If you want to find an apartment in Lisbon, prepare to be frustrated…and to shell out some dough. Lisbon is no longer the cheap place to live. Due to its gorgeous climate and everyone gushing about how amazing it is, it is no longer a value when it comes to housing. I did a lot of work before I found my rental in Lisbon and I am currently working on finding one to purchase. These are some of the tips I have learned along the way.
How to Rent an Apartment in Lisbon
A complete guide on how to find and how to rent an apartment in LisbonThe market is hot and getting hotter by the minute. Although the average salary in Portugal is €600 and in Lisbon €850, a 1 bedroom apartment will easily cost you an average of €1000. There is a YOLO attitude right now among Lisbon’s property owners. Prices listed are rendonculous…seriously! Basically, this means you either need to be ready to drop big cash for a place you love, or have tons of patience and wait until you find a deal. How crazy are prices? Here’s an example:
2015: T3 €1300 monthly rent
2017: T3 €1750+ monthly rent
2018: T3 €2000+ monthly rent
When to Start Searching for an Apartment in Lisbon
If you’re planning your move way ahead of time, don’t bother. The market is hot and realtors won’t deal with you unless you’re in Lisbon and ready to make a deal. Why? Realtors in Lisbon are the owner’s agents. They have no fiduciary duty to you, so they just want to get deals done as easily and quickly as possible. Here, the landlord or seller is the one that pays the agency’s fee. Many landlords will choose not to work with agencies so that they don’t have to pay the fee since it’s pretty steep. Landlords pay one or two rental months AND 23% tax. Because of this, when owners do use realtors, they are looking for longer-term renters (2-5 years) My recommendation to you is that you rent an Airbnb flat for 1-2 months and begin the search the first week you arrive. And this is true all over Portugal…Algarve, Sintra, Porto…you name it the realtors are not on your side. They will “help” you, but they are not your agent.
Idealista is one of many websites you can use to find apartment rentals in Lisbon Sure, you can go to a realtor…but as I mentioned above, they’re not your agents. So, if you do; feel free to work with as many realtors as possible. If you find a good one though…treasure him or her because they are hard to find. There are many websites where you can begin the search. These are all the websites I used when finding my apartment rental in Lisbon. BPI Expresso – Fairly easy to use. Not as many listings as other sites. BQuarto – This is more of a social network where people match up with landlords. Not my favorite. Casa – Holey smokes, this site is ugly…but it is updated frequently and has a good selection of listings. Casas CM – Easy to navigate and use. Casa Novo Dono – Easy to navigate and use. Casa Sapo – Easy to navigate and use. Custo Justo – Easy to navigate and use Expatriates – Great listings, but not as many as all the other sites. A favorite of mine. Friendly Rentals – Better for medium-term rentals. More like Airbnb. Gabino Home – Another Airbnb clone. Grande Mercado – Not my fave when it comes to navigation. Idealista – Probably the one I used most. Almost all properties are listed there. Immovirtual – Easy to navigate and use. Mitula – This one is an aggregator. Not my fave since it has to take you to another site to get the info. Nuroa – Another aggregator. OLX – Another aggregator. Sublet – More of an Airbnb clone. Prices will be more expensive, but good enough for your medium term rental. Trovit – Hate navigation on this aggregator site. Listed it in case you wanted it, but would not recommend using it.
Portuguese Real Estate Terminology
Types of Properties
Apartamentos – apartments
Moradias – homes
Terrenos – land
Lojas – stores
Escritorios – offices
Armazens – stores
Quintas – farms/country homes
Location words
Distrito – district – like a state
Cidade – city
Freguesia – Neighborhood
Zona – zone
How do you make sense of this? You’re looking for an apartment in the district of New York State, in the city of New York City, in the freguesia of the Upper West Side, in the Zona of Lincoln Square.
