The President of the Regional Government, Miguel Albuquerque, today advocated for profound changes to the tenancy law, arguing that landlords should be able to quickly recover properties when tenants stop paying rent.
Speaking on the sidelines of the conference ’50 Years of Autonomy – Health’, Miguel Albuquerque stated that current legislation discourages the rental market and prevents private investment in housing.
“An individual who doesn’t pay rent has to be put out on the street the next day. There have to be legal mechanisms for that,” he declared.
According to the governor, many homeowners refuse to put their houses on the market due to the slow pace of legal proceedings.
“You don’t put a house up for rent because, if an individual doesn’t pay, it goes to court and takes three or four years without there being a mechanism to immediately put them on the street,” he stated.
Miguel Albuquerque argued that a reform of the rental market would increase the supply of available housing and mobilize private savings for the sector.
“One way to affect Portuguese savings and encourage investment is by having houses to rent. This would solve a very large segment of the rental market issues,” he said.
The President of the Regional Government also stated that “the landlord’s role is not to provide social services,” but rather to ensure the normal functioning of the market.
The statements come in the context of the national debate on changes to labor legislation and the housing market, matters in relation to which Albuquerque also advocated reforms “adapted to current times,” he argued.