{"id":5943,"date":"2026-11-10T16:37:07","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T16:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tiagorcorreia.com\/restore-alentejo-farmhouse\/"},"modified":"2026-11-12T14:49:09","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T14:49:09","slug":"restore-alentejo-farmhouse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tiagorcorreia.com\/en\/restore-alentejo-farmhouse\/","title":{"rendered":"Restoring an Alentejo farmhouse (monte): what you can and cannot do"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"trc-art-meta\"><span><strong>Investment<\/strong><\/span><span>8 min read<\/span><span>Updated November 2026<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Anyone looking for a <strong>monte (a traditional Alentejo farmhouse) to restore<\/strong> looks first at the walls and the price. What decides the deal is what the law lets you do with that building. A monte on rustic land can, as a rule, be restored; how much it can grow and what it can become depend on three checks: whether the building exists legally, what the municipal PDM (master plan) allows in that land-use category, and whether the land lies in the National Agricultural Reserve (RAN) or the National Ecological Reserve (REN).<\/p>\n<div class=\"media\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/trc-recuperar-monte-alentejano.webp\" alt=\"Alentejo monte restored in the Comporta style: the whitewashed house with its chimney linked to new gable-roofed volumes by a reed-covered porch, among stone pines and sand\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" fetchpriority=\"high\"><\/div>\n<p>This guide is for anyone about to buy a monte that already exists: to restore it, extend it, legalise it or change its use. To build from scratch on rustic land, see what <a href=\"\/en\/land-law-housing-rustic-land\/\">the Land Law allows<\/a>. We cite the RJUE (Portugal&#8217;s legal regime for urbanisation and building) as amended by Decree-Law no. 108\/2026, in force since 1 October 2026, and two Alentejo PDMs as examples.<\/p>\n<div class=\"trc-art-summary\"><span class=\"trc-art-label\">The essentials in 30 seconds<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"list\">\n<li><strong>First, the legality of what exists.<\/strong> What counts is the &#8220;last valid antecedent&#8221;: the last licensed works or the construction that, when it was built, did not need a permit.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Conservation and reconstruction are exempt from a permit; an extension on rustic land needs one<\/strong> (RJUE, arts. 6 and 4).<\/li>\n<li><strong>An extension must comply with today&#8217;s PDM.<\/strong> The protection of existing buildings covers reconstruction and alteration, not extension.<\/li>\n<li><strong>RAN and REN come before the PDM.<\/strong> They only allow the uses the law lists.<\/li>\n<li><strong>&#8220;Approved project&#8221; in a listing is no guarantee:<\/strong> approvals and permits lapse if the RJUE deadlines are not met.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Before buying: eight checks<\/h2>\n<p>The general buying steps are in <a href=\"\/en\/before-buying-plot-ten-steps\/\">how to buy a plot of land<\/a>. For a monte, add these, in this order; the following sections explain why.<\/p>\n<div class=\"trc-diagram\"><span class=\"trc-art-label\">Before buying a monte<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:18px 20px;\">\n<div style=\"flex:1 1 200px;border-top:2px solid var(--trc-ink);padding:14px 0 6px;\">\n<p style=\"font-size:11px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:1.6px;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--trc-soft);margin:0 0 8px;\">01<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:17px;line-height:1.25;font-weight:600;color:var(--trc-ink);margin:0 0 6px;\">Registry and tax record<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.45;color:var(--trc-soft);margin:0;\">Permanent land registry certificate and caderneta predial (tax record): urban and rustic tax entries and recorded areas. They prove what is recorded, not that the house was licensed<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"flex:1 1 200px;border-top:1px solid var(--trc-line);padding:14px 0 6px;\">\n<p style=\"font-size:11px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:1.6px;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--trc-soft);margin:0 0 8px;\">02<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:17px;line-height:1.25;font-weight:600;color:var(--trc-ink);margin:0 0 6px;\">Planning file<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.45;color:var(--trc-soft);margin:0;\">The building&#8217;s municipal planning file or, if there is none, proof of the date of construction<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"flex:1 1 200px;border-top:1px solid var(--trc-line);padding:14px 0 6px;\">\n<p style=\"font-size:11px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:1.6px;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--trc-soft);margin:0 0 8px;\">03<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:17px;line-height:1.25;font-weight:600;color:var(--trc-ink);margin:0 0 