A number of matters and financial aspects surrounding the purchase of a home are regulated differently in Portugal than in the Netherlands. So we list some tips, for buying a second home in Portugal.
Buying a house in Portugal, tips
- Whether it is the beautiful coastlines, the islands, or Santa Maria de Belem that draws you to Lisbon, Portugal has a lot of beauty to offer. But life is, as in many southern countries, less planned than in the Netherlands and therefore the purchase of a house remains exciting.
- The role of the notary in Portugal is smaller than that of a notary in the Netherlands. To check if the seller is actually the legal owner or if there are debts on the property, it is best to hire a local lawyer (advogado) to guide you through the purchase.
- If you buy land with a dilapidated house that you want to restore, beware. First check what the reason actually is that the house has never been refurbished. Just see if the land has not been rezoned in the meantime, e.g. Than farmland.
- Especially with climate change and parts of Spain and Portugal becoming drier, you have to be careful if you want to build a swimming pool in a dry region. Getting permission for this is not easy.
- What a lawyer can do for you (and what you should otherwise at least do yourself) is at the'caderneta predial' request some kind of cadastral extract of the property.
- Be careful if you buy a plot of land in Portugal to build your own house, because there are a lot of areas where building is absolutely not allowed, especially near the coast. To find out where you may or may not build, you can apply to the municipality for a 'viabilidade de contrucao' applications. This document gives you (similar to a Dutch building permit) the right to use the area as building land for one year.
- Make sure your house has a certificate of habitability or "licenca de habitabilidade" has. The certificate of habitability is a guarantee that the house is licensed to be lived in. If the house was built after 1951, the seller must be able to provide such a statement. If the selling party does not submit a certificate of habitability because the house was built before 1951, make sure that he comes up with evidence that the house was actually built before that date!
Also read general advice for buying and financing a second home abroad.
Information about a second mortgage
Anyone who wants to know more about the tax aspects of business, or who wants personal advice, can contact De Hoon& Partners. A young firm that values personal service. Clarity is key: clarity in advice and in fees. The firm was founded by Iven De Hoon, with more than 15 years of experience in tax and legal services.