NY State > NYC > UWS > Lincoln Square
Lisboa District > City of Lisbon > Avenidas Novas > Bairro Azul
Equipamento (appliances) Many apartments in Portugal don’t come with appliances, so you need to know if yours does or does not. Here are your options:
Mobilado (fully kitted out)
So cozinha equipada (only the kitchen is equipped – usually means stove & fridge)
State (Estad0)
Nova construção – new construction
Bom estado – in good condition
Para reformar – to rennovate
More Important Words
Ar condicionado – air conditioning
Arrecadação – storage
Elevador – elevator
Jardim – garden
Lugar de garagem – parking spot
Permite animais de estimação – allows pets ****they can’t not allow pets – read on for more info
Piscina – pool
Roupeiros embutidos – closets
Terraço – balcony or terrace
FloorsWords related to buildings and real estate in Iberian Portuguese
Prédio – building
Apartamento – apartment
Último andar – top floor
Cave – basement
Rés do chão – 1st floor
1º andar – 2nd floor
2º andar – 3nd floor
Sótão – attic
Things You Need to Rent an Apartment in Lisbon
NIF – You need to have the Portuguese Fiscal Number. You get this at the AT
Deposit – Most landlords ask for 2 month’s deposit (1st and last month as well as a security deposit).
Warrantor – If you aren’t legally in Portugal yet (example – waiting for your first SEF appointment) you may need a Portuguese fiador.
We rented directly from the owner. We found our apartment on Idealista after many searches. The signing of the lease was easy. We didn’t have a NIF or any Portuguese documentation, but Portuguese landlords love renting to foreigners…basically, because we can and will pay more than locals. We are also considered a safer investment for them. If you don’t have your documents and you don’t have a Portuguese warrantor, just offer to pay 6 months in advance. That will clinch the deal.
What is in Your Rental Contract
Rental contracts in Lisbon are pretty simple (sometimes). We passed up on a gorgeous flat because we did not like the rental contract. Your rental contract will include:
Length of lease
lease review date
How long you need to let the landlord know if you won’t renew
Full name, nationality, DOB and marital status of both parties
Whether the contract is either open-ended or fixed-term
Open-Ended vs Fixed Term
It is better for the tenant to have an open-ended lease in Lisbon. Let’s look at the why: Open Ended Lease – This means the lease is automatically renewed. In this case, the landlord can only increase the rent amount yearly in accordance to the index % for the cost of living increases. Historically, this has been between 1 & 2%. With this type of lease, your landlord/lady cannot terminate the contract to craft a new one to increase your rent. If you can land one of these, you’re golden. Fixed Term: This type of lease states the end of your lease. Say, for example, a two-year lease. Your landlord/lady can raise your rent if you want to extend the lease. If you’re not sure that you want to stay in an apartment forever, this could be the way to go, but beware that the owner of the property can increase your rent as much as they want. A friend of ours landed her place at €900 for a 5-year lease. We did 2 years and wish we would have agreed on a longer contract.
Rental Receipts
Your landlord is required by law to give you receipts for your rent payments. This signifies that they are filing taxes with Financas. They get hit with a 24% tax rate on the rent you pay them. When you’re signing your lease, ask your potential landlord about these receipts and how you will get them.
Legal Terms You May Need to Know
Renda – rent
Caucao – deposit
Resolucao do contrato – termination of contract
Despejo – eviction
Sublocacao – Subletting
Contrato com prazo certo – fixed-term lease
Contrato por duracao indeterminada – open-ended lease
Obras – repairs
Renter’s Rights in Lisbon
This is the best part about renting an apartment in Lisbon, tenants have tons of rights: Rent Increases Your landlord can increase your rent only once a year from the start of the contract. Both you and the landlord must agree to the increase. The increase is minimal (and capped) and you must get 30 days notice. This is usually 1%. HOWEVER…if your contract is ending, they can increase the rent as much as they want, so if you find a deal, sign for at least 3 years. Cessation of Rent Continuation It’s pretty hard for a landlord to kick you out. Here are the reasons your landlord can decide not to continue a lease:
If the landlord is moving back in
If they are renovating and already have permission from the city
They must give 120-day advance notice if your lease has been in place for more than one year
or 60-days in advance of the expected termination, if your lease has been in place for less than one year
Rental Contract Cancellation
You’re late on the rent for 3 months
You’re using the unit illegally
You make structural changes the landlord does not agree with
You sublet partially or fully without their permission
You get more than 20% on your rent from sublet
You don’t use your apartment
PRO TIP: This is something we found out much later from when we signed our lease. Prior to moving into your new rental property, make sure that you have registered your lease with the Finance office and that your NIF is attached to it. If that was not done, get a lawyer to assist you with the process of setting this right.
