Ourique Municipality adopts new housing regulation to boost affordable rentals

The municipal council of Ourique in Portugal approved a new housing regulation on 13 July 2026, replacing rules that had been in force since 2018. The regulation was adopted unanimously during an extraordinary session of the municipal assembly and will take effect the day after its publication in the official gazette.

The new framework defines access and selection criteria for municipal homes under two schemes: subsidised rental, aimed at households in economic hardship with rent calculated according to each family's situation, and affordable rental, targeting middle‑income families with rent adjusted to net monthly income. Allocation will be carried out through a competitive process that ranks applicants on housing, social and economic factors. Mayor Marcelo Guerreiro said the regulation provides a clearer, fairer tool to address housing needs, improve quality of life, foster social cohesion and help retain residents.