Three residential towers in Santo António dos Cavaleiros, formerly owned by Fidelidade and recently sold to real estate company Zona Certa, are at the center of a controversial rent increase for tenants, averaging an additional 200 euros per month.
In response to this situation, which could potentially lead to the eviction of over one hundred families, the residents’ committee of the Fidelidade Towers has organized a symbolic protest scheduled for Saturday at 11:00. The movement’s spokesperson, Ana Oliveira, discussed the plans with Lusa news agency.
“We are organizing a breakfast gathering, a social event, one might say. We want to demonstrate our unity and that we are a community deeply integrated within the Loures municipality, and we do not wish to leave,” emphasized the resident.
Ana Oliveira, who has been living in one of the formerly Fidelidade-owned towers for 22 years, noted that her brother received a notification that the rent for his T2 apartment could increase from 400 euros to 750 euros, which she described as “totally unaffordable.”
She pointed out that in some cases, rents are rising from 715 to 975 euros.
“We are receiving contract revisions with values beyond what we can afford. These may be market rates, but they are not amounts we can adjust to all at once,” she explained.
Oliveira revealed that some residents have lived in these buildings for over 40 years and tried to exercise their right of first refusal when Fidelidade sold the properties, to no avail.
“We attempted to purchase here. We do not understand what grounds Fidelidade used to deny the right of first refusal. We are now trying to ascertain whether the municipality exercised this right, as provided by law,” she stated.
Lusa reached out to Zona Certa for a comment but did not receive a response.
In October 2017, Fidelidade announced its intention to “strengthen the company’s solidity” through the sale of 277 properties across the country, including the three buildings in Santo António dos Cavaleiros, located in the Lisbon district.
In 2018, residents of the three towers publicly highlighted the risk of eviction and undertook various actions to challenge the process.
The notoriety of the case, which led to a parliamentary hearing, resulted in Fidelidade agreeing to renew the contracts of these residents.
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