Young people get 72% of the Azores' new rent-to-buy homes
Azores GuideRents under the RAOC scheme run from 288 to 644 euros a month, and tenants can buy the home after a year, with the rent already paid deducted from the price.
The Azores Regional Government has allocated 72% of the 241 homes it built under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) to young people and households aged up to 35. The homes went out by public tender under the rent with option to buy scheme, known as RAOC, which the government regulated in 2025.
Tenants can exercise the option to buy one year after signing the lease with the region. The rent they have paid is deducted from the sale price. Average monthly rents range from 288 euros for a one-bedroom flat (T1) to 644 euros for a four-bedroom home (T4).
Of the households that received a home, 70% have dependants, 15% are single-parent families and 13% include a person with a disability. According to Diário dos Açores, the tenants include nurses, police officers and soldiers, factory workers, lorry drivers and teachers.
Maria João Carreiro, the regional secretary for youth, housing and employment, said the scheme is meant for young people who can afford a monthly rent but cannot raise the deposit to buy a home. She said the region built only 71 new homes between 2012 and 2020. The government says it has spent more than 138 million euros of regional and EU money on housing since 2021.
In October this site reported that the Azores government says housing policy will continue after PRR.
Sources
Azores Guide
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