Porto's Santa Casa da Misericórdia Sets Out a Plan for Up to 400 Middle-Class Rental Homes at 500 to 1,500 Euros a Month, Without Public Money

The Santa Casa da Misericórdia do Porto, which describes itself as Porto's largest private landlord, plans to put up to 400 new homes on the rental market in the next two to three years, aimed at middle-class households that do not qualify for public housing support. Its head, the provedor (president) António Tavares, set out the plan in an interview with Rádio Renascença last week and returned to it on SIC's lunchtime news on Wednesday 28 October.

Where the homes will be

According to the charity's own statement of 26 October, two developments are planned. The first is at the junction of Rua de Antero de Quental and Rua da Constituição, on the former Padouro premises, where construction work is already under way. The second is on the land of the old Estádio do Lima and should hold between 200 and 250 homes.

The charity's figures vary slightly: its 26 October note speaks of "between 300 and 400" homes, while its 28 October follow-up says "about 400". It already has more than 600 tenants in the city.

What the rents will be

No rent table has been published. Asked on SIC about price, Tavares said the charity is thinking of "values that a middle-class family can afford", and that rents "between 500 euros, 1,000 euros, even 1,500 euros" are within the middle class's reach, "depending on the size of the apartment".

For comparison, the government's new affordable-rent scheme (the Regime Simplificado de Arrendamento Acessível, or RSAA) caps rents in Porto at 652 euros for a studio, 866 euros for a one-bedroom flat, 1,118 euros for a two-bedroom and 1,341 euros for a three-bedroom, under Portaria n.º 454/2026/1 (a ministerial order) published on 13 October. The charity has not said whether its homes will be let under that scheme, and the top of its range sits above those ceilings for all but the largest flats. Our report on the ceilings explains how they work.

Who can apply, and how it is paid for

The homes will be allocated through a concurso (a public call for applications), the charity says. The rules, eligibility criteria and dates of that call have not been published. The charity describes the project as an investment with no public funding, and outside the concept of social housing.

Demand is already high. As reported by Idealista, citing the Renascença interview, the charity received 57 requests for housing in October alone from people who had found no answer from public bodies, among them migrants and people going through a separation or divorce. Tavares said the charity rarely evicts tenants, and criticised the lack of continuity in public housing policy, citing the end of the Reabilitar para Arrendar (rehabilitate to rent) programme.

What could slow it down

The timetable depends on planning permission. Tavares said the will of Porto City Council would be "decisive" in meeting the two-to-three-year target. The council is reviewing its own affordable-housing rules: it is weighing whether to revoke a vote that let seven developers pay cash instead of providing affordable homes, and wants owners of vacant buildings in the historic centre to pay ten times the usual IMI (municipal property tax) from 2027.

What it means for you

If you rent in Porto and do not qualify for municipal or social housing, this is one of the few non-state projects aimed squarely at you, but nothing can be applied for yet. Watch the Misericórdia do Porto's news page for the call for applications; the charity's general contact is [email protected].