The residents' efforts, which have been going on for months, are intended to determine firm action by the authorities Lisbonwhere housing costs have far exceeded local wages.
“Short-term rentals occupy the vast majority of residential space in Lisbon's historic center,” said Raquel Antunes, a member of the Movement for a Housing Referendum group. “We have to end this situation.”
On Friday, activist groups will submit a petition to the city council chairman. From here, assembly members are required to hold a debate. If they give the referendum the green light, the questions on the ballot would have to be reviewed by courts across the country to see whether they are constitutional.
If approved, the referendum would be held in the first half of next year and would result in a resolution phasing in some 20,000 tourist apartments in the city within six months, as well as banning owners from installing them in residential buildings in the future.
For activists, the referendum will be a glimmer of hope in the context of a housing market where prices have almost doubled since 2015.
(source: AFP)