We love living in Lisbon and are bummed that we didn’t move here sooner. If you have questions about renting an apartment in Lisbon or any other aspect of Lisbon living, leave it in the comments.
30 thoughts on “How to Rent an Apartment in Lisbon”
Christine Lehmann
Thanks for the information. I am visiting Lisbon with the idea of moving here and want to rent ideally a 2BR apt. with balcony and modern appliances. I was told that Santos doesn’t have all the renovation construction that my area near Marques de Pombal area has. I have moved twice already due to noise since I am a writer and brought some work with me. Is that pretty much it or are there other affordable neighborhoods e.g. Campo Ourique that you recommend without all the construction noise? I was hoping to spend max 700 Euros a month on rent and saw some places in that range on Craig’s List.
Christine
Blanca Valbuena
It is our pleasure Christine. Santos is lovely, but you are correct. Because most of the buildings are older, even when they are remodeled and have all the modern appliances, there are issues with plumbing and structure. You will find more modern, newer apartments in the Marques de Pombal area.Campo Ourique is definitely not affordable, it is actually one of the most inflated neighborhoods when it comes to pricing. 700 per month on rent will be tough in the center of the city, especially for a 2 bedroom. 2 bedrooms start at 1k. Be careful with Craigslist listings, they are often scams. Santos is very hot right now, so plenty of construction there. For quiet, you may want to look at Amoreiras or Alvalade, but you never know where construction is going to come up.
Nichole Morgan
Hello Blanca, great write up and thanks for all this great info! Question: If you go through an agency, does the renter pay an agency fee? If so, is it equivalent to one month’s rent? Thank you!
Blanca Valbuena
Hi Nicole. Here it’s the owner that pays the fee. So keep in mind that the realtor is not your agent. However, most landlords require first & last month and a guarantor. If you don’t have a guarantor, offering to pay a few months up front usually helps 😉
Blanca Valbuena
Hi Nichole,
Realtors in Lisbon work for the owner, so keep in mind that they have no duty to you. Some are great, others – not so much. Mostly, they just want to close deals to get their fee which is usually one or two rental months AND 23% tax. Because of this, when owners do use realtors, they are looking for longer-term renters (2-5 years). Look for by owner listings on Idealista. You’ll be able to bargain with them since they’re not paying the fee 🙂
Good luck on the search. Blanca
Tex
Fantastic article, Blanca. Thanks for sharing your experience and expertise. My wife and I would be moving from the US. Our credit is just OK. Not terrible, not great, just OK. Will that be a problem? Do landlords run you through Transunion and Experian and the big credit agencies for extensive credit checks? We’ve been excellent renters w/our current landlord, if that offsets the credit reports at all. What do you think? Thanks so much! –Tex
Blanca Valbuena
Credit is not much of an issue (we’ve never been asked for it). You will just need to prove that you have the means. Most landlords here require a fiador (a Portuguese local to vouch for you) but with most foreigners, if you pay 3-5 months of rent ahead of time they’re pretty happy with that.
Hi Blanca, thanks for the great article — found it really helpful. One question though… You mentioned passing up a really nice place due to something in the contract you didn’t like. What was that?
Thanks!
