The proposal, presented by the Communist Party (PCP) with an “urgent character,” was unanimously approved in a private meeting of the executive led by the “Por ti Lisboa” coalition (PSD/CDS-PP/IL) and presided over by Carlos Moedas (PSD).
The decision to extend the classification of the entire city of Lisbon as an Urban Pressure Zone is justified by the “high number of vacant or unoccupied housing units,” estimated at about 48,000 in the municipality, according to the 2021 Census.
The document emphasizes that the Housing Basic Law mandates that owners of unoccupied homes face legal sanctions, with municipalities responsible for applying measures to promote the effective use of these houses.
This proposal is also aligned with the recently approved Municipal Housing Charter of Lisbon, which identifies the reduction of vacant units as a priority and plans to use municipal fiscal policy to deter unoccupied properties, primarily through increases in the Municipal Property Tax (IMI).
The document also cites recommendations from the European Union, released this year, advocating specific interventions in areas with housing pressure and proposing the “discouragement” of maintaining vacant or unoccupied properties.
The city of Lisbon was designated as an Urban Pressure Zone in 2020, through unanimous resolutions by the City Council and Municipal Assembly.
According to the PCP, the factors that justified the decision at that time “persist and have even worsened,” necessitating the extension of the classification.
Currently, the Lisbon City Council executive comprises 17 members, including eight elected from the PSD/CDS-PP/IL coalition, who are the only ones with assigned portfolios and governing without an absolute majority. In the opposition are four councilors from the PS, two from Chega, one from Livre, one from BE, and one from PCP.
