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Housing · Portugal
Updated September 2026

🐀 Rats, cockroaches or bedbugs — who do I report an infestation to?

Direct answer

In a rental the landlord deals with pests that come from the building — rats, cockroaches, mice — unless you demonstrably caused them; bedbugs are argued about everywhere, but the landlord still has to act. Report in writing. Câmara Municipal / Junta de Freguesia (anmp.pt) — the municipality — has a pest-control service or a duty to act on public-health grounds and handles rats in the street or in bins. Delegado de Saúde / Câmara — vistoria de salubridade (sns.gov.pt) inspects unhealthy housing and can order the landlord to treat. Julgado de Paz (conselhodosjulgadosdepaz.com.pt) decides rent reduction if the home is partly unusable.

Call firstCâmara Municipal / Junta de Freguesia
Report toDelegado de Saúde / Câmara — vistoria de salubridade
If that failsJulgado de Paz

🗣️ What to say

"Since [date] there are [rats / cockroaches / bedbugs] at [address], photos attached. Please arrange professional pest control by [deadline] and find the source. Until the home is pest-free I reduce the rent by [%]."

🪜 Step by step

  1. DocumentPhotos, dates, where; bedbug bites and traces on the mattress; rat droppings and holes.
  2. Report to the landlord in writingWith a deadline. Ask for a professional company and for the source (drains, waste room, neighbour) to be dealt with.
  3. Municipality: Câmara Municipal / Junta de FreguesiaFor rats outside and for landlords who do nothing; many cities treat rats for free.
  4. Inspection: Delegado de Saúde / Câmara — vistoria de salubridadeEnvironmental health can declare the home unhealthy and order treatment.
  5. Rent reduction: Julgado de PazBackdated to the report, proportional to the rooms you cannot use.

📇 All contacts

Câmara Municipal / Junta de FreguesiaNuisances, roads, waste, certificates, lost propertyFor anything the municipality handles🔗 www.anmp.pt
Delegado de Saúde / Câmara — vistoria de salubridadeUnhealthy housing, damp, pests, noiseWhen health is at risk at home🔗 www.sns.gov.pt
Julgado de PazMediation and judgment up to €15,000, no lawyer, low feesWhen the formal notice did not work🔗 www.conselhodosjulgadosdepaz.com.pt
DECO PROtesteLegal advice for membersBefore you write, on deductions and deadlines🔗 www.deco.proteste.pt

❓ Frequently asked

Bedbugs: who pays?

Practice varies. Most tenancy bodies make the landlord treat and only charge the tenant if the tenant clearly brought them in — which is very hard to prove.

The whole building is infested

Then it is the building's problem and the landlord must treat all flats at once; single-flat treatment fails. Tell Delegado de Saúde / Câmara — vistoria de salubridade — they can order a building-wide programme.

Can I break the lease?

If the home is unfit and the landlord will not act, an inspection report supports termination without notice in most countries.

📎 Sources

Last checked: 2026-09-26

🔎 Common searches

Recognise your own search? The answer above covers all of these.

  • “rats in rental landlord responsibility Portugal”
  • “report pest infestation municipality”
  • “bedbugs landlord or tenant pays”
  • “cockroaches apartment who to call”
  • “rent reduction pests”

🧭 Is this still correct?

We check this information carefully, but phone numbers, websites and rules change — and sometimes we get something wrong. Spotted a mistake or a change? Let us know below.

🔗 Related questions

🦠Mould or damp→🔧Landlord won't repair→🔑Deposit not returned→🔊Noisy neighbours→

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