Short-term rentals in the building: how to find out and why it matters
How to find out whether there are short-term rentals (alojamento local) in the building or street before you rent or buy, and what they change day to day.
In many Lisbon neighbourhoods, some homes are used as short-term rentals (alojamento local, or "AL"): flats rented to tourists by the night or week. For residents, that can mean very little or change daily life quite a lot. It is worth knowing before you decide.
What it can change
- Noise: suitcases on the stairs late at night, arrivals in the early hours, occasional parties.
- Constant movement of strangers in the building.
- Security: front doors left open, key safes on the facade.
- Wear on shared areas and arguments in building meetings.
- Neighbourhood: fewer permanent neighbours, and a street that changes with the tourist season.
It is not always negative: some buildings have well-run short-term rentals that you barely notice. That is why the best approach is to ask and look.
How to find out
- Key safes by the building door or on railings: the most visible sign.
- "AL" plaques at the building or flat entrance.
- Letterboxes without names or with company names.
- Ask the landlord, the agent and, if you can, a neighbour.
- Official register: short-term rentals must be listed in the national register (Registo Nacional de Alojamento Local), which is public.
- SherlockHomes: when you search an address, we show how many registered short-term rentals are around it, from public data. Type the address in the search.
Tip: walk down the street at a weekend and in the evening. Watch for suitcases coming and going, and how many windows are dark out of season. See also why you should view at night.
If you are buying
Ask for the minutes of building meetings: if short-term rentals have caused problems, it is usually recorded there. See the guide to buying a resale home.
Share what you saw
Visited a home in a building with short-term rentals? Say so in your SherlockHomes review. It is exactly the kind of information only someone who was there can give.