Ministerial Order No. 500/2026/1, of 13 November, was published today, regulating the land registry registration of the encumbrance provided for under Lease Investment Agreements (Contratos de Investimento para Arrendamento – CIA), thereby implementing one of the operational aspects of this regime.

Properties allocated to residential leasing or subleasing under a CIA may only be transferred together with the assignment of the contractual position under the relevant CIA, provided that the assignee meets the applicable eligibility requirements and prior authorisation is obtained from the member of the Government responsible for housing.

This authorisation requirement constitutes an encumbrance subject to land registry registration, which must be registered against all properties and individual units covered by the CIA.

The encumbrance must be registered against all properties and individual units covered by the CIA, including any properties or units subsequently created from them, particularly as a result of the establishment of condominium ownership, land subdivision or parcel separation. The registration shall be carried out by the Institute for Housing and Urban Rehabilitation, I.P. (Instituto da Habitação e da Reabilitação Urbana – IHRU).

The Ministerial Order enters into force tomorrow, 14 November 2026. 

For further information, please contact us at jlp@ccsllegal.com.

[Photograph by: Georgi Kalaydzhiev, available at unsplash.com]