'Costa's legacy: more instability in the housing crisis'
'unrealistic IMI increases on properties owned by organizations registered in supposed "tax havens"); has so far failed to use funds from the pension plans fund to create the announced tens of thousands of social and affordable apartments; and all this ended with the "More Housing" package, which, although containing several positive but still small measures (which still need to be regulated by decree), represented a huge lost opportunity and destroyed the remnants of private investor confidence, which is unacceptable.
Opinions of other experts:
Clich Canduoti, founder of Belgian real estate developer Krest, talks about politicians who have 'created uncertainty and confusion in the market,''which is never a good thing'. "The blame for rising house prices has been placed on developers, when in fact the real problem is freeing up more land to develop projects under a clear national affordable housing program. Confusion has also been created about Portugal's fiscal stability," he lamented.
From a real estate perspective, Century 21 Portugal CEO Ricardo Sousa praises the accessibility shown by the state and, more recently, the Ministry of Housing - led by Marina Gonsalves - to actively cooperate with leading real estate players. However, he also points to the instability caused by the More Housing program. "(...) We recognize the efforts of this government in''issue of the More Housing program and agree with the overall goals of the program, although we disagree with the methods and implementation of many of the stated measures. The program has good intentions, but has caused a lot of instability and uncertainty in the market, which has a negative impact and makes it difficult to achieve its goals. A set of policies overloaded with government intervention and fears that some measures could have the opposite effect," warns Ricardo Souza in a written interview for idealista/news.
Ruy Torgal, CEO of ERA Portugal, believes that both positive and negative effects can be cited: "The most positive is the creation of the Ministry of Housing, which has given the industry its due importance. On the other hand, even recognizing''the good will of some of the solutions, I believe the government has consistently erred in presenting permanent temporary or short-term measures. Not a single structural measure has been introduced to tackle the problem fundamentally by stimulating supply and providing more housing on the market'.
What should we demand from the next government? "
After meeting with the eight parties represented in Parliament and consulting with the Council of State, Marcelo Rebelo de Soso formally accepted Costa's resignation and decided to dissolve the Portuguese Parliament in early December to guarantee the adoption of the 2024 State Budget, reinforcing the funds of the More Housing program.
Asked about the same issue, Claud Canduoti believes it is important that the next government can "formulate a clear policy to address the housing problem by creating comprehensive laws through a deep dialog with all market participants." He also draws attention to the need to "increase fiscal stability, which has been one of Portugal's fundamental principles." "Without it, foreign investors and institutions will find Portugal less attractive for investment," he says, emphasizing that the crisis the country is experiencing will leave its''next: "More uncertainty for investors. "
Ricardo Souza of Century 21 Portugal believes that the next government should focus in the short term on creating conditions and support for young people for affordable housing, significantly increasing public housing and incentivizing new middle-class housing. "It is absolutely essential to revisit housing policy with a strategic, long-term vision to start laying the groundwork for building future cities that are more sustainable, inclusive and affordable. It is also important to maintain a strong focus on attracting and retaining talent in the country," he emphasizes.
An important aspect for Ricardo Sousa is also stability.'''A stable atmosphere, trust and predictability are essential for a well-functioning real estate market. The current socio-economic context is already quite complex, so political instability cannot but cause increased anxiety in many aspects,' he concludes.
For his part, Rui Torgal of ERA Portugal hopes that a long-term strategy will be developed that will reflect on structural measures. "We are asking for a solution to the initial problem, not just short-term mitigation measures," says Rui Torgal, citing several examples: faster issuance of permits; lower tax burdens for construction, rehabilitation and acquisition of real estate; incentives for investors' purchase of houses''for rent (more supply will lead to price equilibrium) - the stigma that private investors are hurting the market as those building for sale or refurbishment carry a lot of risk needs to be removed; measures to support the purchase of a first home by young people; more public investment in housing for the neediest families or young people; changing the master plan for municipalities to create more urban zones.
The impact of the political crisis:
"I don't think it will be that significant, especially given the recent legal instability," responds Rui Torgal, criticizing, however, "the ease with which laws have been amended and the 'rules of the game' changed"'companies. This created so much uncertainty that it drove away investors, developers and even customers." "These were the measures that had a direct impact on real estate. Still, I continue to argue that it is better for the sector to have less state and more market, while of course maintaining situations of social vulnerability," he concludes.
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