🩹 Fresh Paint Won’t Fix This.

Happy 100th edition of The Expat Hustle! 🎉

Guys, you’ve been through a lot with us…

From the emotional breakdowns as my husband endured multiple rounds of lifesaving surgery in the public hospital system, to the never-ending stream of homeless animals finding their way into our lives and bank accounts, and the fear of getting kicked out of the country because a glitch meant we couldn’t renew our daughters residency for over 2 years...

Just a few of the many adventures you’ve been part of over these 100 editions.

It takes a village to raise a newsletter, I’ll tell you that 🙂 Thank you for being here, for opening these emails every Sunday, and for the replies, kindness and encouragement along the way.

I’ve also been very lucky to have the support and collaboration of people and businesses helping expats and international residents make Portugal their home. And one of these partners has taken that support a step further by becoming our main event partner for the destination Christmas experience we’re curating for the Silver Coast international community.

This is none other than Green Ocean Global Advisors. Mark Moberg from Green Ocean is no stranger to this newsletter, having contributed insightful articles and generously given away copies of his new book, The Life Arbitrage, to our readers.

What I’ve appreciated most about Mark is the care he puts into his relationships, well beyond business. It has been a real privilege to have his friendship, and now his generous support alongside his business partner, John McNertney, as we bring a truly magical Christmas experience to life this festive season.

So don’t be shy. Come enjoy an afternoon where you can let your guard down, find an English-speaking community to connect with, and meet us and our partners in person.

And because we have two things to celebrate, our 100th edition and this wonderful partnership, we’re giving away one free entry ticket for every entry ticket you buy (up to 50 tickets) over the next 7 days! Use the code greenocean at checkout and bring your friends along to enjoy live music and food prepared by some of the best chefs in the area.

The offer ends when the first 50 free bonus tickets have been claimed or on Sunday, 15 November, whichever comes first.

Get your tickets here.

And we have one more welcome today! The team at Remodel.pt is joining the Hustle family and sharing seven costly contractor traps to spot before you renovate. If there’s a ruin, a fixer-upper or even a damp bathroom on your wish list, this one could save you a small fortune.

Right, let’s dive in, shall we?

Your next paddle or trail day can take you beyond cell service. Bring a way to keep your people in the loop. 

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Claim my 20% off

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If you've ever stood in a half gutted kitchen wondering where your builder (and your deposit) disappeared to, you're in good company. Renovation horror stories are practically a rite of passage here. 🙈

Truth be told, most local builders are lovely, honest people. The real trouble usually starts with the stuff we don’t know to check. The licence, the fatura, the IVA line, the payment schedule.

And this is where our newest collaborator, Remodel.pt, comes in. Their team helps international property owners find vetted contractors and manage renovations in Portugal, with clearer quotes, staged payments and independent inspections along the way.

For their first article, they’re sharing seven costly contractor traps to watch out for. So before you sign anything or hand over a single euro, give this one a proper read. Maybe even twice.

A big welcome and thank you to the team at Remodel.pt for joining The Expat Hustle family and kicking things off with such a useful guide!

🛠

Portugal is filled with properties that invite renovation.

A traditional townhouse in Porto, an older apartment in Lisbon or a villa near the coast can offer enormous potential. But turning that potential into a finished home is not always straightforward—particularly when you are renovating in an unfamiliar language, navigating local regulations or managing the project from another country.

Most Portuguese contractors are honest professionals. The problem is that foreign property owners can be especially exposed when agreements are informal, quotations are difficult to understand and there is nobody independently checking the work.

The greatest risks rarely begin on the construction site. They usually begin before the first tool is lifted: an unchecked licence, an incomplete quotation, a large deposit or a verbal promise that never makes it into the contract.

Here are seven warning signs every international owner should understand before beginning a renovation in Portugal.

Portuguese law may provide important protections when construction defects affect the safety, stability or intended use of a property. However, those protections are only useful if the company responsible for the work still exists and can be held accountable.

One risk is the so-called “phoenix company”: a business closes after completing several projects and subsequently reappears under a different legal entity. The team, branding and management may look familiar, but the new company may have no responsibility for work contracted through the old one.

Before appointing a contractor, do not look only at photographs and online reviews. Confirm:

A polished social media account is not a substitute for a verifiable company history.

Fresh paint can make an older Portuguese property look transformed. Unfortunately, it can also temporarily conceal water infiltration, rising damp, damaged plaster or cracking.

This is particularly relevant in older buildings and coastal areas, where humidity, inadequate ventilation and ageing waterproofing are common concerns.

