Portugal's Socialist Party accuses government of selling state housing assets below market value

The Portuguese Socialist Party (PS) criticised the government for acting as a "reverse real estate agent" by selling state‑owned properties at prices below market value. The party highlighted eight vacant properties in Lisbon that have been sold or are slated for auction this year, properties that could have provided around 450 public housing units.

PS deputy Luis Testa said the practice results in lost revenue and missed opportunities to address housing shortages. He called for a parliamentary hearing of Housing Minister Miguel Pinto Luz and the president of Estamo, the state agency that manages public real estate, to explain the government’s housing policy. The PS is also pushing a draft law to protect public housing assets from being alienated in areas with high housing demand.

The party argues that the government simultaneously purchases properties at high prices while selling others cheaply, a situation they describe as "erratic" and detrimental to the state’s finances and housing goals.