The Porta 65 – Youth Programme is the government’s programme, managed by the Institute for Housing and Urban Rehabilitation (IHRU), to provide financial support to tenants between the ages of 18 and 35. Its aim is to promote the autonomy of young people, rehabilitate run-down urban areas and boost the rental market.
The programme involves the state paying a percentage of the monthly rent for a minimum period of 12 months. The support can last up to 60 months, but in order to receive it again you will have to submit a new application.
There are several requirements to meet in order to apply for the rental programme:
- Be between 18 and 35 years old (exclusive);
- Live or plan to live alone or in a household. If you are applying as a couple, one of you can be up to 34 years old (inclusive) and the other up to 37 years old;
- Hold rental contracts registered on the Finance portal or a promissory rental contract, as specified in Annex VI of Ministerial Order no. 277-A/2010.
Candidates, on the other hand, cannot:
- Benefit from other public subsidies, with the exception of the Rental Support Programme, whose application or use can be accumulated;
- Be relatives of the landlord;
- Owning or renting other properties for residential purposes;
- No debts relating to previous housing support programes.
Applications can be made via the Housing Portal. There are four annual application periods, each with 15 days. In other words, two periods in April, one in September and one in December.
After accessing the Portal, all members of the household or young people living together must log in to the same application in turn. It is also necessary to indicate in the application the article and fraction of the dwelling, the NIB of the bank account to which the support will be transferred and an email address.
The Porta 65 programme brings new features, introduced as part of the Mais Habitação (More Housing) package that came into force last month:
– The application period will now be open continuously and not just four times a year;
– Porta 65 +, a new support scheme with no age limit for families with falling incomes. From now on, single-parent households can apply, as well as families who suffer a drop in income of more than 20 per cent compared to their income in the previous three months or compared to the same period in the previous year. – Applications to Porta 65 will no longer be prioritised according to criteria that have been taken into account until now (such as the income level of applicants or the existence of disabled people), and support will be awarded to those who apply first.
