Several families are losing their rent support because their landlords are forcing them to sign new leases.
Even if they remain in the same home and meet the other requirements for access to the support, tenants lose the subsidy when they are forced to sign a new contract, according to Público, a number of tenants complained to the Consumer Protection Association (Deco).
The extraordinary rent support is automatically aimed at families with effort rates above 35%, with incomes up to the sixth IRS bracket, corresponding to a maximum of 39,791 euros per year in 2024. However, more than 69,000 new rental contracts signed after the deadline - March 15, 2023 - left many families ineligible, regardless of their need.
It's not clear how many of these households will meet the remaining requirements - an effort rate of more than 35% and income up to the sixth IRS bracket.
There will be "more than a hundred requests from families who, despite believing they meet the requirements", do not receive rent support, without "any explanation" for this, Natália Nunes, the coordinator of Deco's financial protection office, told Público. Most of the time it's due to the lack of an agreement with landlords to update rents - a situation that is aggravated by pressure from some landlords to renew contracts under new conditions, which often results in significant rent increases.
Among the multiple complainants, some have been forced out of their homes due to sale or demands from landlords to sign new contracts, thus losing their right to support; others report proposals from landlords that circumvent the rent limits in other support programs, such as Porta 65 - proposals that suggest contracts with declared values lower than the real ones.
"He suggested we set a false rent in the contract, lower, and the rest of the amount was defined as a payment for cleaning services, which I don't have," one tenant, who chose to leave the house, told Público.
Those affected complain of a lack of explanations.
