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Porto “Needs Houses for Rent”

26 June 2018

The Environment Minister acknowledges that local tourist accommodations cause “disturbances” in the rental market, adding that “it is essential to grant municipalities the power to manage this phenomenon.”

The lack of housing supply worries the Environment Minister, João Pedro Matos Fernandes, who pointed to the fact that more than 26,000 Portuguese families are in a situation of housing shortage and adds that an “ever larger group of families, who cannot be called deprived, also have difficulties in accessing housing.”

The Environment Minister, speaking at the headquarters of the Association of Civil Construction and Public Works Industries (AICCOPN) in Porto, said that “there is a lack of housing for rent.” “The rental market has not grown in recent years, and local housing has upset the market,” he said, explaining that “this is not a positive or negative comment regarding local accommodation. It’s neutral information, a fact.” João Pedro Matos Fernandes believes that “it is essential to give municipalities the power to manage this phenomenon.” He acknowledged that although “most of the local housing had previously been vacant if we want to increase the rental market, and certainly do, we have to do something about it.”

Housing was ignored

Manuel Reis Campos, president of AICCOPN, stated that “it was used to be said that there was no housing problem. It was said that we had more than enough houses. Social housing was not a priority. We were assured that there was a rental market. At the same time, urban rehabilitation was just a theoretical discussion. ” For Mr Campos believes that housing requires “the adoption of a joint strategic policy, capable of viewing the urban space in its multiple dimensions,” and which “should go beyond the political cycles.”

Helena Roseta, an MP in the National Assembly and coordinator of the PS’s (Socialist Party) Parliamentary Group, noted that “housing is the shared purview of the central and local governments,” adding that the difficulty lies in the fact that “no one knows who is responsible for what.”

Regarding the New Generation of Housing Policies, the MP spoke of “a new dynamic, based on urban rehabilitation and also on the rental market,” but that it “is not yet in the State Budget.”

Deputy Roseta recalled that the Housing Law is open for public consultation until July 13. The law is being sponsored by the MP, who states that it is “essential”, “a basic housing law has long been required…”

R.U.-I.S. brand certifies qualified companies

The June 15 afternoon session was attended by IHRU President Alexandra Gesta, Professors Isabel Breda Vazquez and Paulo Conceição of the FEUP, the President of the Management Committee of the IFRRU 2020 Management Board, Abel Mascarenhas, the director of Coordination for Construction of Santander, António Fontes, partner bank of IFRRU 2020, the engineer Cristina Cardoso, of the Casa Eficiente Program, Mário Rijo, from the Caixa Geral de Depósitos, Filipe Madeira, from Millennium BCP and Vítor Hugo Peixoto, from Novo Banco, the three banks responsible for the marketing of Casa Eficiente.

An extensive panel of guests spoke in front of the nearly 500 people who filled the auditorium of AICCOPN’s headquarters and attended the ceremony delivering “Qualified Company R.U.-I.S” diplomas.

Original Story: Público

Translation: Richard Turner