According to data from idealista the price of rent rose 16.2% in the last year, and advertisements for houses for rent on idealista received, on average, 34 contacts in the first quarter of 2024, before being withdrawn. However, the number of contacts per advertisement for houses for rent decreased by 33% compared to the same period in 2023.

“These numbers reveal that the pressure of contacts for advertising houses for rent continues to be high, despite having decreased in the first quarter of the year”, says Ruben Marques, spokesperson for idealista. But this reduction in the number of contacts per advertisement “does not indicate that there are fewer families looking for a house to rent, but rather that there are more properties available”, given that the supply of properties on the rental market increased by 55% in 2023. In other words, demand remains high but more distributed. “However, prices remain high and beyond the reach of the majority of Portuguese people”, he also highlights.

Where are people looking to rent?

The Portuguese city where there was the greatest interest in renting a house at the beginning of 2024 was Leiria, recording, on average, 48 contacts per advertisement. Right behind is Portalegre (45), Santarém (43), Setúbal (41), Faro (40), Évora (36), Braga (35), Bragança (34), Lisbon (33) and Coimbra (30). With an average of less than 30 contacts per advertisement for houses for rent, there are the cities of Viseu (29), Vila Real (29), Castelo Branco (28), Aveiro (28) and Viana do Castelo (26).

The city that aroused the least appetite for renting a house was Beja, with an average of 17 contacts per advertisement in the first quarter of 2024, followed by Guarda (20), Funchal (23), Ponta Delgada (25), and Porto (25).