In love with forests

Hello all,

I'm currently researching properties to buy in Portugal and am thinking that it would be a good idea to buy a place with the potential of renting to holiday makers. Nothing too ambitious. Maybe letting out a room on Air BnB, or renting the whole place out for a few weeks of the year. The idea is to make a little extra income to keep things ticking over. I think I know a little about how to go about making it all legal, but I would like to know if the property itself would need to meet any special requirements or be configured in a particular was, eg, air conditioning, heating, fire exits, etc. I can't seem to find any specific information and would like to know before I start viewing properties. Anybody been through this process care to share some wisdom?

Thanks in advance for any comments.

Saz1

Hi, its been some time since we got our AL and now live here permanently so don't have it any more but, if I remember rightly, we had to:

Get the electrics checked and confirmed safe by an electrician
Have fire extinguishers and instructions how to use them in kitchen and hallways. Also fire blanket in kitchen
Fire exits very clearly indicated
Fully equipped First aid box and sign to show where it was
Smoke alarms

If you have a pool I am sure there are many regulations there too.

Aircon isnt a necessity but you would be able to charge more rent if you did have it. Also, everyone likes WIFI. :-).

There were probably other things too, but our property managers arranged the AL for us, so not sure.

Saz

In love with forests

Thanks Saz. I found some info after I posted my question. Your comments tally with what I have discovered :

"Before any property can be considered viable for commercial letting there are a
number of requirements that need to be met. The property must be in good
condition and not be run down or in a state of disrepair. It must have a fresh,
hot and cold running water supply and be connected to either a septic tank or
mains sewage. The property must meet adequate levels of furnishing, be well
ventilated and be fitted with blinds, shutters or curtains to block natural light.
The property must also reach minimum levels of security with locking external
doors and have a ratio of bedrooms to bathrooms that are no less than 3:1.
According to license requirements, a bathroom's minimum facilities constitute
one toilet, a sink and a shower or bath.
The property will need to be inspected by a government registered electrician
and gas engineer; each will issue the property owner or their agent with a
certificate confirming that the installations are up to standard and meets
required standards with respect to these utilities. Additionally a certified
engineer will be required to conduct an inspection to confirm that the building
conforms to fire safety standards.
There are additional regulations that relate to the safety of the property. A
property must display, prominently, emergency service numbers and
information. There must also be adequate fire blankets and extinguishers for
the size of the property and all appliances made available for the use of guests
must have proper instruction manuals. If a property provides more than 50
beds it will need to have a dedicated fire alarm and telephone line and the
owner or their agent will need to submit an additional fire safety project at
application.
With respect to hygiene, a rental property must offer a laundry service for the
provision of clean linen at least once every seven days.
A complaints book for guests is mandatory and any complaints will need to be
referred to the relevant authorities.
Once you are ready to apply for your Portuguese rentals license, you will need
to submit your application, along with supporting documentation to the
C mara Municipal (local council) responsible for the district in which your
property resides. Supporting documentation includes: acceptable I.D., copy of
the Deeds or other proof of ownership, the habitation license issued against
your property, certificates issued by the inspecting gas, electrical and fire
officials."

I'm guessing these are the requirements for holiday cottages. Offering B&B comes with its own additional requirements, I suspect.

chislenko

From what I am lead to believe (happy to be corrected) you end up on business water rate which is a lot more expensive. Don't know if other utilities are affected.

In love with forests

Not come across that yet. Perhaps it applies to large hotel business? Can't see how they can justify that on a small, private rental...

Saz1

Yes, we definitely paid business water rates (four bedrooms) and it took quite a few visits to Tavira Verde to get it back to normal. As Chislenko says, it is a lot more expensive than 'normal' water.

Saz

In love with forests

Thanks. How much is it roughly? Or where can I get more info?