The municipal company Gebalis has recorded 721 cases of illegal occupation of houses in Lisbon. Of this total, in 586 situations, the necessary documentation has already been delivered. And there are 76 cases that can be regularised through “Deliberation 855/2022” of the Lisbon City Council, according to a report by Público.

The scenario of illegal occupation of public housing in the municipality of the Portuguese capital is very different from what happens in other municipalities in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. For example, in Almada, 32 cases of illegal occupation were recorded at the end of 2024. However, in Amadora, Cascais, Oeiras, Seixal and Setúbal, ten or fewer illegal occupations of municipal houses were recorded in 2024 or in previous years.

In Porto, the number of undue occupations of municipal houses is “almost residual”, writes the same newspaper. And in Faro, there was only one registration, and it is currently in the eviction process.

These cases of irregular occupation of municipal houses occur when there are family members who remain living in the houses after the death of the owner or when the owner leaves the homes. There are also cases of occupation through assault or break-in, although they are less significant.