Finding A Home In Lisbon
THE REALITIES
Welcome to your least favourite page on my website.
You’ve arrived and you're excited to find a place to make your home! Exciting stuff! It’s also rather daunting.
Unfortunately, I have seen many fantasies about Lisbon life sold on youtube and instagram. And I have seen the frustrations when the reality doesn’t line up with that. While I am unable to find the perfect place for you, what I can do is help you understand what to expect so that you can.
Here’s my little list of stuff those with an agenda won’t tell you. The realities and oddities that house hunting in Portugal can bring.
If I do burst a bubble of yours, please don't shoot the messenger. As your bestie I am hoping that by providing a better, truthful understanding of what to expect I can make the process a whole lot smoother for you.
It’s not as cheap as you might think.
If you’ve been sold the idea that portugal is cheap, you’re going to be disappointed. Housing prices and rents have increased all over the world, but portugal has some of the highest in Europe.
Think I’m exaggerating? The European Parliament published stats in which the EU average increase of housing prices between 2015-2024 is +53.4% and Portugal is +124.4%!! (For context, Spain is 60.3 and France is 26.4 and Germany 48). Lisbon accounts for most of that, and although this is for property purchasing prices, this obviously affects the rental prices accordingly.
There are quite a number of causes I won’t get into here, but please don’t go complaining to the locals. Our influx with our higher spending capacity has contributed to pricing them out of their own city.
Note : There are obviously other reasons as well that I won’t go into here, for sake of brevity.
A higher price does not mean better quality.
You may also find, even when you pay a high amount, you aren’t going to get the standard you might expect that money to be getting. You might be paying the same as someone in Milan, or even more for the equivalent in Vienna, but the quality is very different.
Sub-par finishes, leaking showers, leaking ceilings, no air conditioning working throughout summer, mould problems, bathroom floor tiles not actually stuck down, continually broken elevator, a hoarder neighbour so bad the police deemed it a firehazard to the building, a neighbour urinating in the stairwell whenever they’re drunk (which was often), walls so thin you can hear the neighbors getting jiggy. (All true). I have heard - or personally experienced - just about every disastrous scenario that a higher-end rental bracket did not help avoid.
Unreliable landlords and realtors.
Professionals aren’t always, well, professional. In the real estate game they tend to make up their own rules, depending on who’s playing, how much effort is involved and what taxes can be avoided at their end.
Of course there are rules and industry standards (a page on that coming ASAP). However it can seem like they’re treated as mere suggestions. A friend was recently given a rental agreement to sign that was wildly different to what was agreed upon in person. Online forums are filled with people unable to get their deposit back from individual owner-landlords (usually they’ve gone and spent it and simply don’t have the money to return it).
My experience of real estate nonsense happened before we even moved in. 24 hrs before we were supposed to get the keys to our first rental apartment we were told the landlord representative wouldn’t be turning up. Despite all the paperwork signed and the deposit + the month’s rent fully paid. He “went out of town for a little trip with his family”. They said no one else could/would bring us the keys, we had to wait until he got back. No matter that we had to extend paying for a hotel, even though we were paying rent from that day. A battle ensued. We were not the victor.
Noise.
If you came to Lisbon for a quieter, calmer life, I hope this list of what to check for (as best you can) helps you find it.
Construction. Both personal apartment renovations or complete new buildings. For better or worse, this city is undergoing one heck of a facelift. (tip: Try to avoid inspections in lunch-break hours. Look for and ask about new construction in the area. No guarantees though.)
Neighbours. Common walls and floors in the older buildings are criminally thin and under soundproofed. In some apartments you can hear every footstep, every cupboard door, every cough, and if you’re lucky you can wake up to their alarm in the morning. Newer buildings tend to be somewhat better, but there are never guarantees.
Dogs barking. It’s surprising how many portuguese will let their dog continually bark, for hours on end, without doing something about it. Even in the middle of the night. It’s not always the case but it’s a common enough complaint (it’s worse in villages and rural areas). All you can do is keep an ear out during inspection and hope for the best.
Planes. It’s wonderful having an airport so close to the center of the city, but you might be inclined to avoid some areas like Campo de Ourique which are right under the flightpath, especially if you are mostly at home during the daytime.
Street noise. Look, you moved to one of the most popular capitals in Europe. What can I tell ya? Trucks are gonna rumble up those cobblestones. People are gonna honk about being parked in. Drunken merriment shall be had every day of the week. But if you value your sleep, it’s best to be aware of the areas that will be noisier with nightlife, like Santos. (Check if windows are sealed properly or even double glazed. Go for a late dinner and hang out in the area to gauge unruliness.) If all else fails, you can always join the party!
Now that you’re aware, I hope you feel better equipped to handle whatever comes your way. Feel free to reach out if you come across anything that I haven’t mentioned here.
I will be doing LOTS more on real estate. A whole section of it’s own where I will cover reliable resources, standard practices, renting vs buying and also neignbourhood guides, so watch this space!