allowed these measures to pass are pushing prices up and normalising the absurd, while rewarding landlords, developers and property funds," the organisation wrote in March. Portugal records the third largest rise in housing costs in Europe Housing prices relative to incomes across Portugal rose 60.8% between 2015 and 2025, according to EU data, well ahead of the Netherlands in second place in the EU at 34.3%. The highest spikes were recorded in Lisbon and Porto. Between the first quarter of last year and the first quarter of 2026, house prices rose by almost 20%, the National Statistics Institute (INE) reported at the end of October. Rents have also risen sharply, with an increase of 68% since 2020, according to the government. Speaking to Euronews Business, economist Mike Langen said thatPortugal "experienced a tourism boom, and their golden visa program attracted foreign investors, so house prices grew partly because of foreign capital". Foreign buyers and investment funds drove up prices by buying Portuguese property, including buildings in poor condition. Casa Para Viver is now calling on the government to adopt measures to tackle property speculation, and demands for an end to golden visas and to incentives for digital nomads, as well as an end to tax exemptions for property funds. The country’s pleasant climate and long coastline have helped make it popular among digital nomads and other remote workers, as well as retirees from abroad. Tourism has also risen sharply, with many city-centre flats being turned into short-term rentals and subsequently taken out of the long-term rental market. Portuguese people excluded from the property market The average salary in Portugal is around €2,200 a month, according to official statistics. A one-bedroom apartment in the centre of Lisbon typically costs at least €1,100, according to property agents. For many households, a single income is no longer enough to cover the rent on a family-sized flat in the centre of a large city. According to a report published by the Deutsche Bank Research Institute (DBRI), disposable income is what remains of a household's net monthly salary after rent has been paid.Across the 28 European cities analysed, disposable income after rent ranges from €253 in Lisbon to €9,140 in Zurich. The report also reveales that Lisbon and Milan are the most challenging cities to live in for couples. Lisbon residents say they are being excluded from the property market because of high prices. On average, Lisbon households are left with only €253 to live on for the month after paying the rent. Net pay in Lisbon is €1,408, but the rent can reach €2,561 per month, the DBRI concludes. Young people say they cannot get onto the property ladder, while parents worry that their children have to move far away to find a home. At the same time, some Portuguese homeowners have made substantial profits from selling their properties. The government is trying to address this crisis with measures such as cutting taxes on new builds, restricting short-term rentals and promising to build 145,000 new homes, although it acknowledges that the effects will not be immediate.