Blanca Valbuena
Glad you liked it. There were two things. The outside area that was “part” of the apartment was not in the lease. It was a part of the building but not the apartment. The neighbors had set theirs up quite nicely and the realtor told us we could use the common area as ours, but I don’t like taking chances with leases. The second was that they would not write into the lease that we could have a dog. This was before we knew everything we know now. Overall, I’m thrilled with my place and we feel it was the right choice. Happy apartment hunting 🙂
Phil
Such great info Blanca! I’ll be using all of this in the coming week! I’m an American and I want to rent an apartment until mid-October. I wasn’t planning on setting up a Portuguese bank account since it’s only 2.5 months. My question is – how would you recommend I pay my rent? I’m willing to pay it all at once, but can I do a money transfer from an American bank?
Blanca Valbuena
Hi Phil, you can ask your landlord if they will accept Paypal (ours did while we got all our stuff lined up), just do your research to make sure your landlord is legit. I’ve heard of people transferring money and getting scammed.
Rita
Hello! First of all congratulations Blanca for such a detailed article! Christine I am Portuguese and I am living in Lisbon. My sister is willing to rent her apartment for short rental 2 months. It´s one bedroom apartment (T-1), totally furniture, with all bills and internet. It´s located right next to mercado de Arroios. Have you been? Nice place for shop veggies and you have several cafes and restaurants around it. Metro is less then 3 minutes walk. if you are interested you can send me an email: [email protected]
Best of luck and enjoy Portugal, Rita Duarte
Sara Heath
HI Blanca- I am totally unfamiliar with renting an apartment without appliances-are most of the properties in Lisbon like this? do you buy appliances and then take them with you when you move on? Just curious as to how you have handled this living in and moving in between places. Thanks!–Sara
Blanca Valbuena
Hi Sara,
Yeah, the concept of buying a home without appliances was quite foreign to me. We passed on a beautiful apartment right by Avenida Liberdade because it came “unequipped”. We could not buy appliances not knowing if they would fit in our next place. We ended up finding a place with all the appliances we could need and air conditioning, so we are very happy that we didn’t take the other place.
Some people sell before moving. Some people will consider their appliances when choosing an apartment.
That being said, because of all the expats that are moving here, there are more places that are rented with appliances. When you search, translate the site to English and look for “Equipped Kitchen and WC” 🙂
Happy hunting, Blanca
Lisa
Thank you so much for all of this great information Blanca!
Blanca Valbuena
It is my pleasure. Moving to another country is not easy…and renting an apartment isn’t either. Let me know how your Lisbon apartment hunt goes.
helo
Hi Blanca, thanks so much for your article, this is very helpful ! How would you advice to proceed for flat hunting when not speaking portuguese ? Is it better to send messages (using google translate as a helper) or to call directly and ask if they speak another language ?
Also, what is the default rule for sublet ? I guess the owner has to approve, but does it have to be written in the lease ?
Thanks, Hélo
Blanca Valbuena
Hi Helo,
Glad you liked the article. I used Google translate. The good thing was that most of the people who responded were English speakers. You need to get approval from your landlord and get it into the lease. You also will have to share your profits with your landlord if you are charging over your rental amount. I saw the rules for this somewhere, so give me a few days to see where I had seen it.
Thanks for your reply Blanca ! I will go for the written message/email with my borken protuguese then ! After all, it’s a good way to practice 🙂 !
Lisa
Great article that I’ve referenced a few times while looking for our place. Now we have it but the lease is in Portuguese and we are trying to be sure it’s fair; google translator is ok, but any suggestions on red flags since we are now traveling and only know the agent and not yet other native speakers for a review? Contacted an attorney but 500 seems steep to help with understanding a contract
Blanca Valbuena
Thanks Lisa,
I’m so happy the article helped. Ouch, $500 to review a lease seems to me like highway robbery. Check for the renewal clauses – there are laws for when landlords are allowed to discontinue your lease and you want to be sure that there is not language contradicting that.
I think the laws just recently changed so that leases in Portugal are renewed for another period of three years unless the landlord gives you notice within a certain amount of time (I think it was 3 months).
