Buying Property in Portugal – Beware!

• Unfortunately there has been a culture in Portugal in recent years of unscrupulous property dealing, that has led to some Portuguese sellers, and buyers from overseas, being cheated of considerable sums of money. The activities of these unlicensed agents have now been made illegal, although they continue to operate and prey on the unwary. If you do business with such agents, and things go wrong, you have no redress under Portuguese law.
  
  In order to protect yourself it is important to take heed of the following advice:
  
  •Only work with estate agents licensed with the Instituto da Construção e do Imobiliário (INCI), in possession of an Identity Card and a genuine and valid licence number. (Some agents have been known to falsify a licence number.) You should always ask to see this number. If in any doubt, take a note of the number and contact INCI who will check it out for you.
  N.B. Websites that state they are licensed companies are not necessarily so – look for their licence number and check it with INCI.
  
  
  •Always meet with an estate agent in their licensed business office. It is illegal for estate agents to operate from bars, their own homes, or anywhere other than an office specifically licensed for the business of real estate. The name of the business should be clearly displayed, and is legally bound to include the words “ Mediação Imobiliária” (denoting the practice of Estate Agency).
  •The estate agent’s office is legally required to have a complaints book - “Livro de Reclamações” clearly visible and accessible. Any complaints recorded in this book have to be forwarded to INCI, by the estate agent, within 5 days of being made. This is an important protection for the customer, and you should check to see that the book is available.
  •Property-finders or “angiadores” are also included in the new legislation. All such property-finders are legally obliged to carry identification cards showing their name, photograph, and the identity of the estate agent’s company for which they work. Property-finders are only legally permitted to work for one estate agent’s company. Any property-finder who does not meet this criteria is operating illegally.
  If you take notice of this advice and follow it, you will be protected in law, and know that you are in safe hands. You can also be assured that the owners of any property you view will be dealt with fairly, and are genuinely offering their property for sale.
  goisproperty.com

  13 Jun 2009, 05:16 Goispro Mediação Imobiliária, Lda AMI 8433

Replies

• Information

  http://www.goisproperty.co.uk/forum-portugal/phpBB3/
  http://www.goisproperty.co.uk/property_Gois/property_for_sale_gois/Buying-property.html
  http://www.inci.pt/Portugues/Mediacao/Paginas/LicencaMediacao.aspx

  Goispro Mediação Imobiliária, Lda 13 Jun 2009, 05:21 - Report