The tough battle of foreign students in the search for housing in Portugal

The articles written by the PÚBLICO Brasil team are written in the variant of the Portuguese language used in Brazil.

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The number of immigrant students in Portugal increased 160% in five years. There are now 140 thousand. This is what the report points out Education at a Glance 2024, which analyzes education systems in different countries and reveals that more and more foreigners are choosing Portuguese higher education institutions to study. Between 2013 and 2022, this proportion increased from 4% to 12%.

Os Brazilians are the majority of registered immigrants in Brazilian educational institutions, whether in primary, secondary or higher education. In the 2022/2023 academic year, 18,859 Brazilians were enrolled in higher education in Portugal, reported the General Directorate of Education and Science Statistics (DGEEC).

With this increase in the number of international students in Brazil, the search for housing in the country’s main university cities has become a challenge. Universities such as Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra and Aveiro attract many foreign students, but the process of finding an affordable room, apartment or place is complicated.

Rent a property in Portugal requires basic documentsfor both local and international students. Owners and real estate agencies usually request the following documents:

> Identification Document: passport or citizen card (for Europeans).

> Proof of Income: The student or their financial guardians must present proof of income. For international students, a guarantor residing in Portugal is often required, which can be an obstacle. Some banks or financial institutions offer rental guarantees or insurance that replace the guarantor.

> Registration Declaration: to confirm student status, especially at universities located in the country’s main cities.

> Security Deposit: Typically, landlords request a deposit of two to three months’ rent as a deposit, to be returned at the end of the contract, provided the property is in the agreed condition.

As many international students do not have access to a guarantor in Portugal, alternatives such as rental insurance have become popular. This insurance, offered by insurance companies and banks, guarantees the payment of rent to the owner in case of default, replacing the requirement for a traditional guarantor. This option reduces the hurdle that many students face when renting property.

There are products with specific rental protection coverage, in an insurance contract, such as complementary or accessory coverage, included within the framework of a more comprehensive insurance product. It is always important to analyze the general conditions of each product to check which one suits your needs. Most insurance products limit coverage to residential leases, although there are policies that also cover commercial leases, as well as sublease contracts.

Crisis by AIMA

To make everything more complicated, the crisis installed in Agency for Migration and Asylum Integration (AIMA) makes students’ lives more difficult. And this happens not only with Brazilians, there are similar records among Angolans, Guyanese and Timorese. The delay in obtaining residence permits (AR) pushes hundreds of students into illegal relationships, such as “off the hook” contracts.

According to Aylton Pahula, president of the Angola Student Association in Portugal (AEAP), the slow process of obtaining ARs directly affects students’ quality of life. “Some end up without housing or without adequate food due to lack of documents. There are reports of colleagues who were evicted because they did not have the necessary documentation to formalize rental contracts or to access university dormitories”, he reveals.

These difficulties often lead students from the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) to look for alternative solutions to stay in Portugal. Some end up accepting informal jobs or underemployment that compromise their academic performance. “We have colleagues who left university to work in precarious conditions, just to be able to support themselves”, laments Pahula.

A common alternative is to negotiate directly with the owner, explaining the student status and proposing the payment of rent in advance as a guarantee. Global furnished rental platforms, such as Uniplaces and Nestpick, can also be a solution for those looking for a property. It is always good to be careful before concluding a contract.

When researching platforms, it is clear that rental prices vary significantly depending on the city and type of accommodation. Recent data indicates that the average price to rent a T1 (one-bedroom apartment) in Lisbon is around 1,100 euros (R$6,600), while a room in a shared residence costs approximately 500 euros (R$3,000) per month. For students who opt for a place in a shared room, the cost can drop to around 350 euros (R$2,100).

In Porto, prices are lower; with a T1 costing, on average, 850 euros (R$5,100), rooms at 450 euros (R$2,700) and spaces for around 300 euros (R$1,800). Coimbra, a historic city known for its university, has even more affordable prices: renting a T1 costs around 600 euros (R$3,600), a room costs 350 euros (R$2,100) and a vacancy can cost 250 euros (R$ 1.5 thousand).

Other smaller university cities, such as Braga and Aveiro, offer more affordable rents. In Braga, the average price of a T1 is 550 euros (R$3,300), a room costs around 300 euros (R$1,800) and a space can be rented for approximately 200 euros (R$ 1.2 thousand). These cities are an alternative for students looking to reduce costs without moving away from large academic centers.

