The Owner's Glossary

Área bruta privativa (gross private area)

The surface of the unit or building measured along the outer perimeter of its walls and the axes of the walls separating units, including enclosed private balconies and basements or attics used in the same way as the unit itself.

Área bruta dependente (gross dependent area)

Covered areas for private use with a purpose ancillary to the property's main use: garages, parking spaces, storage rooms, attics or basements unfit for habitation, enclosed balconies and covered terraces.

Área bruta de construção (gross construction area)

The sum of the areas of all floors of a building, above and below ground, measured along the outer perimeter of the walls.

Área útil (net usable area, RGEU)

The sum of the areas of all rooms in a dwelling, including hallways, internal circulation, bathrooms and storage, measured along the inner perimeter of the walls that enclose the dwelling, deducting internal partition walls.

Área útil de pavimento (net floor area, energy certificate)

The sum of the areas of the usable interior spaces, measured in plan along the inner perimeter of the external walls, including internal partition walls.

Área habitável (habitable area)

The sum of the areas of the rooms intended for living proper (bedrooms, living rooms and kitchen), excluding hallways, circulation, bathrooms and storage.

Área de implantação (footprint area)

The ground area occupied by the building, bounded by the outer perimeter of the external walls at ground level.

Área de terreno (plot area)

The total surface of the property, including the area covered by construction and the uncovered area.

Logradouro (private open grounds)

The free land area of an urban property, adjacent to the construction, serving a complementary use such as a garden, yard, patio or access.

€/m² (price per square metre)

An indicator obtained by dividing a property's value by the number of square metres of a given area of that property. The result varies with the area used in the calculation.

Tipologia (typology: T0, T1, T2...)

The classification of dwellings by the letter T followed by the number of bedrooms. The older count by "assoalhadas" adds bedrooms and living rooms together.

Pé-direito (ceiling height)

The clear height measured between the floor and the ceiling of a room.

Exposição solar (solar orientation)

The orientation of a property's façades and openings relative to the cardinal points.

Polígono de implantação (buildable footprint)

The delimitation of the area of a plot within which building is permitted, fixed in a subdivision permit or land-use planning instrument.

Valor patrimonial tributário — VPT (taxable asset value)

The value assigned to each property for tax purposes, determined by the Portuguese Tax Authority under the rules of the Municipal Property Tax Code.

Valor base dos prédios edificados — Vc (base building value)

The component of the VPT calculation corresponding to the average construction cost per square metre, plus the value of the underlying land.

Coeficiente de afetação — Ca (use coefficient)

A coefficient in the VPT calculation reflecting the property's type of use: housing, commerce, services or covered parking, among others.

Coeficiente de localização — Cl (location coefficient)

A coefficient in the VPT calculation reflecting the area where the property is located, resulting from the zoning approved for each municipality.

Coeficiente de qualidade e conforto — Cq (quality and comfort coefficient)

A coefficient in the VPT calculation aggregating features that raise or lower the value, such as a swimming pool, a private garage, the state of repair or the absence of a lift in taller buildings.

Coeficiente de vetustez — Cv (age coefficient)

A coefficient in the VPT calculation reflecting the building's age, counted from the issue of the use permit or the completion of works, decreasing in steps to a legal minimum.

Avaliação bancária (bank appraisal)

A report drawn up by a qualified surveyor at the request of a lender in the context of a mortgage application, determining the property's value for the purposes of the mortgage guarantee.

Caderneta predial (property tax record)

A document issued by the Portuguese Tax Authority containing the property's tax registry details: identification, location, composition, areas, taxable asset value and owners.

Certidão permanente do registo predial (land registry certificate)

A document from the Land Registry attesting the property's description, ownership and all registered charges and encumbrances.

Licença de utilização (use permit)

A title issued by the municipal council attesting that the property meets the conditions for its intended use, such as housing, commerce or services.

Ficha técnica de habitação (housing technical file)

A document describing the property's main technical and functional characteristics, prepared by the developer and deposited with the municipal council.

Certificado energético (energy certificate)

A document issued by a qualified expert under the national energy certification system, classifying the property's energy performance.

Telas finais (as-built drawings)

Drawings depicting the works as actually executed, delivered to the municipal council upon completion of construction.

Plantas do imóvel (property plans)

The drawings held in the licensing file archived at the municipal council.

Licença de Alojamento Local — AL (short-term rental registration)

The registration entitling a property to operate as short-term rental accommodation, with a number issued through the national electronic one-stop desk.

