The Portuguese government has approved a decree-law creating a special procedure for selling properties held in undivided estates when heirs cannot agree on what to do with them.
Minister of the Presidency António Leitão Amaro said the measure aims to bring unused homes and land back onto the market. Citing 2021 Census figures, the government says Portugal has around 485,000 vacant homes, more than half reportedly in good condition.
Under the new rules, a single heir can request a sale once the two-year period has passed without agreement. The government also estimates that 3.4 million rural land plots remain tied up in undivided inheritances, a situation that can leave land unmanaged and raise wildfire risk.