Brazilian renters complain of xenophobia when renting in Portugal.

The number of Brazilians moving to Portugal continues to grow each year, and many of them face prejudice and xenophobia when looking for housing. A common language is one of the main factors for choosing such a move in search of a better quality of life outside Brazil. According to the Portuguese government, 392,757 applications from Brazilians interested in living in the country have been registered until September this year, twice as many as in 2019. These are the official figures for those who have a labor contract and meet other government requirements.

Finding housing is not an easy task for many. There are no official statistics on complaints on this topic, but testimonies are scarce. Attorney Marcia Alcantara was transferred by the company she worked for in Brazil to Portugal in August 2023. All moving expenses were paid and a relocation company was hired to help her find a place to live with her husband and two children. But despite all the infrastructure provided by the company, Marcia had bad memories of one of the owners: "The lady who helped me find an apartment to rent was a very experienced Portuguese woman. We found a few options online. I was with her when she called the owner, and when she said I was a customer from Brazil, he just started to get indignant," she says. "He said he doesn't rent to Brazilians, that they are all 'noisy and loud', that they bring a lot of people to the house because they can't afford it, etc. At this time the Portuguese woman calmly informed him that he was wrong, that I was a lawyer, married, with children and an employment contract. After receiving this information, he calmed down a bit and tried to retract his words, but I decided not to even look at this apartment because of such disrespect without even knowing my history. "

Limitations and bureaucracy

Brazilian realtor Amanda Barreto Mello, who has been working in real estate sales and rentals in Portugal since 2015 and with Remax Agency since 2019, confirmed that there are certain arguments that are always used by owners as restrictions for Brazilians, "I always heard that Brazilians make noise, listen to loud music and bring more people into the house than originally stated." She continues, "Some owners, sometimes, have already pre-determined their 'profile' about Brazilians. But I have noticed that since 2015 there has been a slight change in mentality among these owners, at least here in Lisbon. Many middle class Brazilians, doctoral students, entrepreneurs started coming and we noticed a "better adaptation". Nevertheless, when asked if she had heard a clear statement from the owner that he did not want to rent to Brazilians, she confirmed, "Yes, I heard twice. In one case the owner said 'I don't want blacks and Brazilians! I know Amanda is Brazilian, I'm not biased, but I've had bad experiences'".

Amanda adds that "not having a guarantor, not having an income declaration and not having an employment contract without a fixed term are by far the biggest difficulties Brazilians face when renting property in Portugal." Portuguese realtor Ana Aires Pereira of Century 21 Le Quartier Agency, who has been working since September 2021, confirms the same.

The owner's view

Antonio Valente is Portuguese and a real estate investor; he owns several properties and rents them out as whole apartments and individual rooms to generate monthly income. "Because I rent very small houses, foreign nationals are the main audience, and I always rent to anyone with papers, a job and appropriate income, rent amounts and a guarantor," he says. However, he then talks about the bad experiences he had with some of his tenants: "There are good experiences and bad experiences. Like everywhere, there are good people and bad people. I had payment problems from Brazilians who ran away without paying and one of them destroyed the house. Brazilians have no respect for Portuguese traditions. They make noise, bring too many people into the house, and this forces owners to take their own self-defense measures. "

When approached about the resistance of Portuguese owners regarding Brazilian tenants and the number of Brazilians renting properties in Portugal, the National Owners Association (ANP) responded that it "cannot comment on this issue due to lack of data." According to its website, the ANP emerged from "a group of citizens who fight for their rights and defend them against the greed of those who see them as an inexhaustible source of income, moving from the Movement of Property Owners".

Brazilian journalist, who preferred not to disclose her name, recounted the traumatic experience of being treated by the Angolan owner of the first apartment she rented in Portugal: "She discussed my style of dress, what I cooked, talked about what she saw on TV and in the news about Brazilian women, how we are seen in Portugal and how I should behave. The owner lived downstairs of my apartment and was always coming by to check on me. She controlled my shower time, told me that 15 minutes was absurd and called me stupid because of my Brazilian origin," she said.

The channel for complaints

In cases like this, or any other case of xenophobia, Brazilians should contact the Commission for Equality and against Discrimination on Racial Grounds (CICDR), a body of the Portuguese government. You can file a complaint via the website or by calling the Migrant Support Line, which is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Landline number: 808 257 257 (local call cost), mobile number: 218 106 191. CICDR offers free legal aid to those who need it.