Licença de construção (building permit)

A title issued by the municipal council authorising works subject to prior control, such as construction, extension or alteration.

Obras isentas vs. sujeitas a licenciamento (exempt vs. licensable works)

The legal distinction between works exempt from prior municipal control, such as maintenance and certain interior alterations, and works subject to prior notification or licensing.

Legalização de obras (regularisation of works)

The municipal procedure for regularising works carried out without the required prior control or in breach of what was approved.

Marquise (enclosed balcony)

The enclosure of a balcony or terrace with glazing or framing.

Anexos (annexes / outbuildings)

Secondary constructions serving a use complementary to the main building, such as storage rooms, garages or covered porches, usually located on the grounds.

Alvará de loteamento (subdivision permit)

The title approving a land subdivision operation and fixing the rules for each plot, such as area, purpose, buildable footprint and building parameters.

Prédio urbano, rústico e misto (urban, rustic and mixed property)

The tax classification of properties: urban, covering buildings and building plots; rustic, covering land outside urban areas with agricultural or forestry use or without building capacity; and mixed, with both a rustic and an urban part.

Propriedade horizontal (horizontal property / condominium regime)

The legal regime under which a building is divided into autonomous units that may belong to different owners.

Fração autónoma (autonomous unit)

An independent unit of a building constituted under the horizontal property regime, distinct and separate from the others, with its own exit to a common part of the building or to the public way.

Permilagem (per-mille share)

The relative value of each autonomous unit, expressed as a share per thousand of the building's total value, fixed in the constitutive title of the horizontal property.

Propriedade total (whole ownership)

The situation of a building not constituted under the horizontal property regime, owned in full by one or more holders, even where composed of floors or divisions capable of independent use.

Usufruto e nua-propriedade (usufruct and bare ownership)

A split of the ownership right: the usufructuary holds the right to use and enjoy the property; the bare owner retains the underlying title. Upon extinction of the usufruct, full ownership consolidates in the bare owner.

Compropriedade (co-ownership)

The situation in which two or more persons simultaneously hold the ownership right over the same property, in shares that may be equal or unequal.

Herança indivisa (undivided estate)

The assets of an inheritance not yet partitioned, belonging jointly to all the heirs and administered by the head of the estate (cabeça de casal).

Direito de superfície (surface right)

The right to build or maintain, perpetually or for a period, a construction on another person's land, or to make or maintain plantations on it.

PDM — Plano Diretor Municipal (municipal master plan)

The land-use planning instrument classifying and qualifying the land of the entire municipality, defining what may be built, where and under which conditions.

Índice de construção (building index)

The planning parameter establishing the ratio between the permissible construction area and the plot area.

Cércea (building height limit)

The vertical dimension of a construction, measured from the adjoining ground level to the upper line of the eaves or parapet.

Destaque de parcela (plot detachment)

The separation of a single parcel from a property, exempt from subdivision licensing where it meets the legal requirements. The detached parcel becomes an autonomous property.

REN e RAN (national ecological and agricultural reserves)

Public-interest restrictions that condition or prevent building on the land they cover. A plot's inclusion in these reserves is shown on the constraints maps of the municipal master plan.

Servidão predial (easement)

A burden imposed on one property (the servient) for the exclusive benefit of another property (the dominant) belonging to a different owner, such as easements of passage, of views or of aqueduct. It may arise from contract, adverse possession or court decision.

Imóvel classificado (listed property)

A property classified as a national monument or as being of public or municipal interest under heritage law, becoming subject to a special protection regime. The status of "undergoing classification" produces equivalent effects during the procedure.

Quota de condomínio (condominium fee)

Each owner's contribution to the expenses of maintaining and using the common parts and to services of common interest, as a rule proportional to the unit's per-mille share.

Partes comuns (common parts)

The parts of the building not included in the autonomous units, such as the structure, roof, entrances, stairs, lifts and general installations, owned jointly by all the unit owners.

Regulamento do condomínio (condominium regulations)

The document governing the use, enjoyment and maintenance of the building's common parts.

IMI (annual municipal property tax)

An annual tax levied on the taxable asset value of properties, owed by whoever is the owner on 31 December of each year. Rates are set annually by each municipality within legal limits.

AIMI (additional property tax)

A tax levied on the sum of the taxable asset values of residential properties and building plots held by each owner, on the part exceeding the legal threshold.

