What the law requires inside the property

It is the cheapest part of compliance and the most often forgotten, because nothing happens — until the day an inspection arrives or a guest asks for the complaints book.

Which safety equipment is mandatory?

For properties with a capacity of 10 occupants or fewer, which covers the overwhelming majority of apartments and houses in operation:

Above 10 occupants the property leaves this list behind and enters the building fire-safety regime, with requirements of its own.

The plate: where it is required, and where it is not

This is the most frequent mistake. The approved identification plate is required for the rooms, apartment and guest establishment categories, displayed by the main entrance.

The house category is excluded. If you operate a house in Azeitão or Alhos Vedros, no plate is required of you. If you operate an apartment in Barreiro or Almada, one is.

The plate has a defined model and specification: it is not a label printed at home.

The complaints book is electronic

Short-term rentals are subject to the complaints book under Decree-Law 156/2005, and the version that counts is the electronic one. Having it is not enough: the property must tell the guest how to reach it.

In practice that means a visible notice in the property, next to the emergency information — the same place a guest looks when something has gone wrong.

What to check before every high season

None of these items is permanent. The extinguisher has a service date, the blanket degrades, and the first-aid kit empties without anyone saying so.

1. The extinguisher's service date — the first item asked for in an inspection.
2. Fire blanket present and within reach of the cooking area.
3. First-aid kit complete, not merely present.
4. The 112 number and complaints-book access visible, not filed in a folder.
5. Identification plate displayed, where the category requires it.

In our turnovers these five points are part of the check and appear in the photo report. It is not fussiness: an owner living far away has no other way of knowing the first-aid kit was emptied in August. See In-stay support and our pricing.

And the rest of the obligations

The equipment is the visible part. The other three obligations that begin with registration are public liability insurance, guest reporting and, where it applies, the municipal tourist tax.