Portuguese military housing institute delivers 161 affordable homes to soldiers

The Instituto de Ação Social das Forças Armadas (IASFA) is delivering 161 affordable rental houses to active-duty military personnel in Portugal.

Defense Minister Nuno Melo will preside over a key ceremony in Lisbon to hand over the keys to the new tenants. The Ministry of National Defense stated that the current selection process included 200 homes, which resulted in 194 initial assignments. Of those, 161 residents accepted the offer.

The majority of these new tenants are active-duty soldiers, while 40% of the group consists of young people under the age of 35. The monthly rent for these units ranges from a minimum of 329.24 euros to a maximum of 848.36 euros. The government signed five-year contracts with the residents, which allow for one-year extensions. The ministry explained that providing accessible housing is a key strategy to recruit and keep personnel within the armed forces.

The institute allows tenants to perform necessary renovations on the properties. While the residents pay for these improvements themselves, they can deduct these costs from their rent up to a limit of 10,000 euros. This initiative is part of a larger program that has offered 710 homes since 2019.