IMT e Imposto do Selo (property transfer tax and stamp duty)

IMT, the municipal tax on onerous property transfers, is owed by the buyer upon acquisition. Stamp duty is levied on the transfer of the property.

Mais-valias (capital gains)

The gain obtained on the sale of a property, corresponding to the difference between the sale value and the acquisition value, with the adjustments provided by law, subject to personal income tax.

Ónus e hipoteca (charges and mortgage; distrate)

Charges are the encumbrances weighing on a property and recorded at the land registry. A mortgage is the security interest guaranteeing a loan. The "distrate" is the document issued by the creditor enabling the mortgage's cancellation once the debt is settled.

Penhora e arresto (attachment and preventive seizure)

Judicial seizures registered against the property: the penhora within enforcement proceedings; the arresto as a precautionary measure to secure a claim.

Venda com arrendatário (sale with a sitting tenant)

The sale of a property with a lease in force. The lease transfers to the new owner, who takes over as landlord, and the tenant may hold a statutory right of first refusal under the terms of the law.

Prédio devoluto (vacant property)

An urban property or unit found to be unoccupied under the legal criteria, assessed through indicators such as the absence of contracts or of essential utility consumption. The vacancy declaration triggers increased municipal property tax rates.

Permuta (property exchange)

A contract by which two owners exchange properties, with or without "tornas", the cash compensation for the difference in value between the exchanged assets.

Direito de preferência (right of first refusal)

A statutory or contractual right of certain persons or entities to be preferred in the purchase of a property, on equal terms with third parties. Depending on the case, it may benefit the tenant, co-owners, the municipality or the State.

A — AIMI (additional property tax) · Alvará de loteamento (subdivision permit) · Anexos (annexes / outbuildings) · Área bruta de construção (gross construction area) · Área bruta dependente (gross dependent area) · Área bruta privativa (gross private area) · Área de implantação (footprint area) · Área de terreno (plot area) · Área habitável (habitable area) · Área útil (net usable area, RGEU) · Área útil de pavimento (net floor area, energy certificate) · Avaliação bancária (bank appraisal)

C — Caderneta predial (property tax record) · Cércea (building height limit) · Certidão permanente do registo predial (land registry certificate) · Certificado energético (energy certificate) · Coeficiente de afetação — Ca (use coefficient) · Coeficiente de localização — Cl (location coefficient) · Coeficiente de qualidade e conforto — Cq (quality and comfort coefficient) · Coeficiente de vetustez — Cv (age coefficient) · Compropriedade (co-ownership)

D — Destaque de parcela (plot detachment) · Direito de preferência (right of first refusal) · Direito de superfície (surface right)

E — Exposição solar (solar orientation)

F — Ficha técnica de habitação (housing technical file) · Fração autónoma (autonomous unit)

H — Herança indivisa (undivided estate)

I — IMI (annual municipal property tax) · Imóvel classificado (listed property) · IMT e Imposto do Selo (property transfer tax and stamp duty) · Índice de construção (building index)

L — Legalização de obras (regularisation of works) · Licença de Alojamento Local — AL (short-term rental registration) · Licença de construção (building permit) · Licença de utilização (use permit) · Logradouro (private open grounds)

M — Mais-valias (capital gains) · Marquise (enclosed balcony)

O — Obras isentas vs. sujeitas a licenciamento (exempt vs. licensable works) · Ónus e hipoteca (charges and mortgage; distrate)

P — Partes comuns (common parts) · PDM — Plano Diretor Municipal (municipal master plan) · Pé-direito (ceiling height) · Penhora e arresto (attachment and preventive seizure) · Permilagem (per-mille share) · Permuta (property exchange) · Plantas do imóvel (property plans) · Polígono de implantação (buildable footprint) · Prédio devoluto (vacant property) · Prédio urbano, rústico e misto (urban, rustic and mixed property) · €/m² (price per square metre) · Propriedade horizontal (horizontal property / condominium regime) · Propriedade total (whole ownership)

Q — Quota de condomínio (condominium fee)

R — Regulamento do condomínio (condominium regulations) · REN e RAN (national ecological and agricultural reserves)

S — Servidão predial (easement)

T — Telas finais (as-built drawings) · Tipologia (typology: T0, T1, T2...)

U — Usufruto e nua-propriedade (usufruct and bare ownership)

V — Valor base dos prédios edificados — Vc (base building value) · Valor patrimonial tributário — VPT (taxable asset value) · Venda com arrendatário (sale with a sitting tenant)