6px;\">Survey<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.45;color:var(--trc-soft);margin:0;\">Footprint and construction area of each building, annexes and porches included<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"flex:1 1 200px;border-top:2px solid var(--trc-ink);padding:14px 0 6px;\">\n<p style=\"font-size:11px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:1.6px;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--trc-soft);margin:0 0 8px;\">04<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:17px;line-height:1.25;font-weight:600;color:var(--trc-ink);margin:0 0 6px;\">PDM<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.45;color:var(--trc-soft);margin:0;\">Land-use category and the article that governs existing buildings in that category<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"flex:1 1 200px;border-top:1px solid var(--trc-line);padding:14px 0 6px;\">\n<p style=\"font-size:11px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:1.6px;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--trc-soft);margin:0 0 8px;\">05<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:17px;line-height:1.25;font-weight:600;color:var(--trc-ink);margin:0 0 6px;\">Constraints<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.45;color:var(--trc-soft);margin:0;\">RAN, REN, Natura 2000, wildfire hazard, watercourses and easements<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"flex:1 1 200px;border-top:1px solid var(--trc-line);padding:14px 0 6px;\">\n<p style=\"font-size:11px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:1.6px;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--trc-soft);margin:0 0 8px;\">06<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:17px;line-height:1.25;font-weight:600;color:var(--trc-ink);margin:0 0 6px;\">Use<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.45;color:var(--trc-soft);margin:0;\">Whether the category allows the intended use (housing, rural tourism, local accommodation) and within what limits<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"flex:1 1 200px;border-top:2px solid var(--trc-ink);padding:14px 0 6px;\">\n<p style=\"font-size:11px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:1.6px;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--trc-soft);margin:0 0 8px;\">07<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:17px;line-height:1.25;font-weight:600;color:var(--trc-ink);margin:0 0 6px;\">Infrastructure<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.45;color:var(--trc-soft);margin:0;\">Water source, sewage solution and access for emergency vehicles<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"flex:1 1 200px;border-top:1px solid var(--trc-line);padding:14px 0 6px;\">\n<p style=\"font-size:11px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:1.6px;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--trc-soft);margin:0 0 8px;\">08<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:17px;line-height:1.25;font-weight:600;color:var(--trc-ink);margin:0 0 6px;\">Titles<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.45;color:var(--trc-soft);margin:0;\">If the listing mentions an approved project or a permit: file number, status and deadlines, confirmed with the municipality<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>If the room for manoeuvre is uncertain, a prior information request (PIP) can be filed before the deed by any interested party, even one who is not the owner; the municipality notifies the owner (RJUE, art. 14(1), (3) and (4)). If the answer is favourable and covers all the elements of art. 14(2), the works are then exempt from a permit (arts. 6(1)(h) and 17(2)). See the guide to the <a href=\"\/en\/prior-information-request-pip-portugal\/\">prior information request<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Does the monte exist legally?<\/h2>\n<p>Everything you can do with a monte depends on what the law recognises as existing. The RJUE calls it the &#8220;last valid antecedent&#8221; (\u00faltimo antecedente v\u00e1lido): the last valid and effective urban development operation or, where there was no planning file, the operation that, at the date it was carried out, did not require a title (art. 2(r)). Reconstruction is measured against it.<\/p>\n<p>The protection of existing buildings is set out in article 60. Buildings constructed under earlier law are not affected by later rules, and reconstruction or alteration works cannot be refused on the basis of those rules, provided they do not create or worsen non-conformities, or provided they improve safety and health conditions. The article says nothing about extension. A monte larger than the PDM would allow today can be rebuilt with the area it has; whatever is added to it must comply with the plan in force.