Also, rents now increase according to market value (it was better for us before). If your landlord wants to increase your rent, they can do it only once a year and must wait for one year since the contract started. Both you and the landlord must agree to the increase in writing (aka – they can’t just surprise you).
deedee
Amazing article! Can you please point to where I can see details about landlords not being able to not allow pets?
Madhur
Hello Blanca,
Thank you for your article. I live in another EU country and want to come to Lisbon every other month. Wondering if you had any suggestions ? Do you think Airbnb is a better option or should I rent? I would like to eventually buy an apt in Lisbon and airbnb it out. I would appreciate tips on how to buy.
Thanks!
Regards, Madhur
Blanca Valbuena
Hi Madhur,
AirBnB or another Alojamento Local type rental could be nice since you get to check out different neighborhoods. That’s what I did until I chose a neighborhood to live in. It also helped me to figure out the issues with different types of housing in Portugal – for example – older homes in traditional neighborhoods tend to have plumbing issues. You will probably get nice deals on Airbnb now, but there are some nice deals on renting as well. It is really your choice at the moment. I have an article for you on how to start your Airbnb in Portugal, but I will tell you, the Alojamento local market is suffering a lot here due to Covid. |Here is the article https://blancavalbuena.com/how-to-start-an-alojamento-local-in-lisbon/ – My article on how to buy a house in Portugal is a bit older, from 2018, but it will put you on the right path https://blancavalbuena.com/how-to-buy-a-house-in-portugal/. I did interview my lawyer on my podcast on things to watch out for when buying property in Portugal and I interviewed the owners of Casa Rene a BnB, they dropped some incredible knowledge bombs in there. I would tell you that those two podcasts will be a huge help for you. https://anchor.fm/blancavalbuena Good luck on your journey
Blanca
Karen
Wonderful article Blanca, thank you so much. Any chance you already have another article out on Lisbon neighborhoods, something like a local’s impression of Lisbon neighborhoods? We’ve been looking to either buy/rent in different neighborhoods in Lisbon and would really appreciate the thoughts of someone who’s already lived there for some time. Many thanks in advance.
Blanca Valbuena
Hi Karen,
Glad to hear that you found this article on how to rent an apartment in Lisbon helpful. As a matter of fact, there is an article on the site about what it is like to live in different neighborhoods in Lisbon. All of them have their charm, it just depends on what you are looking for. I opted for a less touristy, quieter neighborhood that’s flat. Hope the article helps. If you have any q’s on those neighborhoods, just leave a comment.
Thanks for the information. I am visiting Lisbon with the idea of moving here and want to rent ideally a 2BR apt. with balcony and modern appliances. I was told that Santos doesn’t have all the renovation construction that my area near Marques de Pombal area has. I have moved twice already due to noise since I am a writer and brought some work with me. Is that pretty much it or are there other affordable neighborhoods e.g. Campo Ourique that you recommend without all the construction noise? I was hoping to spend max 700 Euros a month on rent and saw some places in that range on Craig’s List.
Christine
It is our pleasure Christine. Santos is lovely, but you are correct. Because most of the buildings are older, even when they are remodeled and have all the modern appliances, there are issues with plumbing and structure. You will find more modern, newer apartments in the Marques de Pombal area.Campo Ourique is definitely not affordable, it is actually one of the most inflated neighborhoods when it comes to pricing. 700 per month on rent will be tough in the center of the city, especially for a 2 bedroom. 2 bedrooms start at 1k. Be careful with Craigslist listings, they are often scams. Santos is very hot right now, so plenty of construction there. For quiet, you may want to look at Amoreiras or Alvalade, but you never know where construction is going to come up.
Hello Blanca, great write up and thanks for all this great info!
Question: If you go through an agency, does the renter pay an agency fee? If so, is it equivalent to one month’s rent? Thank you!
