How to read a Porto rental ad

Portuguese ads compress a lot into a few letters. Misread them and you wire a deposit for a cupboard, or for a flat that was never yours.

Typology

T0 is a studio. T1 is one bedroom. T2 is two, and so on. “Quarto” is a room in a shared flat. “Apartamento inteiro” means the whole flat. If the photos show a mattress in a corridor, believe the photos.

Money words

Renda is rent. Caução is the deposit. Despesas incluídas should list which bills: water, electricity, gas, internet, condomínio. “Included” without a list is a negotiation, not a promise. Ask for last month’s bills in writing.

Walk away

• Pay before you visit, or pay abroad to a personal account with no contract.
• No NIF on the landlord side and no willingness to register the lease.
• Pressure to decide “today only” while you are still at the airport.

More context: A first neighbourhood in Porto and contracts and tax.

Checked 28 October 2026. Rules and desks move. If gov.pt, AIMA, Finanças or the Câmara disagree with this page, follow them.