Difficulties

Although Portugal is a popular destination for international students, the country faces a shortage of properties, especially in the most sought-after cities such as Lisbon and Porto, which has led to a sharp rise in prices, directly affecting students who often have limited incomes. .

Owners, upon noticing the growth in demand, increase their demands, which include the need for a guarantor resident in Portugal or the payment of several months of rent in advance. In some cases, students face abrupt removal from their homes when owners ask for the property back before the contract ends, aiming to rent it to tourists on short-term platforms like Airbnb, which offer greater profitability.

Furthermore, many students report that, when finding more affordable accommodation, they face inadequate conditions, such as unheated properties, with infiltration problems or faults in electrical and plumbing installations. This reality is common in cities with high demand and low supply of housing.

University Dormitories

A more affordable alternative for students are university dormitories. However, supply is limited and demand has skyrocketed. Public universities in Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra offer dormitories managed by the institutions’ Social Action Services (SAS), with prices between 150 and 250 euros (R$900 and R$1,500) per month. Students should apply for these positions in advance, as demand often exceeds supply. But this option is highly disputed. This is what Joyce Bernardo, president of the Brazilian Studies Center at the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon, says.

“The lack of places in dormitories and the scarcity of scholarships are constant problems, and many CPLP students find themselves forced to work in precarious situations to guarantee their survival while they fight to legalize their stay in the country. The process of getting a scholarship and a place in a dormitory is already difficult for those who have a residence permit, imagine for those who don’t,” observes Joyce.

To ensure adequate and affordable housing, students can follow some practical tips.

> Start your property search early. Demand for accommodation increases as the start of the academic semester approaches, especially towards the end of summer, and cheaper options tend to fill up quickly.

> Consider sharing the rent with other students. Renting a two or three bedroom apartment (T2 or T3) and sharing the cost between residents can be significantly more economical.

> Explore smaller cities further away from major centers, such as Santarém, Leiria or Funchal, which offer lower rental prices. Transport to universities in nearby cities can be viable and cheaper than living in central areas.

> Negotiate with the owners.

> Check the condition of the property before signing the contract. A detailed inspection can avoid future problems, such as the discovery of structural defects or inappropriate furniture.

Law student at the University of Lisbon, Alessandro Ayres, 32 years old, arrived in Portugal three years ago. At first, he and his wife Adelita Jeolas went to live in the house of one of his relatives. But the desire to have their own space led them to search for an apartment. They rented a property on the Airbnb platform and went to research the market. “The process was very difficult. There are many requirements for renting an apartment in Lisbon. The market is voracious”, says Alessandro. But luck smiled on the couple. The owner of the property rented through the Airbnb platform agreed to enter into a long-term contract with them.

Changes

The decision to leave Brazil and venture into foreign lands is full of challenges and uncertainties. However, for Luciana Rabelo, a 47-year-old Brazilian beautician, this journey has been marked by discoveries and achievements. From Resende, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, to Bragança, in Portugal, she shares her journey, the motivations behind her move and the benefits of living in a smaller city with a lower cost of living.

“I was the administrative and financial director of a Secretariat in Resende. I lived there for 12 years and, although I had a degree in pedagogy, I ended up becoming a hairdresser 10 years ago,” says Luciana. This experience was fundamental to his decision to seek a more specialized training to Europe.

With the aim of further training in the area of ​​beauty, Luciana researched aesthetics and cosmetics courses in Portugal. The options included institutions in Lisbon, Leiria and Bragança. However, the decision was influenced not only by the quality of the courses, but also by the cost of living.

“Lisbon is a very expensive city, while Bragança offered a significantly lower cost of living and the course at the Bragança Polytechnic Institute had an affordable monthly fee,” he explains. In Bragança, Luciana pays 144 euros (R$864) per month for the course, compared to 400 euros (R$2,400) in Lisbon. This significant difference was crucial in choosing the city.

Moving to Bragança brought several advantages, mainly in terms of cost of living. Luciana and her husband Sandro Oliveira, 51, who works from home for insurance clients in Brazil, rented a T3 (three-bedroom apartment) for 425 euros (R$2,550) per month, a fraction of what they would pay in Lisbon. “In Lisbon, a T3 would cost close to 2 thousand euros (R$ 12 thousand). We live in a central area, but without the hustle and bustle of the city center, for a much more affordable price,” she says.

In addition to the cost of living, the quality of life in Bragança has been a positive highlight. “Bragança is extremely welcoming and has a very interesting structure for a city of 36 thousand inhabitants,” says Luciana. The tranquility of the city and the proximity to nature provide an ideal environment for living and working.