The Role of a Fiador in Portuguese Rental Agreements

Who Is a Fiador?

A fiador in Portuguese rental agreements is a guarantor—someone with Portuguese residency or citizenship who is listed in the lease contract and takes on the responsibility of paying rent if you are unable to do so.

If you’re lucky enough to find such a wonderful person, they will need to provide a cartão de cidadão (citizen card) or título de residência (residence permit) and their IRS declaration for the previous year (IRS — personal tax declaration in Portugal).

If your fiador is married, their spouse must also give consent, meaning both must sign your rental agreement. This also means the spouse will need to provide their cartão de cidadão and IRS declaration for the previous year.

The official combined household income of the fiadores (guarantors) must be significantly higher than the rent amount. For example, if you are renting for €2,000 per month, their total family income should be at least €4,000 (the incomes of both spouses are counted together), though €6,000 would be even better.

Having a fiador reassures landlords when renting to new immigrants. As a result, they may agree to more favorable terms for the tenant—for example, requiring only one or two months’ rent upfront and a security deposit equal to one month’s rent.

Some particularly cautious landlords refuse to accept a fiador who is not a Portuguese citizen. Their concern is that if your fiador only has a residence permit, it might expire before your lease ends. Their anxiety sounds something like: “But what if your fiador doesn’t get their residency renewed?!” In such cases, the only remedy is patient negotiation and providing documents that confirm your fiador has a strong chance of obtaining a residency renewal.