During a hearing at the Assembleia da República, regarding the detailed examination of the State Budget proposal for 2026, Miguel Pinto Luz assured that “Porta 65 is following the steps required by law, with a 45-day response time.”
This assurance was given in response to Chega’s criticism of the IHRU’s response to this and other rental support programs.
“We have thousands of families desperately waiting for support at this time (…), the IHRU is not responding to anything, it’s a scandal what’s happening, families have been waiting for answers for over a year,” remarked Chega’s deputy Carlos Barbosa, asking when the situation will be resolved.
In response, the minister defended the IHRU and denied claims that “only 20 tickets are being issued per day,” as alleged by housing movements and individuals seeking assistance from the institute.
“The IHRU doesn’t only have 20 tickets per day; it has 20 in Lisbon and 14 in Porto for the PAER [Extraordinary Rent Support Program],” emphasized the minister, adding that the institute issues “167 tickets every day” to meet all its responsibilities.
“Every month, the IHRU serves almost four thousand people,” he noted.
Furthermore, “there are inconsistencies” in the PAER.
“There were people, families, receiving rent support when they should no longer have been receiving it,” he highlighted, praising the socialist government of António Costa for adopting a decree to resolve these cases.
“The inconsistency must be resolved before payments can be made,” said Pinto Luz, citing examples of discrepancies: the IRS declarations of landlords and tenants “not matching” or individuals with zero income having to explain how they pay rent.
The minister accused Chega of “constantly talking about justice and rigor” and then criticizing efforts to resolve “inconsistencies” before granting aid. “One day yes, one day no, it’s a weathervane,” he remarked.
On Monday, in response to protests organized by the Porta a Porta movement, the IHRU denied any delays or suspensions in rent support.
In a statement, it denied any cuts to the PAER, which currently benefits “over 134,100 tenants.”
However, it acknowledged that there are administrative constraints related to data validation, affecting about 43,000 beneficiaries.
Porta a Porta organized demonstrations at the IHRU offices in Lisbon and Porto, demanding a responsive service to rent support requests.
In statements to Lusa on October 14, following a hearing at the Assembleia da República, the IHRU president, António Costa Pereira, admitted that the situation is “very serious,” acknowledging the delay in responding to PAER beneficiaries with pending issues.
