The IHRU has denied any cuts to the Extraordinary Rent Support Program (PAER) since 2023, clarifying that the program was adjusted that year to expand the range of beneficiaries by including new contracts made with the same tenants for the same property.
“Currently, more than 134,100 tenants receive monthly support from the Extraordinary Rent Support,” states the IHRU.
However, the IHRU acknowledges existing administrative constraints related to data validation under Decree-Law No. 103-B/2023, affecting around 43,000 beneficiaries. It emphasizes that this issue can be resolved directly by tenants via the Housing Portal.
Regarding the Porta 65 Jovem program, the IHRU assures that there are no delays in application processing, which is being conducted within the legal timeframe of 45 business days.
“The Porta 65 Jovem Program has shown continuous growth in beneficiaries, increasing from 28,133 young people in 2023 to 34,481 in 2024, and reaching 45,686 by September 2025 (over a 60% increase from 2023),” the institute reports.
Furthermore, the IHRU highlights that process digitalization and simplification have allowed it to recover from delays and accelerate payments, ensuring applications processed between January and July were completed by August this year.
“It should be noted that the ‘Porta a Porta’ movement never requested any information from the IHRU, which would have certainly prevented the false statements by its representative. The IHRU will continue to work to provide housing solutions and extend protection to more families,” the institute assures.
This statement follows a protest by the “Porta-a-Porta” movement outside the IHRU offices, demanding a service that responds to rent support requests.
Today, from early morning, dozens of people waited outside the IHRU in Lisbon to secure one of the 20 daily tickets for assistance and some help paying their rent.
“Problems extend from north to south of the country, with cuts in rent support and the ‘Porta65’ program, and only 10 tickets are available in the morning and 10 in the afternoon for in-person attendance in Lisbon and Porto. Assistance via the Internet or phone is impossible,” lamented André Escoval, the spokesperson for the “Porta-a-Porta” movement, to Lusa news agency.
In remarks to Lusa on October 14, following a hearing at the Assembly of the Republic, António Costa Pereira, president of the IHRU, admitted the situation is “very serious,” particularly the delays in responding to nearly 60,000 beneficiaries of the Extraordinary Rent Support Program (PAER) awaiting resolution of their cases.
