Rent Increase Letter for Portugal (2026): Free Template with English Explanation

If you own a rental property in Portugal, you can update the rent every year using the official coefficient published by INE (Instituto Nacional de Estatistica, Portugal's national statistics institute). For 2026 the coefficient is 1.0224, an increase of +2.24%. For 2027 the estimate is 1.0256, an increase of +2.56%, based on the INE flash estimate for August 2026 inflation published on 31 August 2026; the official figure comes out in October 2026. To charge the new rent, you must notify your tenant by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt, known in Portugal as "carta registada com aviso de rececao" (AR), at least 30 days in advance. For US landlords, this is the local equivalent of certified mail with a return receipt.

Important: the letter itself must be sent in Portuguese. It is a formal legal notice to a tenant in Portugal, and Portuguese is the language courts and tenants expect. Below you will find the free template (called a "minuta" in Portuguese) exactly as it should be sent, followed by a paragraph by paragraph explanation in English so you know precisely what you are signing and sending.

Prefer a letter filled in with the correct coefficient and posted through CTT (the Portuguese post office) for you? Send your letter for 14.99 EUR →

How to notify your tenant of a rent increase in Portugal

For the rent increase to be legally valid, the notice to the tenant must meet three conditions (article 1077(2) of the Portuguese Civil Code; the coefficient is set under article 24 of the NRAU, the Novo Regime do Arrendamento Urbano, Portugal's urban lease law):

• Form: registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt (AR), or hand delivery with a signed receipt (article 9 of the NRAU). Email, SMS or a plain letter do not offer the same evidentiary value
• Notice period: the tenant must receive the letter at least 30 days before the date the new rent takes effect
• Content: the letter must state the current rent, the INE coefficient applied, the new amount and the date from which it is due

If you use a method without proof of receipt, the notice may have no legal effect. If you send it late, you do not lose the right to update: the new rent simply takes effect later, and you cannot charge the increase retroactively for the months already passed.

Step by step

1. Confirm eligibility. The lease must be at least 1 year old, and the last update must have been more than 12 months ago
2. Calculate the new rent. Current rent x 1.0224. Never updated before? Use the multi-year calculator → (calculator in Portuguese)
3. Fill in the letter. Use the template below with all the mandatory fields
4. Send it by registered letter with AR. Allow 35 to 40 days of lead time, to have margin over the mandatory 30
5. Keep the CTT receipt. It is your proof of sending in case of a dispute

Want the full picture on rent updates and previous years' coefficients? Read the complete 2026 rent increase guide →  |  Is a registered letter with AR really mandatory? Read why →

The template (in Portuguese, ready to send)

Copy the letter below, replace the highlighted fields in square brackets with your details, print it, sign it and send it by registered letter with AR. The full English explanation follows right after.

What this letter says, paragraph by paragraph

• "[Cidade], [Data]": the city where you are writing the letter and today's date.
• "Assunto: Atualização da renda, coeficiente INE 2026": the subject line. It reads "Subject: Rent update, INE coefficient 2026".
• "Exmo./Exma. Sr./Sra. [Nome do inquilino]": the formal Portuguese salutation, "Dear Mr./Ms. [Tenant's name]".
• First paragraph ("Na qualidade de senhorio..."): you identify yourself as the landlord of the property at the stated address, refer to the lease agreement signed on the stated date, and formally notify the tenant of the annual rent update under article 1077 of the Civil Code, applying the coefficient set under article 24 of the NRAU.
• Second paragraph ("A atualização é efetuada..."): states that the update is based on the 2026 rent update coefficient published by INE, fixed at 1.0224 (a variation of +2.24%).
• The calculation block ("Assim: Renda atual..."): shows the arithmetic in plain sight: current rent, the coefficient 1.0224, and the new monthly rent. This transparency is required content for the notice to be valid.
• "A nova renda será devida a partir do dia...": states the date from which the new rent is due. It must be at least 30 days after the tenant receives the letter, typically the first day of a following month.
• The payment paragraph ("Nos termos legais, o pagamento..."): instructs the tenant to pay by bank transfer to your IBAN, by the stated day of each month.
• "Com os melhores cumprimentos": the formal closing, "Best regards", followed by your name, your NIF (Portuguese tax number) and an optional contact.

What to fill in each field

• [Cidade] and [Data]: the city where you write the letter and today's date
• [Nome do inquilino]: the tenant's full name as it appears in the lease
• [Morada completa]: the full address of the rented unit: street, number, floor, unit, postal code and locality
• [Data do contrato]: the date the lease agreement was signed
• [Valor atual]: the monthly rent the tenant currently pays
• [Novo valor]: current rent x 1.0224 (round to the cent)
• [1.º dia do mês seguinte]: the effective date, at least 30 days after the letter is received, usually the first day of the following month
• [IBAN]: the bank account the transfer should go to
• [Nome e NIF do senhorio]: your name and your NIF, the Portuguese tax identification number

Which coefficient: 2026 or 2027?

The coefficient is tied to the calendar year in which the new rent starts, not to the year you write the letter. If the new rent takes effect in 2026, use 1.0224. If it takes effect in January 2027 or later, use the 2027 coefficient.

Full detail on the 2027 figures and the publication calendar: how much will rent rise in Portugal in 2027 and the 2027 rent update deadlines.

If you are a landlord living outside Portugal

This is where most foreign landlords lose the letter, and it has nothing to do with the wording. Four things that decide whether the notice works:

• The return address on the envelope has to be Portuguese, with a valid XXXX-XXX postcode. The AR is a physical card that the tenant signs on delivery and that CTT then posts back to the sender's address. Put a US or UK address on the envelope and the card that proves your notice was received has nowhere to land. The address does not have to be where you live: a relative's home, your own property in Portugal, or your accountant's office all work, and you are still the named sender.
• Do not use international registered post from your own country. USPS Registered Mail, Royal Mail International Signed and courier services produce a foreign tracking printout, not the aviso de rececao that Portuguese practice expects. They also take weeks in each direction.
• The 30 days run from receipt, not from posting. Delivery is on CTT's timeline and is not guaranteed, normally 1 to 7 days, so build in margin.
• If the property is the tenant's primary residence and the tenant is married, address the notice to each spouse. A notice sent to only one of them can be challenged.

The mechanics of sending into Portugal from abroad are set out in full here: sending a registered letter to Portugal from another country.

How to send it

The letter must be sent as a registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt (AR). You have two options:

1. In person at a CTT post office. Print the letter, sign it, go to a CTT branch and ask for "carta registada com aviso de rececao". Approximate cost: 3 to 4 EUR. Not practical if you live abroad.
2. Online in 5 minutes. At cartaregistada.pt we prepare the letter with your details, you handle the signature and we post it through CTT. 14.99 EUR, no trips to the post office, works from anywhere in the world. If you need a digital signature, Portugal's CMD (Chave Movel Digital, the official mobile digital key) can be used to sign documents remotely.

When the letter is ready, the easiest route is to send a letter online in Portugal: upload it and it is posted as a registered letter with AR.

See also: send a letter online in Portugal · send a registered letter online