Almost Official

Getting our Habitation License

I am writing this on Wednesday, the 22nd of May. We just returned from a lawyer’s office. I didn’t realize this step was necessary … but it appears it is. It is just one of the many steps over the 9 months we have been waiting to get our habitation license.

Playing Catch Up

Let me apologize to my long-term readers … I feel obligated to provide a quick review as I have had a spike in new readers (WELCOME AND THANKS FOR SUBSCRIBING!) We purchased a former union hall in November 2021. We worked with an architect and engineers which resulted in the granting of our building permit in May 2022.¹ Construction was supposed to take 12 months…but it took 14. Then we learned Reinaldo had not turned on the air conditioner (actually, he hadn’t even bought the compressor) pushing back our move-in date by 10 days. (Reinaldo surprised us again when we learned he hadn’t completed the installation of the underfloor heating … he finally finished the job in November.) However, we have been living in our home since August 2023 without the US equivalent of a “Certificate of Occupancy” (Licença de Habitação in Portugal).

My architect commented that technically we were not supposed to live in the house. I asked her if someone would try to remove us from the property. She said, “Probably not.” I shrugged and we moved in.²

Various inspection reports.

So What Took So Long?

So why did it take us 9 months to get to this point? First, you must dismiss August and December…nobody really works every week during those two months. Also, we weren’t hounding our architect to get it done. We don’t expect to need the license until we sell the house which will be after we are both dead. 🤞

There are also a few inspections that had to be completed. One determines how energy efficient your house is (a thermal study) and determines the Energy Rating your house is assigned.³ Another is an acoustic study that determines how much street noise comes in, and how much house noise goes out.⁴ There is also an internet inspection and an electrical inspection. What I find odd about the latter is that all the walls are closed when that inspection is done. So yes, you can check the circuit box and that the correct outlets are installed…but is that enough?

I can’t wait until this box is removed.

Also under the category of odd was the gas inspection.⁵ Odd because there aren’t gas appliances in the house because gas isn’t available from the street. However, the building code says you must have the ability to have gas even if you don’t have gas. You must also have a rather ugly box by the front door and annoying knob in the kitchen.⁶ (My builder has promised to remove both, repair the plaster, and paint once the inspection is done, and when “his guys are available”. We’re waiting.)

A bulky metal knob on a wall in the kitchen.

Also of note: at no point was there an inspection that we built what is in the project plan.

• The project plan shows bidets (because they were required … we don’t have bidets, using handheld sprays instead).

• We built a sliding glass door to retract inside a wall … not on the original plan.

• The project plan shows a skylight in the middle of the bathroom, it is installed above the shower.

I was told to save the Blue Book and all reports for when we sell the house.

Final Steps

About 4 weeks ago I got a text from my architect saying she wanted to close out the project. “I do too and I have sent you all the reports that I think are required,” I replied. She confirmed she had the reports but needed the “Blue Book” which was in the possession of our builder. It took nearly 4 weeks for the two of them to coordinate their schedules to hand her the Blue Book.⁷ Two days later, she and I went to the câmara building department and handed in the documents and CD she had prepared. The next day they emailed me to say they had forgotten to charge me the full fee for the 2-month building license extension. I quickly walked over with my MultiBanco card in hand.⁸ A few days later, an email arrived with the Licença de Habitação.

I had been told I had to take it to Finanças so they could determine our future real estate tax rate. I did and was turned away. I think he said, “I don’t need this.” I walked back to the building department to ask if the document I had was what I thought it was. I think I was told, “Yes, take it along with the Project Plan to Finanças”.⁹

I texted Ana, our architect. She said, “Now you must get your lawyer to finalize the document atuon at Finanças and Conservatório.” Pay a lawyer? I didn’t know I needed to pay a lawyer. But alas we will. We will pay him to register the property at the Conservatório; then walk to Finanças where they will do math-magic to determine our future real estate taxes. But we aren’t worried. Real estate taxes are very affordable here and lawyers are too.

As coisas que aprendemos, beijinhos

Nanc

1. If you want more details and to view photos from the build check our Renovation Project. Please note: the architect and engineers caused most of the delays. The câmara took less than 3 weeks at each stage of the process.

2. This would not have been possible if we had been buying with a mortgage. Mortgage companies typically won’t close and transfer funds without a Habitation License. For example: we considered a lovely 3/2 apartment overlooking the river. When we toured the property it was 100% complete but the developer told us he was waiting for the Licença de Habitaçǎo. Because of some dispute related to the size of the balconies, the building sat empty for over 12 months.

3. Our house is A-rated. To get to A+ we would have to install more solar panels. Unfortunately, our neighbor installed a tall privacy fence alongside the area where we intended to put panels. The fence shades that area of our rooftop for a large part of the day. As such, instead of 9 photovoltaic panels and one for water, we have 2 photovoltaic and one for water.

4. You pay third-party engineers for both of these studies. In our case, another 947,41€.

5. I think he finally showed up in March.

6. My long-term readers know I am a clean-lines, no-clutter freak. The fact that that ugly door might be the first thing you see when you walk in the front door drives me nuts! The size of a knob that does nothing in our kitchen also causes me to twitch. Yes, I know … First-world problems, don’t sweat the small stuff.

7. The Blue Book is supposed to be annotated and signed by the Health & Safety Inspector and the Fiscalization Officer during each on-site visit. Our builder kept it at home so it was created the morning we waited for the câmara to open. Scribble a date and a few comments, sign then repeat. And note: had she told me she needed the book, I could have gotten it (I pass him in town regularly) and driven it to her office.

8. I have concluded that the final review is to ensure you paid all the fees along the way.

9. I write “I think he or she said” because these exchanges were spoken entirely in Portuguese.