Open letter calls on parliament to "commit" to housing

Two hundred people and 13 groups signed an open letter addressed to parliament urging it to make an "unequivocal public commitment" to safeguard the right to housing, warning of the impact of "erroneous and even counterproductive policies."

Asking MPs for “the necessary political courage,” the signatories recall, in the open letter addressed to the President of the Assembly of the Republic, sent on Friday, that “this is the biggest crisis Portugal is going through, affecting increasingly large sections of the population.”

The open letter "Guarantee the right to housing, comply with the recommendations of the European Commission" was drafted as part of an internal debate within Rede H — National Network of Studies on Housing. Its proponents included Ana Drago, André Carmo, Helena Roseta, Luís Mendes, and Rita Silva, among others. They were joined by 13 associations and collectives and two hundred technicians and academics involved in the areas of housing, urban planning, territory, health, and social sciences.

"In the first and second quarters of 2025, there was an unprecedented increase in housing values ​​in Portugal and unparalleled in Europe: 16.3% and 18.7%, respectively," they warn, noting that this "increase is the result of erroneous and even counterproductive policies."

Among these policies is “an almost exclusive focus on increasing supply, when we know that we are not necessarily facing a housing shortage, but a lack of access to it” , they point out, recalling that Portugal is the fourth country in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) with the highest number of homes per inhabitant and also the fourth country with the highest proportion of vacant homes.

Furthermore, they add, "indiscriminately increasing supply does not reduce housing costs and may even increase the supply of luxury housing and result in rising prices." At the same time, "the measures adopted to subsidize purchases and rentals tend to inflate prices when not accompanied by other measures to counteract this trend."

While acknowledging that tax incentives can promote affordable housing, "combined with other market regulation measures," experts nevertheless consider that the announced moderate values ​​of up to €2,300 for rent and up to €648,000 for purchase reveal "a significant gap in relation to the reality of the Portuguese people."

Rede H is monitoring the measures proposed by the Government without proper technical basis, expressing concern about the inadequate allocation of public support, the sale of public assets (some of which are highly suitable for housing), and the halving of public investment, as outlined in the proposed State Budget. Also of concern is the intention to facilitate eviction processes without providing solutions for families.

Referring to the report "2025 European Semester: Country Specific Recommendations", the signatories call on the Assembly of the Republic to take short, medium and long-term measures in line with the recommendations of the European Commission.

In this report, the European Commission urges the Portuguese government to "implement rent regulation measures to protect the most affected groups; assess the supply of vacant, abandoned, or underutilized housing, both in public and private housing, in the most affected cities, promoting their availability; promote the housing-first approach at the national level; and exercise greater regulation of tourist accommodation in the most stressed areas."

In this sense, the signatories urge the adoption of a strategy of “stability, continuity and effectiveness”, which integrates technically and scientifically proven measures, after resorting to a council of experts in the field.

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