Vila Real manifests itself against housing crisis and lack of regulation

A vila Real city will be the scene of a demonstration on Saturday to show that the district “is not immune” to the housing crisis and demand public investment and regulation of the rental market, was today released.

The initiative for the right to housing is promoted by the movement “Porta a Porta” and the collective “Can’t Live Like This” and intends to join the actions “House to live” that will occur in 31 cities throughout the country. The concentration is scheduled for Avenida Carvalho Araújo.

The organization said, in a statement, that the reality in the district of Vila Real is “very demonstrative of the failure of policies implemented by successive governments”, i.e. “students forced to face ever higher rents and a parallel rental market without receipts, which prevents them from accessing public support, students who give up college because they have no place in student residences, nor money to rent a room”.

It also exemplifies as cases of “families living in unworthy conditions, young people who cannot leave their parents’ homes, workers and families who do not find housing at prices compatible with their wages, workers forced to live in rooms or even cars, people living in situations of precariousness, cohabitation and overcrowding and an offer of social housing and affordable costs that remain far from responding to the size of needs”.

“ A reality that demonstrates that Vila Real is not immune to the housing crisis and that requires public investment, regulation of the rental market and policies that place the right to housing above real estate interests ", adds the statement.

Among the claims are the “immediate revocation” of the rental law, regulated rents to lower, lease contracts with a minimum duration of 10 years, limit to benefits in housing credit, brake on evictions without an alternative of decent housing, more public and affordable housing and that is stopped to property speculation.

The parliament passed a new legislation on the rents proposed by the government on September 30, the day the Casa Para Viver platform scheduled a demonstration for November 14, next Saturday. Since then, three dozen cities have also scheduled demonstrations for Saturday at different times.

The Casa Para Viver platform, which integrates a hundred associations and collectives, refuses to accept a State Budget that cuts about EUR 1,844 million in public investment in housing (face to 2026).

The proposal for a government law to change the urban lease regime was approved in general, with the vote in favour of PSD, IL and CDS-PP and the abstention of the Aquida, which signed an agreement to introduce changes in the discussion in the specialty.

More flexible contracts and faster evictions are some of the measures included in the bill. The government has also dropped the ‘brake’ of 2% increase for a new contract (in relation to the previous contract), except for people over 65 or disabled with a disability equal to or greater than 60% and annual income less than EUR 64,400, and landlords may now require three (instead of two) advance and no value limit.

A year ago, the government decided to put an end to the concept of affordable income and to create moderate income, placing it at between 400 and 2,300 euros, as it also generated great challenge.