Government to Pay Retroactive Rent Support to 129,642 Tenants in September
The Portuguese government has confirmed that 129,642 tenants are set to receive payments from the extraordinary rent support program this September, with the amounts being retroactive to January 2025. The announcement, however, also brought to light significant administrative issues, as payments for another 58,659 beneficiaries have been suspended due to data inconsistencies. The information was provided to the Lusa news agency by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing, following an inquiry into the program's status.
According to a written response from the ministry, data compiled by the Institute of Housing and Urban Rehabilitation (IHRU) finalized the number of eligible recipients for the upcoming payment cycle. For the nearly 59,000 tenants whose payments are suspended, the government has stated that they will be formally notified to regularize their situation via the IHRU's online Citizen Consultation Portal. This mass suspension points to ongoing difficulties in the program's execution.
The operational challenges of the rent support scheme were recently highlighted by the national Ombudsman's Office. On Tuesday, the office announced it had formally appealed to the Secretary of State for Housing for an urgent review of the program. This action was taken after the Ombudsman received a “significant volume of complaints” that indicated “serious irregularities” in the system. The core of the problem, as identified by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing, lies in the program's design.
The ministry official stated that the Extraordinary Rent Support Program (PAER), which was established in 2023 under the previous government, “was poorly designed.” The program requires cross-referencing data from five separate government bodies—IHRU, the Tax Authority, Social Security, the Caixa Geral de Aposentações, and the Foundation for Science and Technology. The critical failure, according to the ministry, was that the “interoperability” between these entities was never guaranteed, leading to the current data conflicts and payment suspensions.
In response to these systemic flaws, the current government has reiterated its plan to overhaul the program. A revision is expected “shortly,” with the goal of improving its operationalization and ensuring that financial support is delivered to eligible tenants in a timely and efficient manner. The ongoing issues have created uncertainty for thousands of households who rely on the support to afford their housing, making the forthcoming review a matter of significant public interest.
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