Frequently asked questions
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Real Estate Glossary
Navigating the real estate market requires clarity, rigor, and technical expertise. Whether purchasing your next home, maximizing the value of your assets, or managing a lease agreement, encountering legal, tax, and urban planning concepts is an integral part of the process.
To help you make informed and unambiguous decisions, we have compiled the industry's essential terms in this glossary, explained transparently and directly. We decode technical jargon to put expert knowledge right at your fingertips.
A
ADENE (Energy Agency)
National entity responsible for developing energy efficiency policies, supervising, and managing the Building Energy Certification System (SCE) in Portugal.
AIMI (Additional Municipal Property Tax)
Annual tax levied on urban residential properties and building plots when their total taxable value exceeds legally established thresholds.
APARTMENT
Autonomous unit forming part of a building and designated exclusively for independent residential use.
ASSIGNMENT OF CONTRACTUAL POSITION
Legal mechanism permitting the substitution of a party in a contract by a third party, transferring all associated rights and obligations.
AUTONOMOUS UNIT
Independent real estate unit, defined and with separate access to a public thoroughfare or common areas, possessing its own land registry entry and percentage share (permilagem) of common areas.
B
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BUILDING ENVELOPE / FOOTPRINT POLYGON (Polígono de Implantação)
Perimeter defined in urban planning maps within which construction is permitted on a plot.
BUILDING PERMIT (Alvará de Licença de Construção)
Municipal authorization legally sanctioning construction, modification, or expansion works on a building, confirming compliance with urban planning regulations.
C
CEILING HEIGHT (Pé-Direito)
Vertical distance measured between finished floor level and finished ceiling of a room.
COMMON AREAS (Partes Comuns)
Structural elements and shared spaces of a horizontal property building belonging collectively to all unit owners (foundations, roofs, staircases, elevators).
COMPARATIVE MARKET ANALYSIS / CMA (Estudo de Mercado)
Comparative study of properties and transactions in the surrounding area to determine a well-founded market listing price for an asset.
CONDOMINIUM / CO-OWNERSHIP (Condomínio)
Set of privately owned autonomous units and shared common areas within a single building or building complex.
CONDOMINIUM ASSEMBLY (Assembleia de Condóminos)
Deliberative and administrative body of a condominium responsible for decisions regarding management, maintenance, and budget of common areas. Composed of all unit owners and an appointed administrator.
CONDOMINIUM OWNERS (Condóminos)
Owners of autonomous units in a horizontal property regime, co-responsible for managing and maintaining common areas.
