Tourism pressure drives up housing costs in Angra do Heroísmo's historic centre

A historic centre with ever fewer permanent residents

Many of the restored properties are not being used as permanent homes.

The appeal of short-term lets

Returns on tourist lets can be triple those of a standard residential tenancy.

Residents moving out to the outskirts

Families who have lived there for generations are relocating to parishes such as São Bento or Terra Chã.

The council's response

Officials are considering restricting new short-term let licences on streets within the historic core.

Unesco heritage under strain

Angra do Heroísmo was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1983, a recognition that spurred years of restoration in its historic centre, but which now coexists with a shift in how these homes are used, increasingly given over to tourist accommodation. Heritage experts warn that the loss of permanent residents could ultimately erode the very living urban character that earned the city its Unesco status in the first place.

The last residents speak out

The few residents who still keep their main home in the historic centre describe an increasingly quiet environment outside the tourist season, with local shops closing for lack of steady custom. Some admit to feeling tempted to sell given the offers they have received, aware that prices being paid today for a property in the old quarter far exceed what they could get anywhere else on the island.

São Bento and Terra Chã, the new destination for families

The parishes of São Bento and Terra Chã have seen their resident population grow in recent years, largely thanks to families leaving Angra's historic centre in search of more affordable housing and an environment less shaped by tourism. Local estate agents confirm that rents in these outlying parishes, though also rising, remain well below those demanded in the historic core.

Municipal measures under consideration

Angra do Heroísmo Council is working on a proposal to limit the granting of new short-term let licences on certain streets in the historic core, following the example of other European cities facing similar problems of residential depopulation in their heritage centres. Council officials have warned that any measure will need to balance protecting residents with the economic weight tourism carries for the city.