How to rent a house or apartment in Portugal?

When it comes to renting a property it is necessary to think about several issues before making the decision, especially if you are just arriving in the country and still don’t know the region where you will live – as, for example, in Portugal.

So, if you have bought your ticket and are ready to move to Portugal and are looking for a house or apartment to rent, you are at the right site! Here, we will answer all your questions on the subject.

Websites for searching house or apartment rental in Portugal

A quick and easy way to rent any property these days is through websites and apps. You can see photos of the entire apartment and in some cases even a Virtual Tour – which helps you quickly decide which property you would like to live in.

Below we have separated three sites to search for house or apartment rentals in Portugal.

Imovirtual

O Imovirtual is one of the best options of sites to rent houses in Portugal, because it is easy to use, you can filter your search by the type of property, the location, the minimum and maximum price you want.

SAPO House

A SAPO House is a website that has been around for years and presents properties available for rent throughout the country. In addition to apartments and houses, you can find other types of rental properties, such as vacation homes, rooms, terraces, and stores.

Idealist

O Idealist is another great option for those looking for property for rent in Portugal. The site has more than 330,000 ads, including options for renting and also for sale.

Advantages of using a real estate agency or broker for renting property in Portugal

If you are not comfortable with renting via websites and apps, another option is to look for a real estate agent or broker to manage your rental of a property in Portugal.

Besides time and practicality, the contact with the owners, the existence of a well-drafted contract, the proper search for the property you want, legal protection in possible problems, the inspection of the space and the conditions it is in before renting are some of the advantages of using a real estate agency or broker to carry out your rental in Portugal.

Some real estate agents, such as Remax , Century 21 e Era , are well known and influential in Portugal, and can help you in this rental process, because they are present in basically all Portuguese territory.

Documents required to rent a property in Portugal

To rent a property in Portugal you will need the following documents:

• Personal identification document: which can be Passport, Residence Permit, or your Citizen Card;
• NIF (Tax Identification Number): like our CPF in Brazil (which must be done upon arrival in the country);
• Financial proof: means of subsistence (IRS Declaration – Income Tax, Employment Contract, Green Receipts, etc)

Forms of rental guarantee in Portugal

Just as in Brazil, some form of rent guarantee, i.e. a guarantee that you will pay the amount charged monthly and that you will be able to stay living in the property, is required. Below we will explain what options exist in Portugal.

Guarantor

The rental guarantee through a guarantor is one of the most common. It provides for the inclusion of a third person in the rental contract, who will assume the costs of rent and other charges if the tenant fails to do so.

In Portugal, many landlords require the presence of a guarantor in the contract, but if you can pay several months rent in advance, this requirement can be waived.

Collateral

Security deposit is a guarantee that the landlord (owner of the property) receives from the tenant in order to have more security when executing the rental contract. This guarantee can cover both default on payments and any damage that the tenant causes to the property.

In Portugal, the deposit is a very common requirement in property rental contracts, but there is no minimum or maximum amount for the deposit and the money will be established by the owner according to the quality of the property. Although the deposit does not have a limit, it is customary here to use the amount of the rent as a reference for the collection of the deposit.

Other forms

Another way to guarantee payment of rent in Portugal is through a platform called Easy Sponsor, which replaces the role of the guarantor or security deposit.

The platform works in a very simple way, but it is important to say that it is not enough just to make the request for the replacement of the guarantor and the deposit. When you fill out the data on the platform to request the service, your profile will be analyzed to verify if you really meet the necessary conditions.