Guest Accommodation play an important role in the portuguese touristic scene, specially in the Greater Lisbon area. That’s why it’s crucial to know the essential rules that regulate this activity.
1. Are considered Guest Accommodation, those that provide temporary accommodation services to tourists and meet the appropriate legal requirements.
2. There’s Guest Accommodation activity when a property, or fraction thereof, is advertised, offered or intermediary object, in any way, for periods of less than 30 days.
3. To license a Guest Accommodation is necessary to file the registration, through mere prior communication with the city authorities, along with all the required documentation. This registry is not subject to any fees and must be made before the beginning of the establishment operation. The designated Municipality must perform the inspection, within 30 days after submission of prior notice, in order to confirm compliance with the legal requirements. The termination of the operation must be reported within 60 days.
4. There are three arrangements for Guest Accommodation: the House (independent single-family building), the Apartment (autonomous fraction of a building or part of urban building) and the Establishment Hosting, whose accommodation units consist on rooms.
5. The maximum capacity for a Guest Accommodation is nine rooms and thirty users (except for Hostels that have no capacity limit).
6. Guest Accommodation must provide adequate hygiene and function conditions, be fully furnished and equipped with appropriate tools, and must meet all the mandatory privacy and security requirements.
7. Guest Accommodation establishments must have a complaints book in the terms and conditions established in its legal framework, and its activity monitored by ASAE.
This article is not intended to serve as legal advice and your reading does not dispense with a detailed consultation of Decree-No. 128/2014, taking effect on 27th November 2014 and amended by Decree-No. 63/2015.