Portugal ‘cracking down’

The Portuguese government is cracking down on lax property owners…

The Government will principally focus on owners of residential property in the Algarve that do not declare their rental income or put adequate health and safety measures in place for tourists.

Bernado Trindade, Secretary of State for Tourism, commented: ‘The new Licença de Utilização Turística will come into affect in March, enabling those property owners who register, and declare rental income, to benefit from official promotion mechanisms for the holiday rental sector’.

The Government is also likely to launch a national Register of Tourist Resorts in an attempt to exert more control over the sector and is reportedly simplifying the laws surrounding declaration of rental income, making it easier for property owners to comply.

Mr Trinidade added: “We hope that these new measures will encourage owners to back the new initiative”.

License checking

A Spokesperson for the Autoridade de Segurança Alimentar E Económica (ASAE), Portugal’s Food Safety and Economic Activity department, said: ‘Will step up inspections of holiday rental properties and come down hard on owners found flouting the existing laws.

“We will continue this work but we are not only checking for tourist rental licences. There are several other health and safety rules that rented accommodation must adhere to in order to guarantee the safety of the occupier.

The president of the Algarve Hotels and Resorts Association (AHETA), Elidérico Viegas noted: “This is not a new problem. This has been going on for years and people must understand that it is illegal to receive rental income and not declare it with the Finanças (tax office).”