If you want to find an apartment in 里斯本, prepare to be frustrated…and to shell out some dough. Lisbon is no longer the cheap place to live. Due to its gorgeous climate and everyone gushing about how amazing it is, it is no longer a value when it comes to housing. I did a lot of work before I found my rental in Lisbon and I am currently working on finding one to purchase. These are some of the tips I have learned along the way.
My recommendation to you is that you rent an Airbnb flat for 1-2 months and begin the search the first week you arrive. And this is true all over Portugal…Algarve, 辛特拉, Porto…you name it the realtors are not on your side. They will “help” you, but they are not your agent.
当然, you can go to a realtor…but as I mentioned above, they’re not your agents. 所以, if you do; feel free to work with as many realtors as possible. If you find a good one though…treasure him or her because they are hard to find. There are many websites where you can begin the search. These are all the websites I used when finding my apartment rental in Lisbon.
Casa – 霍利烟, this site is ugly…but it is updated frequently and has a good selection of listings.
Open Ended Lease – This means the lease is automatically renewed. 在这种情况下, the landlord can only increase the rent amount yearly in accordance to the index % for the cost of living increases. Historically, this has been between 1 & 2%. With this type of lease, your landlord/lady cannot terminate the contract to craft a new one to increase your rent. If you can land one of these, you’re golden.
Fixed Term: This type of lease states the end of your lease. Say, 例如, a two-year lease. Your landlord/lady can raise your rent if you want to extend the lease. If you’re not sure that you want to stay in an apartment forever, this could be the way to go, but beware that the owner of the property can increase your rent as much as they want. A friend of ours landed her place at €900 for a 5-year lease. We did 2 years and wish we would have agreed on a longer contract.
Your landlord can increase your rent only once a year from the start of the contract. Both you and the landlord must agree to the increase. The increase is minimal (and capped) and you must get 30 days notice. This is usually 1%. HOWEVER…if your contract is ending, they can increase the rent as much as they want, so if you find a deal, sign for at least 3 年份.
We love living in Lisbon and are bummed that we didn’t move here sooner. If you have questions about renting an apartment in Lisbon or any other aspect of Lisbon living, 把它留在评论.
It is our pleasure Christine. Santos is lovely, but you are correct. Because most of the buildings are older, even when they are remodeled and have all the modern appliances, there are issues with plumbing and structure. You will find more modern, newer apartments in the Marques de Pombal area.Campo Ourique is definitely not affordable, it is actually one of the most inflated neighborhoods when it comes to pricing. 700 per month on rent will be tough in the center of the city, especially for a 2 卧室. 2 bedrooms start at 1k. Be careful with Craigslist listings, they are often scams. Santos is very hot right now, so plenty of construction there. For quiet, you may want to look at Amoreiras or Alvalade, but you never know where construction is going to come up.
Such great info Blanca! I’ll be using all of this in the coming week! I’m an American and I want to rent an apartment until mid-October. I wasn’t planning on setting up a Portuguese bank account since it’s only 2.5 个月. My question is – how would you recommend I pay my rent? I’m willing to pay it all at once, but can I do a money transfer from an American bank?
Christine I am Portuguese and I am living in Lisbon. My sister is willing to rent her apartment for short rental 2 个月. It´s one bedroom apartment (T-1), totally furniture, with all bills and internet. It´s located right next to mercado de Arroios. Have you been? Nice place for shop veggies and you have several cafes and restaurants around it. Metro is less then 3 minutes walk.