The new Simplified Affordable Rent Scheme (RSAA) came into force on 1 September 2024, but the necessary regulations for its application have not yet been published. The order defining maximum rent limits by housing typology remains unpublished, which prevents landlords and prospective tenants from joining the scheme. The electronic platform of the Housing Portal, managed by the Institute for Housing and Urban Rehabilitation (IHRU), where participants should register for the RSAA, is also not operational.
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing stated that the order is pending publication, but did not clarify when the IHRU platform will be operational. The decree-law that established the RSAA, published on 20 May, states that adaptations to the electronic platforms shall be made available by 1 September 2026, which means the legal deadline has not yet been met.
The new scheme exempts from income or corporate tax property owners who rent their properties at a value not exceeding 80% of the median rent per square metre published by INE at the municipal level. This information, essential for calculating the maximum rent to apply, depends on the publication of the order. The RSAA replaces the previous Rental Support Programme (PAA), which had an uptake of only around one thousand contracts, far below what the previous government of António Costa had anticipated.
The Lisbon Property Owners Association (ALP) criticized the lack of essential regulation for property owners to join the new RSAA, stating that an electronic platform only simplifies a procedure when it exists and is prepared to execute it. The ALP also warned that Government announcements are not always coordinated with their implementation on the ground, referring to the previous experience of landlords who requested compensation from IHRU for frozen rents.
