The municipality, led by socialist Ricardo Leão, has refuted the claims made by Vida Justa regarding alleged eviction orders at the Terraços da Ponte Municipal Housing, previously known as Quinta do Mocho. The council accused Vida Justa of spreading “falsehoods, omissions, and errors.”
Vida Justa had previously claimed that eviction notices had been served to 200 families residing in Quinta do Mocho, stating that “daily evictions” have been occurring in the neighborhood since last week.
The movement highlighted that “a significant portion of those evicted in Quinta do Mocho or facing eviction are not behind on their rent payments.”
Current data from the Loures municipality shows there are 615 administrative procedures for terminating municipal rental contracts across the council, citing various non-compliance issues such as rent arrears exceeding three months without entering a repayment plan, illegal occupation of homes by third parties, lack of exclusive and permanent residence, and missing mandatory documents related to income and household composition.
Of the 615 cases, 269 are among residents of the Terraços da Ponte Housing, the largest municipal housing project in the council, which consists of 91 buildings and 768 active tenants.
Since the start of the year, 25 rental contract terminations have occurred due to contractual breaches, following the exhaustion of all procedural steps. The municipality assures that “all tenants in the termination process were duly notified in writing, and given the opportunity for a hearing and to rectify their situation.”
In contrast, Vida Justa claims that the Loures municipality’s promised debt repayment plan of up to 60 installments was not presented to those actually behind on rent payments.
“There are cases where eviction orders were issued because residents had family members staying who were not declared in the rental contract. Some tenants ceased paying rent a few months ago when the Loures Municipal Council raised it, and there are families who have lived in the neighborhood for decades where the original contract holder passed away, preventing the children from transferring the tenancy,” Vida Justa detailed in their Thursday statement.
Recently, “patients with cancer or elderly individuals who have been hospitalized for months were evicted because they couldn’t pay rent,” the movement added, advocating for the halt of “evictions of families without alternative housing.”
The Loures executive, composed of four Socialist Party members, including the president, four from the Democratic Unity Coalition, two from the Social Democratic Party, and one from Chega, responded, “Various additional measures, including phone contacts, technical visits to flats, formal meeting summons, and continued efforts to encourage adherence to regularization mechanisms, were conducted.”
The Socialist Party and the Social Democratic Party have formed an agreement to ensure the governing stability of the Loures Municipal Council, which was won by socialist Ricardo Leão in September 2021 without an absolute majority.
