“All those who need help paying rent, if they are within income and rent limits, the municipality helps pay,” announced Housing Councilor Filipa Roseta (PSD) during the presentation of the proposal for the new edition of the SMAA at a public council meeting.
The proposal received unanimous approval, with the support of the PSD/CDS-PP leadership, which governs without an absolute majority, along with all opposition councilors, including those from PS, Citizens for Lisbon (elected by the PS/Livre coalition), PCP, Livre, and BE.
Roseta indicated that applications for the 8th edition of the SMAA will open on Thursday. Similar to previous editions, individuals with incomes below the national minimum wage can apply, with the minimum annual household income set at 6,000 euros. This aims to allow more people to access the program and benefit from monthly rent payment assistance.
The maximum annual income for eligibility is set at 35,000 euros for individuals and 45,000 euros for two people, with an additional 5,000 euros allowable per dependent listed in the IRS declaration. According to SMAA rules, the contracted monthly rent cannot exceed 600 euros for a T0, 900 euros for a T1, 1,150 euros for a T2, 1,375 euros for a T3, and 1,550 euros for a T4.
“We have 1,200 families that have already received rental support; this is more than the last three mandates combined,” stated Roseta. She added that over the past three years, from 2022 to 2024, the council approved four million euros in rental support, surpassing the total of the last ten years combined.
Roseta emphasized that this rental support measure “is quick to implement,” with the municipality ensuring affordable rent for those already living in private market housing. She also noted that the municipality has other solutions in the housing sector.
The PSD councilor mentioned that the average support under the SMAA stands at 240 euros per month. Of the total beneficiaries, 1,000 families earn above the minimum wage, and 200 earn below, with the majority residing in Lisbon, including “some retirees,” and only one displaced individual noted.
The Housing Council reinforced that among those who applied and met the criteria, “nobody was left out,” and said the average rent presented was 740 euros/month.
PS councilor Pedro Anastácio expressed concern over the “uncertainty” faced by those receiving rental support, following a delay in opening the 8th edition of the SMAA.
Addressing this delay, Roseta acknowledged it was “consciously” postponed to April from February, to allow people to submit their previous year’s IRS, assuring that beneficiaries “would not be disadvantaged as they will receive rent support from the last received month.”
The proposal emphasizes the importance of ensuring continued support amid the current housing crisis and escalating rent prices, with retroactive effect from March 2025 for one year, subject to renewal, thus providing essential assistance for housing stability.
PCP’s João Ferreira argued that SMAA should be viewed as an “emergency measure” rather than a “structural and permanent” solution for those rejecting rent control measures, to prevent public funds from financing “speculative rent values,” suggesting that funds could be redirected to public housing construction.
BE councilor Beatriz Gomes Dias questioned the delay in responses to support requests, citing an example of someone informed in February about benefiting from SMAA and still waiting to make the contract. She lamented that the funds allocated to this area are less than those for private events like Rock in Rio and Tribeca.
Responding, Filipa Roseta clarified that the delays are, at most, “three to four months,” primarily due to document verification.