<\/p>\n<div style=\"border-left:3px solid var(--trc-ink);padding:6px 0 6px 18px;margin:22px 0;\">\n<p style=\"font-size:11px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:1.6px;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--trc-soft);margin:0 0 8px;\">The &#8220;pre-1951&#8221; myth<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:15.5px;line-height:1.55;color:var(--trc-ink);margin:0;\">The law sets no such date. 1951 is the year of the RGEU (General Regulation on Urban Buildings, Decree-Law no. 38 382 of 7 August), which originally applied within the urban perimeter and the rural protection zones of municipal seats and of localities with an urbanisation plan; outside them, only where the municipality extended it by resolution (art. 1 and sole paragraph). What counts is whether, at the date and in the place of construction, the works needed a permit. Whoever invokes the date has to prove it: in a legalisation, the law places that burden of proof on the applicant (RJUE, art. 102-A(5)).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Restore, extend or legalise: what each type of works requires<\/h2>\n<p>The RJUE classifies works by their result (art. 2), and that classification decides whether a permit is needed. The table sums up the regime on rustic land outside a detailed plan (plano de pormenor), the typical situation of a monte.<\/p>\n<div style=\"overflow-x:auto;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch;margin:20px 0 8px;\">\n<table style=\"width:100%;min-width:560px;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:15px;line-height:1.45;margin:0;\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;background:var(--trc-oatmeal);color:var(--trc-ivory);font-weight:600;\">Works<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;background:var(--trc-oatmeal);color:var(--trc-ivory);font-weight:600;\">What it is<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;background:var(--trc-oatmeal);color:var(--trc-ivory);font-weight:600;\">Prior control<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">Conservation<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">Keeping the building as it was: restoration, repair, cleaning<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">Exempt (art. 6(1)(a))<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">Interior alteration<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">Without touching fa\u00e7ades, roofs or heights<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">Exempt; if it affects the structure, with a project and a statement of responsibility (point (b))<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">Reconstruction<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">Demolishing and restoring the fa\u00e7ades and roof according to the last valid antecedent<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">Exempt (point (e))<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">Exterior alteration or extension<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">Changing fa\u00e7ades; increasing area, volume or height<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\"><strong>Permit<\/strong> (art. 4(2)(c))<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">Legalisation<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">Regularising what was built without a title<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">Specific procedure (art. 102-A)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>The exemption does not waive compliance with the PDM, easements and public-interest restrictions or technical standards (art. 6(8)), and exempt works start with the notice of commencement of works (art. 80-A). Prior notification is reserved for consolidated urban areas and for areas covered by a detailed plan, an execution unit or a subdivision (art. 4(4)); in RAN, REN or under another public-interest restriction, the works require a permit (art. 4(2)(h)). The general criterion is in the article on <a href=\"\/en\/planning-permission-or-prior-notification\/\">permit or prior notification<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Legalisation is only possible if the building can comply with the rules in force today, PDM included (art. 102-A(1)). Technical building standards that have become impossible or unreasonable to meet may be waived, if those in force at the date of the works were met (para. 5). An addition the PDM does not allow cannot be legalised: it is demolished, and that should be reflected in the price.<\/p>\n<h2>How much you can extend: the municipal PDM decides<\/h2>\n<p>There is no single Alentejo rule: each PDM has its own article for existing buildings on rustic land. Two examples, from the texts in force.<\/p>\n<h3>Gr\u00e2ndola<\/h3>\n<p>The PDM requires the recovery of existing buildings to be favoured (art. 40(5)). Reconstruction, alteration and extension follow the regime for new buildings of the same use, without the requirement that the applicant be a farmer (art. 42(2)). For housing, the parameters of art. 43 apply: up to 500 m\u00b2 of construction area, one storey and a fa\u00e7ade up to 3.5 m, with narrow exceptions. On plots under 4 ha (2 ha in Carvalhal and Melides), the extension of all the residential buildings together cannot exceed 250 m\u00b2 of construction area in total (art. 42(3)). If the monte already has more area than the maximum, that area becomes the one that counts (art. 42(4)(a)).<\/p>\n<p>In the same municipality, the room for manoeuvre changes with the zone: in the zone of high tourist pressure, new tourism developments are only allowed in the form of a campsite (arts. 47(2) and 48-A(1)); and outside urban land and rural settlements, building houses or tourism buildings is forbidden on land with high or very high wildfire hazard (art. 10(1)).