In 2023, 12.9% of the population lived in housing in which the number of living rooms was insufficient for the size and demographic profile of the household. Overcrowding is a concern for renters, owners and condominiums who are asking for inspections. “Overcrowding is caused by two reasons: the lack of houses and their prices,” summarizes António Machado, secretary general of the Lisbon Tenants Association. “Complaints about overcrowding in some apartments” were received by the Portuguese Association of Condominium Management and Administration Companies, President Vitor Amaral told Lusa.
“They sleep in their 20s and 30s, even in a hot bed system. [casos em que a cama está sempre ocupada, mas por pessoas distintas em horários diferentes]“says Antonio Frias Márquez, president of the National Association of Owners. “There are certain areas, mainly Lisbon, where overcrowding occurs mainly in relation to Asian citizens who even sleep in shops, things that are not residential.” Nothing in the law limits the number of people who can live in a home.