Painting over a damp wall may hide the visible symptoms for a short period, but it does not resolve the source of the moisture. Once the property has been occupied—or after the next period of heavy rain—the staining, mould and damaged plaster can return.

The best protection is an independent inspection before walls and ceilings are closed and before the final payment is made. Moisture readings and thermal imaging can help identify problems that are not visible during an ordinary walkthrough.

Remember: a new coat of paint proves that a wall has been painted. It does not prove that the underlying problem has been repaired.

A contractor may offer a lower price if you pay in cash and do not request a formal invoice, known in Portugal as a fatura.

Although the immediate saving may appear attractive, the arrangement can leave you dangerously exposed. Without proper paperwork, it becomes much harder to prove:

Always request a written quotation, contract and invoice trail. Payments should be made to the legal entity named in the contract, not casually transferred to an unrelated company or individual.

Good documentation is not unnecessary bureaucracy. It is the evidence you will need if something goes wrong.

One of the most common renovation disputes starts with a competitively priced quotation and ends with a significantly higher final bill.

Not every price increase is dishonest. Renovating an older property can uncover unsafe wiring, corroded pipes, structural movement or other problems that could not reasonably have been identified before work began.

The important distinction is how those additional costs are managed.

A legitimate change should be documented through a written variation or change order showing:

Be cautious if the contractor completes unapproved work and presents the additional cost afterwards. Once your kitchen has been removed or your property is no longer habitable, your ability to negotiate becomes limited.

Your contract should clearly state that additional work requires written approval.

Deposits are normal in construction, particularly when materials must be ordered in advance. But a large upfront payment without a clear schedule can place almost all the financial risk on the owner.

In some cases, contractors use deposits from new projects to fund labour or materials for earlier jobs. If cash flow becomes strained, your renovation may be repeatedly postponed—or fail to begin at all.

Instead of paying according to dates or informal requests, agree to staged payments connected to measurable progress. For example:

For larger renovations, an architect, engineer or independent inspector should verify each major stage before the next payment is released.

The principle is simple: the amount paid should remain reasonably aligned with the value of the work completed.

A quotation that looks affordable may not include IVA, Portugal’s value-added tax. If the applicable rate is not stated clearly, the final price can be substantially higher than expected.

Some qualifying rehabilitation work may benefit from a reduced IVA rate, depending on the property, location, type of work and current tax rules. Eligibility should never be assumed, however, and tax treatment can depend on the precise circumstances of the project.

Ask the contractor to show:

Avoid quotations that simply say “IVA at the applicable rate” without showing what that means for your total cost. If the difference is material, confirm the correct treatment with a Portuguese accountant or tax adviser before signing.

An alvará is the licence that authorises a contractor to undertake specified categories and values of construction work in Portugal.

Do not assume that a licence number displayed on a website or quotation is current. A licence may have been suspended, may not cover the proposed work or may belong to another company involved somewhere in the subcontracting chain.

The entity named in your contract should match the entity accepting responsibility for the project. Its status can be checked through Portugal’s construction regulator, IMPIC.

Using subcontractors is common and not inherently problematic. What matters is knowing who is contractually responsible, whether the necessary licences are valid and who will stand behind the completed work.

Before committing to a contractor in Portugal:

These steps cannot eliminate every construction risk. They can, however, prevent many of the situations that turn a promising renovation into an expensive dispute.

Foreign owners are not necessarily targeted because they are foreign. They are more exposed because they may be managing a project remotely, communicating in a second language and operating without a trusted local network.

That information gap is where problems develop.

At remodel.pt, we help international property owners find properly vetted contractors and approach renovations with clearer scopes, comparable quotations and stronger oversight. Our process includes licence verification, quote benchmarking, staged payments and independent milestone inspections.

If you are planning a renovation—or considering buying a property that needs work—it is worth investigating the contractor and likely project costs before signing a contract or making the first payment.

Catching a problem before construction begins is considerably easier than trying to recover the money after it has gone wrong.

This article is intended as general information and does not constitute legal, tax or technical advice. For advice concerning a specific contract, dispute or property, consult an appropriately qualified professional in Portugal.

🛠

With thanks to our new partners at Remodel.pt, for sharing their expertise with us.

Planning a renovation or eyeing up a fixer upper? You can reach the team at [email protected].

Thanks for reading! 💌

Hustle on!

Angelique

PS: got an expat friend who's one bureaucratic form away from booking a flight home? Forward this newsletter their way. We're all just trying to figure it out together.