At the end of the government meeting, the Minister of the Presidency explained that, in the case of undivided inheritances, mechanisms that accelerate the resolution of land and property divisions in the event of deadlock between heirs are reinforced, including the use of succession arbitration (outside the court).
The intention, according to him, is to accelerate “the use or sale of a property without a single person being able to block” the division of the inheritance, thus allowing rural land to be cleared and made profitable, and residential properties to be sold or rented.
Leitão Amaro denied that an attack on private property and the rights of owners is underway, rejecting a comparison with the coercive tenancy approved by the last PS government.
He also clarified that the rights inherent to the family home and those of minor heirs will be protected.
In the case of rent, Leitão Amaro promised to “strengthen the contractual autonomy of the parties” to increase owners’ confidence, thereby leading them to list their homes for rent.
Streamlining evictions
Regarding streamlining evictions, the Minister of the Presidency guaranteed greater judicial speed in cases of tenant default, adding that “the function of solidarity must be performed by the State”, notably through the launch of an emergency housing fund.
The official counted 3.4 million rural properties included in undivided inheritances, a third of the national total, stating that many “are not cared for and are fodder for forest fires”.
Empty habitable houses
He also cited a recent study by the Institute of Housing and Urban Rehabilitation (IHRU) that estimates the number of habitable houses that are empty at 250,000, and the number of houses that need repairs and could go on the market at 130,000.
“That’s about 550,000 houses that are not being rented and could be,” he pointed out.
According to him, the existence of empty houses stems from “a lack of incentives to rent” or from blockages in undivided inheritances, due to a lack of understanding among the heirs regarding the destination of the assets.
No benefits for those who do not comply with the rules
For the Minister, the rules cannot benefit those who default on rent or who delay and hinder the division of inheritances, when the country needs more “houses to live in” and “clean and utilised land.”
“We don’t want a country where the land is abandoned, and the forests are burning, nor empty houses falling apart,” he added.
The three decrees approved today will be presented “first-hand to the parties next week,” the official said.
Presenting proposals to the Parliament
After gathering contributions from the parties, the Government intends to present the proposals to Parliament by the end of March.
The announced changes are part of the government’s third package of measures to increase the housing supply, this time through streamlining evictions, creating an emergency housing fund, and new rules for undivided inheritances.