On October 23, a decree-law was published in the Diário da República, which establishes that municipalities will now be able to adopt their own administrative regulations that define “the procedures and means of action” for the activity of local accommodation in the respective area.

Considering that the new legal framework “allows families and several cities in Portugal to continue to benefit from tourism, offering guests an affordable accommodation option for traveling”, Airbnb released a statement in which it says it is “available to work with local authorities in creating proportional and gradual rules that take into account the needs of each municipality - or even each neighbourhood”.

In the particular case of Lisbon and Porto, Airbnb offers its “collaboration to develop new rules that protect occasional hosts and preserve local communities, avoiding generic solutions and meeting the needs of each parish or neighbourhood”.

According to data provided by the company, in Lisbon “only six of the 24 parishes have a density of active listings on Airbnb greater than 3%”.

In Porto, “seven of the nine parishes register a ratio of local accommodation in relation to total housing below 3%”, he adds.

Airbnb also recalls the “significant” economic impact of local accommodation, mentioning that, in 2023, the platform's guests in Portugal spent an average of 116 euros per day, generating 2.4 billion euros in revenue and 1.1 billion euros in taxes.

Airbnb claims to have supported “approximately 55,000 jobs in Portugal, in sectors such as restaurants, local commerce, entertainment and events” and says it has raised 63.3 million euros in tourist taxes in Lisbon and Porto.

The Government had already announced its intention to decentralize powers regarding the registration of local accommodation, returning to local authorities the decision to put an end to local accommodation in residential buildings or, alternatively, not to decree the immediate cancellation of the registration of local accommodation and “invite the parties to reach an agreement”.

The new legislation establishes that, in municipalities with more than a thousand local accommodation establishments, “the municipal assembly must expressly decide, within a maximum period of 12 months from the date on which the municipality reaches 1,000 registrations, whether to exercise regulatory power” assigned to him.

In the statement, Airbnb argues that “a national registration system, along with data sharing with authorities, are essential instruments to provide local authorities with the transparency needed to better understand the impact of local hosting activity.”