If you're planning to renovate, extend or refurbish a property in Portugal, there's a 2024 legal change that directly affects your project — and that almost nobody explains in plain language. I'll do that here, in practice, without the legal jargon.
What SIMPLEX Urbanístico is
SIMPLEX Urbanístico is the name given to the reform introduced by Decree-Law No. 10/2024, which aimed to simplify and speed up planning permission for building work in Portugal. One of its most important — and least talked about — effects is this: the local council stopped technically evaluating specialist designs, such as the structural stability project, the water systems design or the acoustics design.
What changes in practice: before vs. after
| Aspect | Before SIMPLEX | After SIMPLEX (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Review of calculations | The council reviewed the design | Submitted by simple registration |
| Who guarantees safety | Council + engineer | Only the engineer who signs |
| Planning permission time | Slower | Faster, in principle |
| Risk if something goes wrong | Spread across several parties | Concentrated on whoever signed |
Notice what this means: the process got faster, but the safety net that was the council's review disappeared. That doesn't make planning permission worse — it makes choosing the right professional far more decisive than it was before.
Who can sign the termo de responsabilidade
This is the key point. Only a professional who meets all of the following, at the same time, can sign the termo de responsabilidade for a structural stability project:
- Active registration with the Ordem dos Engenheiros, in the relevant specialty.
- A valid competence verification code (SIGOE) for the type of project.
- Valid professional civil liability insurance.
A contractor — no matter how experienced on-site — cannot sign this document. And a technician without those three conditions, even if they sign "something similar", gives you no legal cover at all if something goes wrong.
Why this is an advantage, not just bureaucracy: before, people could (wrongly) trust that "the council will check it". Now you know, from the start, that responsibility is traceable to one specific person — which makes it easier to choose well, and clearer who's accountable if a problem arises.
How to choose the right professional after SIMPLEX
With less institutional review, the verification is now on you. Before hiring, confirm:
- Ask for their professional registration number with the Ordem dos Engenheiros — it's public and verifiable.
- Confirm their valid professional civil liability insurance.
- Demand a fixed, itemised quote, never a figure given over the phone.
- Ask specifically who signs it — not "the company", but the person.
A serious professional shows these credentials without hesitation. If they hesitate, that's the first warning sign.
What this means for your project
If you're renovating, reinforcing or refurbishing a property in Portugal, SIMPLEX Urbanístico doesn't change the fact that you need a structural stability project whenever you touch the structure. What it changes is who guarantees it's done properly — and that guarantee no longer comes from the council. It comes from the signature, the insurance and the competence of whoever you choose.