Hi Nicole. Here it’s the owner that pays the fee. So keep in mind that the realtor is not your agent. However, most landlords require first & last month and a guarantor. If you don’t have a guarantor, offering to pay a few months up front usually helps 😉
Hi Nichole,
Realtors in Lisbon work for the owner, so keep in mind that they have no duty to you. Some are great, others – not so much. Mostly, they just want to close deals to get their fee which is usually one or two rental months AND 23% tax. Because of this, when owners do use realtors, they are looking for longer-term renters (2-5 years). Look for by owner listings on Idealista. You’ll be able to bargain with them since they’re not paying the fee 🙂
Good luck on the search.
Blanca
Fantastic article, Blanca. Thanks for sharing your experience and expertise. My wife and I would be moving from the US. Our credit is just OK. Not terrible, not great, just OK. Will that be a problem? Do landlords run you through Transunion and Experian and the big credit agencies for extensive credit checks? We’ve been excellent renters w/our current landlord, if that offsets the credit reports at all. What do you think? Thanks so much! –Tex
Credit is not much of an issue (we’ve never been asked for it). You will just need to prove that you have the means. Most landlords here require a fiador (a Portuguese local to vouch for you) but with most foreigners, if you pay 3-5 months of rent ahead of time they’re pretty happy with that.
Hi Blanca, thanks for the great article — found it really helpful. One question though… You mentioned passing up a really nice place due to something in the contract you didn’t like. What was that?
Thanks!
Glad you liked it. There were two things. The outside area that was “part” of the apartment was not in the lease. It was a part of the building but not the apartment. The neighbors had set theirs up quite nicely and the realtor told us we could use the common area as ours, but I don’t like taking chances with leases. The second was that they would not write into the lease that we could have a dog. This was before we knew everything we know now. Overall, I’m thrilled with my place and we feel it was the right choice. Happy apartment hunting 🙂
Such great info Blanca! I’ll be using all of this in the coming week! I’m an American and I want to rent an apartment until mid-October. I wasn’t planning on setting up a Portuguese bank account since it’s only 2.5 months. My question is – how would you recommend I pay my rent? I’m willing to pay it all at once, but can I do a money transfer from an American bank?
Hi Phil, you can ask your landlord if they will accept Paypal (ours did while we got all our stuff lined up), just do your research to make sure your landlord is legit. I’ve heard of people transferring money and getting scammed.
Hello!
First of all congratulations Blanca for such a detailed article!
Christine I am Portuguese and I am living in Lisbon. My sister is willing to rent her apartment for short rental 2 months. It´s one bedroom apartment (T-1), totally furniture, with all bills and internet. It´s located right next to mercado de Arroios. Have you been? Nice place for shop veggies and you have several cafes and restaurants around it. Metro is less then 3 minutes walk.
if you are interested you can send me an email: [email protected]
Best of luck and enjoy Portugal,
Rita Duarte
HI Blanca- I am totally unfamiliar with renting an apartment without appliances-are most of the properties in Lisbon like this? do you buy appliances and then take them with you when you move on? Just curious as to how you have handled this living in and moving in between places. Thanks!–Sara
Hi Sara,
Yeah, the concept of buying a home without appliances was quite foreign to me. We passed on a beautiful apartment right by Avenida Liberdade because it came “unequipped”. We could not buy appliances not knowing if they would fit in our next place. We ended up finding a place with all the appliances we could need and air conditioning, so we are very happy that we didn’t take the other place.
Some people sell before moving. Some people will consider their appliances when choosing an apartment.
That being said, because of all the expats that are moving here, there are more places that are rented with appliances. When you search, translate the site to English and look for “Equipped Kitchen and WC” 🙂
Happy hunting,
Blanca
Thank you so much for all of this great information Blanca!
It is my pleasure. Moving to another country is not easy…and renting an apartment isn’t either. Let me know how your Lisbon apartment hunt goes.
