You can’t miss them as you travel around Portugal. In almost every town and city, you’ll see beautiful abandoned houses, old farms, manor houses, palaces and even entire apartment buildings.
Some clearly have been empty for generations. Others show more recent signs of abandonment, with boarded-up windows and bricked-up entrances.
So, what happened? How can one of Europe’s hottest destinations contain so many discarded buildings?
There is no single explanation, but there are several factors that help tell the story.
Complicated Inheritances
Portuguese inheritance laws have traditionally made it difficult to resolve the future of some family properties.
Ownership of a house or parcel of land may pass from one generation to the next, with each generation adding more heirs. Eventually, a single property may be divided among many relatives, some of whom may live elsewhere in Portugal or abroad.
No one wants to live in the house, but the family cannot agree about selling or restoring it. Sometimes an heir cannot even be located. With no clear decision—and no one willing to take responsibility for the cost—the property gradually deteriorates.
Rent Control and Neglected City Buildings
Portugal’s long history of urban rent controls also contributed to the deterioration of buildings, particularly in Lisbon and Porto.
For decades, some landlords collected rents that were far too low to cover the cost of maintaining older properties. With little financial incentive—or simply not enough income—to make repairs, owners allowed buildings to decline.
Some hoped eventually to demolish the structures and sell the increasingly valuable land for redevelopment. Stronger historic-preservation rules, changes to rental laws and new rehabilitation programs have altered this situation, but not before many buildings in Portugal’s historic city centers had fallen into serious disrepair.
Migration and a Changing Population
Population movement is another major part of the story.
For much of the 20th century, Portuguese families left rural villages and smaller towns in search of better-paying jobs. Some moved to Lisbon, Porto or other growing urban areas. Many others emigrated to France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Germany, Canada, the United States and elsewhere.
This movement continued as Portugal modernized after the 1974 Carnation Revolution. Families left behind ancestral homes, farms and land that no longer fit their lives.
Some returned every summer or during the holidays and continued caring for the family home. In other cases, those connections weakened over time. The shutters remained closed, the roof began to leak and the property slowly became a ruin.
The Appeal of Modern Homes
Portugal’s modernization in the 1980s and 1990s also changed what people wanted from a home. Many traditional houses were dark, cramped and difficult to heat. They might have had outdated electrical systems, small kitchens, limited plumbing and tiny windows designed for a very different way of life.
Newer houses offered modern wiring, indoor bathrooms, larger kitchens, better access and brighter rooms with wide windows. For families looking toward the future, moving into a modern house often seemed far more appealing than spending heavily to update an old one.
As people moved into newer neighborhoods, many historic centers and traditional villages were gradually left behind.
Can These Buildings Be Saved?
The encouraging answer is that many of Portugal’s abandoned buildings can be restored. The less encouraging answer is that buying and renovating one may be more complicated than it first appears.
A property may not officially be for sale. The local authorities may not know who all the current owners are. Several heirs may need to approve a sale, and the legal boundaries or registration records may not be completely clear.
Even when you find a property at an attractive price, the work ahead can be considerable. Turning a ruin back into a comfortable home may require:
- A completely new roof
- Modern electrical wiring
- New plumbing and drainage
- Structural reinforcement
- Replacement doors and windows
- Insulation and climate control
- Access to water and power
- Planning approval and historic-preservation reviews
Construction does cost less in Portugal than in some other countries, but a major restoration still does not come cheaply.
Rebuilding a rural ruin can be even more challenging. A beautiful countryside property may lack reliable access to water, electricity, sewer service or even a suitable public road. Those problems need to be investigated before anyone falls too deeply in love with the view. Ask and get answers before you buy a ruin. And be sure that all heirs have agreed to sell.
Portugal Is Rebuilding—Bit by Bit
As you travel around Portugal and notice these abandoned buildings, remember that you are looking at the physical record of an ancient country that experienced enormous social and economic change within just a two generations.
People emigrated. Families grew and scattered. Traditional industries disappeared. Historic neighborhoods emptied as residents pursued more modern and comfortable lives elsewhere. The buildings left behind became the quiet testiments to those changes.
Today, many are being rediscovered and restored as homes, hotels, restaurants and community spaces. Historic centers that seemed forgotten only a few decades ago are slowly coming back to life. Rising prices have pushed many to sell.
The transformation is happening bit by bit. Portugal is not there yet, but across the nation, old buildings are finding new purposes as Portugal continues rebuilding itself for the future.
