Affordable rent already applies, but landlords still cannot join

ANDthis new regime, which is part of the housing package Building Portugal, was created by the Government to replace the Rental Support Program (PAA) and allow, with less bureaucracy, to increase the offer of houses for rent at reduced prices.

The E-platform of the Housing Portal, managed by the Institute of Housing and Urban Rehabilitation (IHRU), where landlords and tenant candidates can enroll in the RSAA, is also not active.

Contacted by Lusa, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing (MIH) reported that the missing ordinance “is for publication”, but did not clarify when the IHRU platform will be operational.

This is despite the fact that the decree-law establishing the RSAA, published on 20 May, determines that “by 1 September 2026, adaptations are made available on the electronic platforms necessary for the application of the amendments laid down in this decree-law, in particular for the purposes of applying the provisions relating to the Special Rent Investment Scheme and the RSAA”.

The new RSAA exempts from IRS or IRC owners who lease their properties for a value not exceeding 80% of the median rent per square metre disclosed by the INE at the district level, but the maximum limit of each contract must be fixed by ordinance taking into account the typology of housing, energy certification or the existence of annexes.

This information, which allows calculating the maximum income to be applied, is essential for owners to decide whether they want to join the new regime.

In general, the RSAA is intended to simplify and put an end to some PAA bureaucracy, whose membership – just over a thousand contracts concluded – fell far short of what was foreseen by the previous António Costa government.

Once an eligible contract has been concluded, the landlord will only have to submit it to the IHRU platform, which will then communicate the information to the Tax Authority (AT) for the allocation of the tax exemption in the IRS or IRC.

Another change is to reduce the minimum duration of contracts, from the previous five to three years if it is for permanent residence. For temporary residence, the minimum duration shall be three months, renewable.

The insurance required by the PAA is also no longer compulsory in the new RSAA.

In information sent to the members, the Lisbon Association of Owners (ALP) criticizes “the lack of regulation essential for owners to join” the new RSAA, considering that “an electronic platform simplifies only one procedure when it exists and is ready to execute it”

“ As thousands of landlords came to find out when they asked IHRU for compensation for frozen rents, the government's announcements are not always coordinated with their operation on the ground ", adds the same publication.