# Alojamento Local changes?



## Strontium (Sep 16, 2015)

Hi,

I am trying to understand the smoke and mirrors obscuring what seem to be proposed changes to the Alojamento Local legislation. Wading through the Portuguese psudo legal texts using a cheap English translation app has made things more confusing so would anyone be able to clarify simply...

What changes are proposed?

At what stage are the proposed changes and when are they scheduled to start??

Thanks


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## MrBife (Jul 26, 2009)

The Alojamento Local Legislation changes perpetually, it has been simplified but is still a rather badly advised and poorly implemented method of enforcing extra tax collection methods.

Initial pressure to regulate private holiday lettings was imposed by the hotel owners (read, Politicians who were themselves hotel owners or who had friends that were who paid them). Hotels thought that their income streams were being eroded but failed to understand that sometimes a family wanting to rent a private villa with private pool and garden were not actually potential hotel clients.

Rather than a simplified 'fixed fee licence' arrangement that included important annual safety checks that insured properties were safe - they went for a complex system of registration, tax collection and guest registration via SEF. (No interest shown in safety of guests).

Biggest problem really is that politicians believe that properties rent for 52 weeks a year and the income is huge whereas owners know that they rent (on average) for 10 weeks a year and the income just about covers running costs.

The regulations change constantly and will no doubt continue to change until sense prevails (which could be a very long time).


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