The organization behind a protest advocating for the right to housing has attributed the predicament faced by more than a hundred families residing in buildings once owned by the insurance company Fidelidade in Loures, Lisbon District, to “unaffordable rents, abusive contracts, and closed-door deals between private groups and institutions meant to protect citizens.”
The matter concerns three towers in Santo António dos Cavaleiros, which were sold by Fidelidade to the real estate company Zona Certa.
Many of the 124 families living in the towers — one of 12 stories and two of 10 — are now being notified of rent increases, which in some cases reach up to 200 euros.
In October 2017, Fidelidade announced its intention to “strengthen the solidity” of the company through the sale of 277 properties across various parts of the country, including the three buildings in Santo António dos Cavaleiros.
In 2018, residents of the three towers publicized the risk of eviction and launched several actions to contest the process.
The high-profile nature of the case, which led to a parliamentary hearing, resulted in Fidelidade agreeing to renew the residents’ contracts, placing the buildings under an affordable rental regime.
However, at the end of last year, the insurance company ultimately sold the properties to Zona Certa, which has so far been unreachable for comment despite attempts from Lusa.
The residents’ committee informed Lusa that they have also received no communication from the real estate company, to which they issued a “request for dialogue” today.
The situation at the “Torres Fidelidade,” as they are known, is “not an isolated case,” said the protest organizers, describing it as “a portrait of a country where housing has become a business, and those living in it a disposable variable.”
“This protest is not just a cry of revolt, it is an act of resistance,” they stated.
The demonstration, scheduled to begin at 3:30 PM near the Santo António dos Cavaleiros post office, will march through the neighborhood streets to the towers, described as “a symbol of real estate speculation, political neglect, and the worsening housing crisis.”