Hi Blanca,
thanks so much for your article, this is very helpful ! How would you advice to proceed for flat hunting when not speaking portuguese ? Is it better to send messages (using google translate as a helper) or to call directly and ask if they speak another language ?
Also, what is the default rule for sublet ? I guess the owner has to approve, but does it have to be written in the lease ?
Thanks,
Hélo
Hi Helo,
Glad you liked the article. I used Google translate. The good thing was that most of the people who responded were English speakers.
You need to get approval from your landlord and get it into the lease. You also will have to share your profits with your landlord if you are charging over your rental amount. I saw the rules for this somewhere, so give me a few days to see where I had seen it.
Just in case, if you’re looking to do an Airbnb type thing, read this article on how to run an airbnb in Lisbon first.
Blanca
Thanks for your reply Blanca ! I will go for the written message/email with my borken protuguese then ! After all, it’s a good way to practice 🙂 !
Great article that I’ve referenced a few times while looking for our place. Now we have it but the lease is in Portuguese and we are trying to be sure it’s fair; google translator is ok, but any suggestions on red flags since we are now traveling and only know the agent and not yet other native speakers for a review? Contacted an attorney but 500 seems steep to help with understanding a contract
Thanks Lisa,
I’m so happy the article helped. Ouch, $500 to review a lease seems to me like highway robbery.
Check for the renewal clauses – there are laws for when landlords are allowed to discontinue your lease and you want to be sure that there is not language contradicting that.
I think the laws just recently changed so that leases in Portugal are renewed for another period of three years unless the landlord gives you notice within a certain amount of time (I think it was 3 months).
Also, rents now increase according to market value (it was better for us before). If your landlord wants to increase your rent, they can do it only once a year and must wait for one year since the contract started. Both you and the landlord must agree to the increase in writing (aka – they can’t just surprise you).
Amazing article! Can you please point to where I can see details about landlords not being able to not allow pets?
Hello Blanca,
Thank you for your article. I live in another EU country and want to come to Lisbon every other month. Wondering if you had any suggestions ? Do you think Airbnb is a better option or should I rent? I would like to eventually buy an apt in Lisbon and airbnb it out. I would appreciate tips on how to buy.
Thanks!
Regards,
Madhur
Hi Madhur,
AirBnB or another Alojamento Local type rental could be nice since you get to check out different neighborhoods. That’s what I did until I chose a neighborhood to live in. It also helped me to figure out the issues with different types of housing in Portugal – for example – older homes in traditional neighborhoods tend to have plumbing issues. You will probably get nice deals on Airbnb now, but there are some nice deals on renting as well. It is really your choice at the moment. I have an article for you on how to start your Airbnb in Portugal, but I will tell you, the Alojamento local market is suffering a lot here due to Covid. |Here is the article https://blancavalbuena.com/how-to-start-an-alojamento-local-in-lisbon/ – My article on how to buy a house in Portugal is a bit older, from 2018, but it will put you on the right path https://blancavalbuena.com/how-to-buy-a-house-in-portugal/. I did interview my lawyer on my podcast on things to watch out for when buying property in Portugal and I interviewed the owners of Casa Rene a BnB, they dropped some incredible knowledge bombs in there. I would tell you that those two podcasts will be a huge help for you. https://anchor.fm/blancavalbuena Good luck on your journey
Blanca
Wonderful article Blanca, thank you so much. Any chance you already have another article out on Lisbon neighborhoods, something like a local’s impression of Lisbon neighborhoods?
We’ve been looking to either buy/rent in different neighborhoods in Lisbon and would really appreciate the thoughts of someone who’s already lived there for some time.
Many thanks in advance.
Hi Karen,
Glad to hear that you found this article on how to rent an apartment in Lisbon helpful. As a matter of fact, there is an article on the site about what it is like to live in different neighborhoods in Lisbon. All of them have their charm, it just depends on what you are looking for. I opted for a less touristy, quieter neighborhood that’s flat. Hope the article helps. If you have any q’s on those neighborhoods, just leave a comment.
Blanca