Property Purchase in Lagos

Lagos, the old harbour town at the western end of the Algarve, has a large foreign community, much of it from northern Europe, and many purchases there are second homes: a townhouse inside the town walls, an apartment near the marina, a villa on the hills around Praia da Luz or Porto de Mós, or a plot inland towards Barão de São João. The legal frame is the same as anywhere in the country (see buying a property in Portugal), but the coast and the tourist market around Lagos raise their own questions.

How a purchase usually goes in Lagos

The ownership record is held by the land registry, the tax record by Finanças, and planning information by the Câmara Municipal de Lagos. Because many sellers live abroad, the CPCV and the deed are often signed under powers of attorney and money moves between foreign and Portuguese accounts; the lawyer makes sure the payment trail matches the deed.

Points that come up in Lagos

• Tourist developments. Some apartments and villas belong to a licensed tourist complex. Owning a unit there can come with rules on letting it through the operator and on sharing running costs, set out in the development's founding document.
• The coast. The cliffs and beaches around Lagos fall under coastal protection plans, and land close to the shore can belong to the public maritime domain. Plans to extend a clifftop villa are checked against them.
• Countryside plots. Inland land is often in the agricultural or ecological reserve, and an old farm building does not always give a right to put up a modern home.
• Additions without a licence. Pools, annexes and enclosed verandas are compared with the licensed plans.
• Holiday letting. Many homes in Lagos are let to visitors; whether that can go on after the sale is checked under the current local accommodation rules (see tourist rental licence application).

How an English-speaking lawyer helps

The lawyer reviews the registry and tax records, the licence of use and any rules of the development, drafts or checks the CPCV, follows the payment of IMT and attends the deed, for an owner abroad under a power of attorney. Selling later is a separate job, see property sale. The Lagos page lists the other legal help available locally.

Questions and answers

Is a lawyer required to buy a villa in Lagos?

The law does not require one, and a notary or a Casa Pronta desk can complete the deed. The notary does not investigate the villa for the buyer, though, and the planning and coastal checks around Lagos are where a lawyer is usually most useful.

What is special about buying an apartment in a resort near Lagos?

The unit may be tied to the running of the resort, with obligations on letting and on shared costs. A lawyer reads the founding document and the management contract before the CPCV.

Can a plot outside Lagos be built on?

It depends on the municipal plan and on whether the land lies in a national reserve. The lawyer asks the council for the planning information before the buyer commits.