Container on a rustic land from more than 10 years

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audeline New member

Member since 10 May 2023

audelineNew member04 June 2023 15:01:08

Good evening.

We bought a rustic land in Portugal more than ten years ago, and we put a container and an 鈥渙ffice container鈥� on it the same year.

We just come in Portugal about 2 month per year, and we sleep in the office container ( we made a little bedroom in it).

When we bought the land, electricity and water were legally installed, and it鈥檚 still the case.

About 5 years ago, two policemen and a man from environment came to see the land (and the neighbors lands too, and they said it鈥檚 ok.

But now, the mayor of the town changed, and we received a paper that says that we have to legalize or to put the containers off the land.

A neighbor said to us that when you have a container or more on your land until more than 5 years, they have to legalize it for free.

Is somebody know if it鈥檚 true and how to do?

Thank you for your help!

JohnnyPT Portugal Expert

Member since 23 May 2020

JohnnyPTPortugal Expert04 June 2023 18:32:39

4499

Hi Audeline,

Please check this decision by Albufeira or Silves Municipal Councils. It seems to me that, regardless of how long these houses remain in a given place, if they have an effective incorporation in the soil or connection to infrastructures, they are considered urbanistic operations and, as such, are subject to council prior control. In other words, mobile homes, containers, etc, are subject to the same licensing rules as normal buildings. I suggest that you ask a lawyer for advice, but apparently the legal support is the one mentioned in these links:

Best Regards

roy gordon Member

Member since 09 September 2023

roy gordonMember09 September 2023 15:12:20

so after looking at the regulations, If you had a container home mounted on concrete blocks a few inches off the ground with no fixation to the blocks and had solar panels on the roof and a compostable toilet and shower with a grey water tank and a large water tank on the roof then it shouldn麓t be subject to planning regulations.

I麓m interested to know what you think.

best regards

TGCampo Serial expat

Member since 30 August 2023

TGCampoSerial expat09 September 2023 20:17:54

213

I suggest that you ask a lawyer for advice. JohnnyPT was definitely right in this aspect.

roy gordon Member

Member since 09 September 2023

roy gordonMember10 September 2023 07:01:08

@TGCampo I couldn鈥檛 agree more,

donn25 Serial expat

Member since 31 May 2022

donn25Serial expat10 September 2023 08:28:46

252

I wouldn't bet on it.聽 Naturally a qualified lawyer would be the only one to say with some certainty, but I note that the first item applies to a structure "only resting on wheels", which seems to me about equivalent.

These are not legal documents as I understand it, but rather public statements of intent, and I think I'm reading that intent as "you aren't going to play games with us and pretend that something that serves as a house isn't really a house."

JohnnyPT Portugal Expert

Member since 23 May 2020

JohnnyPTPortugal Expert10 September 2023 09:26:30

4499

Prefabricated buildings, wooden houses, mobile homes, containers or caravans, tents, bungalows, igloos and other similar solutions, regardless of their demountable or removable nature, provided they are intended for human use, are considered to be urban development operations subject to licensing under the terms and for the purposes of the provisions of Article 2(a), (b), (j) and (m). Article 2(a), (b), (j) and (m) and Article 4(2) of the Legal Framework for Urbanisation and Building, approved by Decree-Law 555/99 of 16 December.

So what is the lawyer for? All this type of construction, no matter how "creative" they are, must be authorised beforehand...

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