The housing crisis in Portugal has led families to occupy council houses illegally. This is a particularly visible reality in the municipality of Lisbon, where 721 cases of illegal occupation of public housing have been recorded. In the rest of the country, however, the situation is quite different.
The municipal company Gebalis has recorded 721 cases of illegal occupation of homes in Lisbon to date. Of these, the necessary documentation has already been submitted in 586 cases. There are also 76 cases that could be regularised under Lisbon City Council’s “Resolution 855/2022”, according to Público.
The situation regarding the illegal occupation of public housing in the capital is markedly different from that in other municipalities within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. For instance, 32 cases of illegal occupation were recorded in Almada at the end of 2024. But in Amadora, Cascais, Oeiras, Seixal, and Setúbal, ten or fewer illegal occupations of council housing were reported in 2024 or in previous years.
In Porto, the number of unlawful occupations of council homes is described as “almost negligible”, the same newspaper reports. And in Faro, there was only one case recorded, which is currently in the process of eviction.
These cases of illegal occupation of council homes often occur when relatives continue living in the property after the death of the legal tenant or when the tenant abandons the home. There are also instances of occupation through break-ins or forced entry, although these are less common.
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