Lisbon’s containment areas
2024 update:
The Portuguese government issued a country-wide ban on new short-term rental licences in 2023. In 2024, this ban is being revoked and this article will be updated when the new legislation is published.
If you want to know more about the ban and its reversal, you can read everything about Mais Habitação, and the Mais Habitação reversal articles.
If you’d like to know how much your property in Lisbon could be generating as a short-term rental, or as an alternative rental, you can use our income calculator to receive an immediate estimate.
original article – 2022
Short-term accommodation
The Lisbon Municipal Assembly suspended new Local Accommodation registrations until September 2022 and increased the size of the containment zones, which now affect the entire central area of the capital.
The suspension of the new Local Accommodation licenses, which will take place over the next 6 months, will allow the municipality to carry out an urban study in order to determine the new Municipal Regulations for the activity of providing Local Accommodation services.
Mid-term accommodation
I have a property in the city centre but I don’t have a licence. Can I host digital nomads?
Digital nomads normally seek mid-term accommodation, and mid-term accommodation (more than 1 month) doesn’t require a licence to operate. Property owners can open their listings on Uniplaces, Flatio or NomadX, host digital nomads and look for an in-between return on investment.
Areas with licence suspension for short-term accommodation
The parishes, where the ratio of AL’s and the number of dwellings is equal to or greater than 2.5% and where the provisional suspension is applied, are:
- Ajuda (3%), Alcântara (5%), Areeiro (3%), Arroios (14%), Avenidas Novas (7%), Belém (4%), Campo de Ourique (4%), Estrela (11%), Misericórdia (39%), Parque das Nações (4%), Penha de França (4%), Santa Maria Maior (52%), Santo António (26%), São Vicente (16%), and most recently, Campolide.
Despite the serious consequences experienced in the tourism sector in Portugal during the pandemic, the Lisbon Municipality maintains the suspension of Local Accommodation licenses in the city’s containment areas.
In this way, the main neighbourhoods of the Portuguese capital will have temporarily the issuance of new Local Accommodation licenses interrupted, they will be subject to taxation at 50% of the tax base, and interested in existing businesses will not be able to obtain licenses through the change of ownership.
(new parishes marked in light red)
