The Parish Council of Arroios, the Lisbon City Council, and the Municipal Police have received a report titled ‘Security and Building Degradation’, accompanied by photographs, from residents Javier Monsalve and Sofia Machado. They raise concerns about the rehabilitation works on the building located at Rua Carlos José Barreiros, at the corner of Calçada de Arroios, and question the measures taken to ensure the safety of nearby structures.
The report, viewed by the news agency Lusa, was submitted on March 24 and again on April 21, although Javier noticed more than a year ago signs of a break-in, including mattresses, blankets, and evidence of a fire.
It was his first contact with the police, and a week later, some windows and entrance points of the building were boarded up, but not all.
Javier is convinced that the building is occupied illegally, observing blankets, comforters, and towels hanging. This past Monday, footage recorded by a camera he installed captured a man smoking near his terrace.
“Any day now they’ll enter my house,” he fears, emphasizing that no responses have been received from the relevant authorities either by email or phone call. “Numerous communications have been made, and nothing happens,” Sofia laments, noting that when they posted the report on the municipal electronic platform, they found other neighbors also complaining about the situation.
“We are talking about a building in a state of deep degradation, where the risk of collapse, fire, or even pest infestation is not negligible. The odor emanating from within is nauseating,” they describe in the report.
“Those occupying it do so unlawfully and can access the entire block by simply jumping a window,” they warn.
According to their account, “some access doors to the interior are not properly sealed; there are open windows allowing rainwater to enter; the eaves exhibit vegetation; and the south-facing roof lacks tiles.”
This situation facilitates “the unlawful occupation of the interior” and provides access to surrounding buildings, they claim.
The complainants consulted municipal archives and report that the “state of conservation of the building in question is known to the Lisbon City Council (CML).”
The document attached to their complaint notes that city technicians, following an inspection on September 18, 2023, classified the structural anomaly of the building as “very severe” and anomalies in the roofing and ceilings as “severe.”
The technicians recommend “carrying out repair and conservation works.”
When questioned by Lusa, the CML confirmed that inspectors visited the site this month and acknowledged that “the building is subject to intrusion.”
The city authority further noted that the owner has been notified “to effectively reinforce the closure of openings to limit third-party access to the interior.”
The Arroios Parish Council, also questioned by Lusa, confirmed receiving residents’ complaints regarding “the occupation of the vacant building on Rua Carlos José Barreiros” and forwarded them “to the relevant authorities, including the Municipal Police.”
When asked if it is within their jurisdiction to board up access points to the building, as the complaining residents suggest, the council did not respond.
According to the CML, “the building was declared vacant in 2012 with the consequent increase in property tax (IMI),” and “in 2014, the then-owner was ordered to carry out conservation works.”
However, the property changed ownership, and “in 2023, the current owner submitted a request for licensing works for alterations and expansion aimed at converting the building into a student residence with 34 rooms.”
Yet, the CML clarifies that “in 2024, the project was modified to develop a housing project with 32 units of types T0, T1, and T2,” with this latest licensing request “currently under review for architectural design approval.”
Meanwhile, on April 30, residents were compelled to call the firefighters. “It smelled like burning and the building is made of tabique. It seemed like they were burning the plastic off electrical wires to sell the copper,” reported Sofia Machado.
A source from the Lisbon Fire Department confirmed the alert recorded on April 30 at 18:40. “We were on-site, but by the time we arrived, there was no smoke,” they mentioned, confirming the building “appears to be inhabited by homeless individuals.”
A source from the PSP, which also dispatched a patrol to the scene, told Lusa that the building was “vacant at the time of the incident,” adding that “a report was filed about the event.”