<\/p>\n<h3>\u00c9vora<\/h3>\n<p>In agricultural and forest areas, the \u00c9vora PDM allows the conservation, alteration and extension of existing buildings used for housing, subject to the rules of each subcategory, with a fa\u00e7ade height, as a rule, of up to 4.5 m (art. 82(1) and (2)). For tourism, an extension for a country house (casa de campo), agritourism or manor-house tourism (turismo de habita\u00e7\u00e3o) cannot exceed 50% of the pre-existing legally built footprint (art. 78-C(4)(b)).<\/p>\n<p>Note the words &#8220;legally built&#8221;: the area that counts is the one that legally exists.<\/p>\n<h2>RAN and REN: the constraints plan comes first<\/h2>\n<p>The PDM zoning plan gives the land-use category; the constraints plan shows the restrictions laid over it. For a monte, start with the latter.<\/p>\n<p>RAN areas are <em>non aedificandi<\/em>, and building or extending in them is forbidden, except for the uses the law lists (Decree-Law no. 73\/2009, arts. 20 to 22). Two matter for a monte: the reconstruction and extension of existing buildings that were, and remain, intended as the owner&#8217;s own home, and rural tourism and manor-house tourism developments complementary to farming (art. 22(1)(n) and (g)). Only where there is no viable alternative outside the RAN, and with a prior binding opinion from the regional RAN body (arts. 22 and 23).<\/p>\n<p>In the REN, construction and extension works are forbidden (Decree-Law no. 166\/2008, art. 20(1)). Only uses listed in Annex II of the decree that do not compromise the functions of that area are allowed, either exempt or subject to prior notification to the CCDR, the regional coordination and development commission (arts. 20(3) and 22). The answer depends on the REN type and cannot be generalised.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background:var(--trc-oatmeal);padding:22px 24px;margin:22px 0;\">\n<p style=\"font-size:11px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:1.6px;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--trc-ivory);margin:0 0 8px;\">Before the deed<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:16px;line-height:1.55;color:var(--trc-ivory);margin:0;\">If you are assessing a monte, <a href=\"\/en\/landscope\/\" style=\"color:var(--trc-ivory);text-decoration:underline;\">LANDSCOPE<\/a> cross-checks the caderneta with the PDM, the constraints plan, the RAN and the REN, and tells you what can be done before you sign.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Housing, rural tourism or local accommodation<\/h2>\n<p>The use you want to give the monte changes the applicable law, the requirements and who decides.<\/p>\n<div style=\"overflow-x:auto;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch;margin:20px 0 8px;\">\n<table style=\"width:100%;min-width:560px;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:15px;line-height:1.45;margin:0;\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;background:var(--trc-oatmeal);color:var(--trc-ivory);font-weight:600;\">Use<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;background:var(--trc-oatmeal);color:var(--trc-ivory);font-weight:600;\">Law<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align:left;vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;background:var(--trc-oatmeal);color:var(--trc-ivory);font-weight:600;\">Key condition for a monte<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">Housing<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">RJUE and PDM<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">Use allowed in the land-use category; after the works, the use is authorised by prior notification (RJUE, art. 62-A)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">Country house or agritourism (TER, rural tourism)<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">DL 39\/2008 (RJET, the tourism developments regime), art. 18; Portaria 937\/2008<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">Reconstruction, rehabilitation or extension of existing buildings; agritourism requires a working farm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">Rural hotel (TER)<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">RJET, art. 18(7)<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">Can be set up in an existing building or in one built from scratch<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">Manor-house tourism<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">RJET, art. 17; Portaria 937\/2008, art. 2<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">Old property of architectural, historic or artistic value; the owner or operator lives there while it operates<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">Local accommodation (alojamento local), detached house<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">DL 128\/2014, as amended by DL 76\/2024<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top;padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.12);\">Use permit or valid title; up to 9 bedrooms and 27 guests<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>Rural