Hi
me and my partner are looking for a property to buy , we have found one but has no bathroom ! But looks lived in which we find strange ! Is this something to be careful of when buying ? Many thanks if you can help and any other info to be wary would be much appreciated. Thanks

I'd strongly suspect that the property will not have any habitation licence if it hasn't a bathroom...

Just get a copy of the "land registry" paperwork before bothering to view any property you may be interested in inhabiting. Even not speaking Portuguese you'd manage to gleen enough information to know if you want to take it further or not. Also assuming you are able to to access some exterior walls then that's were the public access water meter cupboard will be so you'll know if it is/was connected to water, you also look for the "cesspit" or sewerage connection as traditionally a "cesspit" size is related to water usage ie tiny for places without washing machines, dishwashers, baths and flocks of children. Not every place habitable had bathrooms nor indoor toilets which included my grandparents house, no mains sewerage, no mains water and no indoor toilet.

Would you buy a house in the UK without a bathroom? No you would not so why buy one in Portugal where the laws etc are different?

No habitation licence required if the property was built prior to 1951.

The estate agent said it has all paper work for licences and theres water and electric already connected aswell and the property is pre 1951 .

Estate agents are known for lying in order to sell a property so do not take their word for it.

Rosemary

You are right Rosemary and I'm still always surprised how many people trust estate agents. Even if the house was built before 1951 and you have a valid habitation license (exemption certificate), it's no longer valid once you make alterations.
As soon as you add the bathroom you'll still have to comply with todays requirements.

Is this a rural property?

Even it is a pre-1951 building, I find it strange that there is no Bathroom, especially if someone was living there!

Is there a long-drop in the quinta at the back of the house in a shed?

Before proceeding, ask the estate agent for all available documents.

Try to get the -

Caderneta and/or the Certidão Predial
Plantas (Plans)
The last escritura or CPCV if it exists.

Have a look at them. If you don't do Portuguese, find an INDEPENDENT person to evaluate them.

Do NOT proceed without being 200% sure.

Please feel free to DM me.

Finally, under the new revised Housing Policy regime likely to be introduced after the Government's announcements on Thursday, planning rules are to be streamlined & registered architects and Civil Engineers will be able to sign off on projects instead of plans having to wait months for authorisation from the local Camâra.

May take to year end but worth watching.

"The estate agent said"-huge alarm bells going off flashing lights and sirens.
I have a vision of lambs entering an abbatoir .There are plenty of other houses and estate agents.Look elsewhere before you get drawn into a very costly and heart breaking mistake

Exactly!

As you say, plenty of them. If only there were as many plumbers, electricians and builders in general.

I don't find this bathroom question stupid at all, but the answer is that any house purchase has to have the paperwork independently scrutinized.
If you buy a fixer-upper, the bathroom(s) will likely be high on the to do list.

I've bought several homes without bathrooms... I've personally built 8 of them.

Our house in Portugal did have one but it was so dilapidated it had to be ripped out and rebuilt (with all plumbing and septic tank).

Liveaboard-no doubt you are an old hand at being an expat and can find your way around the system -and we all have to start somewhere-but over the years I have seen so many expats duped into buying a "lovely" property only to find that it is a money pit or the paperwork is so far awry that they end up with nothing more than a pile of bricks doing a house impersonation and I just do not want to see another one

Our first place in Portugal (inland Castro Marim) didn't have a kitchen or a bathroom and the roof was pretty shot too. It was a small town house in a village where the properties are being bought up and renovated so we were far from put off, in fact, it's just our kind of thing!

Soon after buying said house, we upgraded to another house in the same village with more outside space, parking and better views so we didn't get round to upgrading house one. We have just sold house one to a neighbour who is going to knock through thus extending their existing house. As it happens, we are now hoping to do the same and buy the empty house next door to our new house and extend into it - this would mean we had one detached house and even more outside space.

​​​​​​⠀‹We didn't take any chances, we instructed a lawyer from the outset and I would always recommend everyone else does the same but equally, don't allow yourself to be easily put off.