Use licences and planning documents
How to distinguish a licence, exemption and other use documents, and check that they match the home you intend to buy.
Read article42 articles in all guides.
Condominium documents and debts
What to request from the seller, how to read the administrator’s statement and who pays debts and instalments after purchase.
Read article
What to check in a CPCV
Documents, financing, deposits and deadlines to clarify before signing a Portuguese promissory sale agreement.
Read article
Requesting prior information about land
How to prepare a prior information request, distinguish informal advice from a municipal decision and assess its conditions before buying land.
Read article
RAN, REN and land constraints
Distinguish agricultural and ecological reserves, check restrictions against the municipal plan and establish access, infrastructure and project feasibility.
Read article
Inheritance after a death: first steps
Organise the documents, meet the tax reporting deadline and understand heir identification, estate division, registration and the inheritance service.
Read article
How to prepare a property capital gains simulation
The documents and figures to gather before using a calculator, and how to distinguish the gain from the estimated tax.
Read article
How to request and consult a permanent property registration certificate
What information to gather, where to request the certificate and how to use the access code to check the property's registrations.
Read article
Selling a home to buy a rental property
Understand the conditions for reinvesting in rental homes, rent limits, deadlines and an example of partial capital gains tax relief.
Read article
Selling a home to supplement retirement income
Understand the conditions for reinvesting the sale proceeds of your main residence in retirement products: age, deadlines, amounts and payment limits.
Read article
Which documents should you check before buying a home?
A practical guide to checking the property’s tax, legal, planning and energy status before paying a deposit.
Read article
How can you tell whether a home is expensive or good value?
Use similar properties in the area, condition, location and total cost to assess the asking price without relying on a single price per square metre.
Read article
Buying land: essential checks
Tax record, registry, boundaries, access and planning rules: the essentials before assuming that land can be built on.
Read article
How do you obtain the property tax record online?
How to obtain your property tax record free of charge on Portal das Finanças, check the property details and save the PDF.
Read article
How do you set a realistic asking price?
A practical way to compare similar properties, features, condition and documents without confusing an advertised price with market value.
Read article
From the first document to completion: what are the steps?
The essential stages for preparing, presenting, negotiating and completing the sale of a property in the Algarve.
Read article
Selling an inherited home: where should you start?
Heirs, declaration of heirs, partition, registration and taxes: what to clarify before putting an inherited property on the market.
Read article
Selling a home after divorce or separation
How to organise ownership, mortgage, use of the home and the decision to sell while keeping the division of assets separate from the mortgage agreement.
Read article
Selling a home with an outstanding mortgage
How to coordinate the outstanding balance, early repayment, mortgage discharge and completion while the property is still financed.
Read article
Selling to buy another home: how to coordinate it
Compare selling first, buying first or coordinating both transactions, taking account of mortgages, deadlines, risk and capital gains.
Read article
IMT: how to pay property purchase tax in 2026
How Portugal’s property transfer tax (IMT) is calculated, with 2026 tables, worked examples, Stamp Duty and relief for eligible young buyers.
Read article
Partitioning an estate when it includes a home
What changes when an estate is divided, how to agree values and payments to balance the heirs’ shares, when Portuguese property transfer tax (IMT) may apply, and the official costs.
Read article
Building in Loulé: reading the municipal plan without shortcuts
Plans currently in force, GeoLoulé, more detailed plans, rural restrictions and the care required while the municipal plan is under review.
Read article
Building in Faro: which maps and rules should you consult?
How to cross-check Faro’s municipal plan, agricultural and ecological restrictions, risks, heritage, local plans and archaeological rules.
Read article
Building in Olhão: the municipal plan, Ria Formosa and local rules
How to cross-check Olhão’s municipal plan with agricultural, ecological and coastal restrictions, and when to request a certificate before buying.
Read article
Building in São Brás: the municipal plan, restrictions and local rules
How to read land-use rules and restrictions together, distinguish the municipal plan from local plans and confirm a project before buying.
Read article
Building in Tavira: the municipal plan, local plans and changing rules
How to identify the plan in force in Tavira, cross-check restrictions, check suspensions and distinguish general information from a municipal response to the specific project.
Read article
AI-generated imageEnergy certificate: what to check before selling or buying?
When Portugal’s SCE energy certificate is required, what listings must show, and how sellers and buyers use it through to completion in the Algarve.
Read article
Remote power of attorney for completion
How to grant powers for a CPCV and escritura in Portugal when you cannot travel to the Algarve — types, form, apostille and checklist.
Read article
IMI: municipal property tax
What IMI is in the Algarve, who pays, how VPT and municipal rates work, payment deadlines, high-level exemptions, and how IMI differs from IMT and AIMI.
Read article
Estimate cash needed to buy
Add your deposit, purchase taxes, other costs and a reserve you want to keep.
Read article
Residence: where to start
Check the different routes for EU and non-EU citizens before setting a date for your Algarve move.
Read article
Compare buying and renting
Compare payments over a chosen period and the amount you may recover from a later sale.
Read article
NIF and tax address
When to request a Portuguese NIF, what to prepare and when to review your registered tax address.
Read article
Total budget and area
Build a moving budget and compare Algarve areas for everyday life, beyond the holiday experience.
Read article
Buy, rent or sell?
Compare the three housing decisions, their commitments and a workable order for your move.
Read article
Move and settle in
Organise tasks before departure, on arrival and during the first months without missing key documents or services.
Read article
DL 108/2026: what to check before building
Decree-Law 108/2026 changes prior notifications, preliminary opinions, planning titles in deeds and building use. See what to check before buying or building.
Read article
Albufeira: what changed in the PDM?
Declaration 15/2026/2 published a flood-risk adaptation of the municipal plan; check its map before making a decision on a plot.
Read article
Loulé: where do the temporary rules apply?
Regulation 653/2026 sets temporary rules for a defined area of Matos da Picota during the PDM revision.
Read article
A home viewing checklist
Prepare your viewing, record questions about the home and building, and know what to check before making an offer or paying a deposit in Portugal.
Read article
Renting: contracts and deposits
What to check before renting, how to distinguish a security deposit from advance rent, and which records to keep when signing and collecting the keys.
Read article