tourism is designed for the monte: the RJET defines it by the reconstruction, rehabilitation or extension of existing buildings and applies the RJUE protection of existing buildings to it (art. 18(1) and (9)); it is the municipality that sets the capacity and classification of TER, except rural hotels, and of manor-house tourism (art. 22(2)). For the modalities, see <a href=\"\/en\/rural-tourism-portugal-modalities-rules\/\">rural tourism<\/a>. Local accommodation looks like the short cut, but the registration notice must state the use permit or a valid title (DL 128\/2014, art. 6(1)(a)): a monte without a title starts with the planning side. The choice is set out in <a href=\"\/en\/local-accommodation-or-tourism-development-portugal\/\">local accommodation or tourism development<\/a>; to budget the works, <a href=\"\/en\/cost-build-house-2026-portugal\/\">how much it costs to build a house<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"trc-art-faq\"><span class=\"trc-art-label\">Frequently asked questions<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Can I extend an Alentejo monte?<\/h3>\n<p>It depends on the municipal PDM and the land-use category. On rustic land an extension requires a permit and must comply with the plan in force, because the protection of existing buildings in art. 60 of the RJUE does not cover it.<\/p>\n<h3>The listing says &#8220;with approved project&#8221;. What does that guarantee?<\/h3>\n<p>Only what is still valid at the municipality. After the architectural project is approved, the engineering projects must be submitted within six months, extendable once by three; if they are not, the process is suspended and, six months later, it is declared to have lapsed (RJUE, art. 20(4) to (6)). A permit lapses if the fees are not paid within one year, if the works do not start within the 12 months following payment, or if they are halted or abandoned for more than six months (art. 71(2) and (3)). A favourable prior information request is valid for two years (art. 17(5)). Ask for the file number and confirm the status and deadlines before paying for it.<\/p>\n<h3>Does a house built before 1951 need a permit?<\/h3>\n<p>The law sets no such date. What counts is whether, when and where it was built, the works needed a permit: the 1951 RGEU originally applied in urban perimeters and in areas where the municipality extended it. Whoever invokes the date has to prove it.<\/p>\n<h3>Can I turn a monte into rural tourism?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes, if the PDM allows that use in the land-use category: the country house and agritourism start precisely from existing buildings (RJET, art. 18). In RAN, only when complementary to farming.<\/p>\n<h3>Can I run local accommodation in a monte?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes, if the monte has a use permit or a valid use title. The maximum capacity is 9 bedrooms and 27 guests (DL 128\/2014, art. 11), and it is worth reading the municipal local accommodation regulation, if there is one.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"trc-lead\" id=\"pedido\"><span class=\"trc-lead-kicker\">Request a proposal<\/span><h3 class=\"trc-lead-title\">Looking at a monte to buy?<\/h3><p class=\"trc-lead-text\">Send us the listing or the caderneta predial and the location. We will tell you what the PDM allows, what can be legalised and which route to take, before the deed.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wpcf7 no-js\" id=\"wpcf7-f5817-o1\" lang=\"en-US\" dir=\"ltr\" data-wpcf7-id=\"5817\">\n<div class=\"screen-reader-response\"><p role=\"status\" aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\"><\/p> <ul><\/ul><\/div>\n<form action=\"\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5943#wpcf7-f5817-o1\" method=\"post\" class=\"wpcf7-form init wpcf7-acceptance-as-validation\" aria-label=\"Contact form\" novalidate=\"novalidate\" data-status=\"init\">\n<fieldset class=\"hidden-fields-container\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7\" value=\"5817\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_version\" value=\"6.2.5\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_locale\" value=\"en_US\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_unit_tag\" value=\"wpcf7-f5817-o1\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_container_post\" value=\"0\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_posted_data_hash\" value=\"\" \/>\n<\/fieldset>\n<div class=\"trc-lf\">\n<div class=\"trc-lf-row\"><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"your-name\"><input size=\"40\" maxlength=\"400\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text wpcf7-validates-as-required\" autocomplete=\"name\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" placeholder=\"Name*\" value=\"\" type=\"text\" name=\"your-name\" \/><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"trc-lf-row\"><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"your-contact\"><input size=\"40\" maxlength=\"400\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text wpcf7-validates-as-required\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" placeholder=\"Email or