The Governor of the Bank of Portugal (BdP), Álvaro Santos Pereira, stated during the presentation of the Economic Bulletin that the country lacks 300,000 homes. He warned that both public and private investment remain insufficient to address the crisis, despite some improvements in licensing processes.
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An independent working group has proposed that the Porto City Council update its urban planning regulations (part B of the Municipal Regulatory Code) to establish stricter, clearer criteria for building renovations in the UNESCO-listed Historic Center. The report also calls on the national government to review legislation concerning the management of World Heritage sites, specifically to ensure municipal technical expertise in cultural heritage is integrated into the approval process for construction projects.
In 2026, Porto registered 583 new local accommodation (AL) units compared to 124 in Lisbon. While the national sector saw 7,762 new registrations following a platform cleanup, the total number of active units fell to 111,857, despite a 36% revenue growth between 2022 and 2025.
The Ombudsman (Provedoria de Justiça) is currently surveying all 308 municipalities to assess the condition of social housing, identify the number of vacant units, and determine the scale of necessary rehabilitation. To date, 209 municipalities have responded, and a comprehensive report on the findings is expected to be released in the first quarter of 2027.