An essential public policy to face the housing crisis must force the thousands of private buildings that remain abandoned and in disrepair in Portuguese cities to enter the market. There has been a lack of mechanisms effective enough to counter this inertia, despite the reduction in housing supply, in addition to the environmental impacts and security risks.
The problem also existed with State Heritage. In 2020, I launched a civic movement with José Carlos Mota (from the University of Aveiro) to draw attention to this waste and promote its recovery or sale to individuals. Programs such as Revive and the transfer of assets to municipalities have freed up many buildings, showing that solutions are possible when there is political will.
Long before that, when the program for second generation Citizen’s Shops was launched, we gave priority to municipalities that recovered unused public assets to install their shops, and today we see them in an old school, in an old manor chapel, in a Tax Guard post and even in a slaughterhouse.
However, in the private sector, the problem remained and has continued to worsen. Degraded or simply closed houses – estimated at around 375 thousand – remain off the market. The most common explanation is inheritance conflicts, but there is also speculation and pure carelessness on the part of owners who do not need the property and simply leave it abandoned.
The Government recently approved measures to unblock undivided inheritances, removing the veto power of a single heir, creating faster succession arbitration mechanisms and allowing the early sale of estate buildings. Rehabilitation processes were also simplified, allowing prior communication instead of municipal licenses. These measures are positive, but they are not enough. If there is a desire to solve the problem, it is important to see this task through to the end.
In addition to speeding up sharing and facilitating works (the “carrot”), it is necessary to apply “the stick” and sanction those who insist on keeping their properties abandoned. Instruments such as increased IMI, notifications for works or compulsory leasing have proven to be ineffective. A more robust solution would be to grant municipalities the power of injunction that obliges owners, within a reasonable period of time, to recover or sell the properties, under penalty of a monthly financial penalty. This mechanism, already used successfully in other areas, such as competition protection, could finally unlock thousands of homes.
The right to real estate property implies obligations towards the community. When abandonment compromises the public interest, the State must not only intervene with incentives, but also with clear and urgent obligations. The collective interest cannot be held hostage by irresponsible private inaction.
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