Hi everyone,
I’m looking for a place to rent long term (in Lisbon). Should I look for a lawyer to read over the contract, once I find a place? Can I ask a realestate agent for help?
For context: I’m going to Lisbon in May to look at appartments, so I’m not worried about getting scammed with false pictures or similar things. I’m just not sure that I will be able to find enough resources online to determine whether a rental contract is fair or not by myself.
Also, if a lawyer is necessary, any recommendations are welcome!
Thank you!
Guusje
Unless it is written in simple to understand language, it’s always sensible to get a professional opinion on the contract to minimise the risk of signing something that could be a problem later!
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Since I moved to Portugal, I personally have never asked a lawyer to review a contract, just as I didn’t in the UK and France. Same for the team.But it’s because we always had contracts with agencies, not directly with the owner. Also, we always visited the flat beforehand.
For the D7 visa, we recommend using a service (it could be ours 
) to verify the flat or the contract.
If you’re interested, I believe we have a contact who can assist you with this.
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Thank you Maxime and Donald! I think you both make a similar point, in a way: use the same common sense in Portugal as usual.
I wouldn’t normally contact a lawyer, because I understand the terminology myself, so I won’t this time either. No need to think of Portuguese contracts as more difficult than others.
Additionally, every contract that I have received in Portugal has been translated from Portuguese to English:
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