phone*\" value=\"\" type=\"text\" name=\"your-contact\" \/><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"trc-lf-row trc-lf-msg\"><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"your-message\"><textarea cols=\"40\" rows=\"3\" maxlength=\"2000\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-textarea wpcf7-validates-as-required\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" placeholder=\"What you need and where* (e.g. a house on a plot in Sintra)\" name=\"your-message\"><\/textarea><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"trc-consent\"><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"gdpr-consent\"><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-acceptance\"><span class=\"wpcf7-list-item\"><label><input type=\"checkbox\" name=\"gdpr-consent\" value=\"1\" aria-invalid=\"false\" \/><span class=\"wpcf7-list-item-label\">I have read and accept the <a href=\"\/en\/privacy-policy\/\">Privacy Policy<\/a><\/span><\/label><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"trc-lf-actions\"><input class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-submit has-spinner trc-lf-btn\" type=\"submit\" value=\"Request a proposal\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><span class=\"trc-hp\" aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"position:absolute!important;left:-10000px!important;width:1px!important;height:1px!important;overflow:hidden!important;\"><label>Website <input type=\"text\" name=\"_trc_url\" value=\"\" tabindex=\"-1\" autocomplete=\"off\"><\/label><\/span><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_trc_t\" value=\"\"><div class=\"wpcf7-response-output\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"trc-lead-alt\">Prefer to talk now? <a href=\"tel:+351918660664\">+351 918 660 664<\/a><span aria-hidden=\"true\"> \u00b7 <\/span><a href=\"mailto:geral@tiagorcorreia.com\">geral@tiagorcorreia.com<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"trc-src\">Official sources: <a href=\"https:\/\/diariodarepublica.pt\/dr\/detalhe\/decreto-lei\/108-2026-1128002421\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Decree-Law no. 108\/2026 (RJUE republished)<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/diariodarepublica.pt\/dr\/legislacao-consolidada\/decreto-lei\/1999-34563175\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RJUE, consolidated version<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/diariodarepublica.pt\/dr\/detalhe\/decreto-lei\/38382-1951\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RGEU, Decree-Law no. 38 382<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/diariodarepublica.pt\/dr\/detalhe\/decreto-lei\/73-2009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Decree-Law no. 73\/2009 (RAN)<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/diariodarepublica.pt\/dr\/detalhe\/decreto-lei\/166-2008\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Decree-Law no. 166\/2008 (REN)<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/diariodarepublica.pt\/dr\/legislacao-consolidada\/decreto-lei\/2008-34454775\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Decree-Law no. 39\/2008 (RJET)<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/diariodarepublica.pt\/dr\/detalhe\/portaria\/937-2008\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Portaria no. 937\/2008<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/diariodarepublica.pt\/dr\/legislacao-consolidada\/decreto-lei\/2014-56917875\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Decree-Law no. 128\/2014 (consolidated version)<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/files.diariodarepublica.pt\/1s\/2024\/10\/20600\/0000300031.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Decree-Law no. 76\/2024<\/a> \u00b7 Gr\u00e2ndola PDM, Declara\u00e7\u00e3o no. 24\/2026\/2 \u00b7 \u00c9vora PDM, Aviso no. 21372\/2025\/2.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Buying an Alentejo farmhouse (monte) to restore? What you can extend or legalise, RAN and REN, rural tourism or AL, and what an approved project is worth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5933,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[122],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-estate-investment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tiagorcorreia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tiagorcorreia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tiagorcorreia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tiagorcorreia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tiagorcorreia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5943"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tiagorcorreia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5943\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6024,"href":"https:\/\/tiagorcorreia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5943\/revisions\/6024"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tiagorcorreia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tiagorcorreia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tiagorcorreia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tiagorcorreia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}