Rent arrears letter, free template for landlords in Portugal
Tenant not paying? Generate the formal demand letter filled in with your details: the unpaid rents month by month, the total owed, the deadline to pay and the reference to article 1083 of the Civil Code. Ready to print, sign and send today, without creating an account. Prefer to fill it in by hand? The blank template in PDF and Word is still available.
- Filled-in letter as a PDF
- Art. 1083 Civil Code
- No sign-up, no email
- 100% free
Free generator
Generate your rent arrears letter, already filled in
Enter the parties, the lease and the rents left unpaid. The letter adds up the total, sets the payment deadline and is ready to print or save as a PDF. Your data stays in your browser. The letter is written in European Portuguese, as it is addressed to a tenant in Portugal.
Free template
When the rent stops coming in, the most expensive mistake is to wait. The rent arrears letter is the formal step that turns a late payment into a documented debt: it identifies the lease, the amount owed and the oldest unpaid rent, gives the tenant a concrete deadline to pay and states the legal consequences. This letter, and the proof that it was sent, is what supports everything that may come next, from terminating the lease to the Balcão do Arrendatário e do Senhorio (BAS).
- Ready-made header: landlord (name, NIF, address), tenant and address of the property
- Identification of the lease and of the amount owed, month by month
- Payment deadline and the IBAN to pay into
- Express reference to article 1083 of the Civil Code
- A notes page with the sending rules and the next steps
Blank template
Prefer to fill it in by hand?
Download the template in PDF and Word, with the sending notes page. It is the same base text as the generator above, with the fields left blank (in Portuguese).
Legal basis and how to send it
Late payment of rent is covered by articles 1041 and 1083 of the Civil Code. Article 1041 gives the landlord the right to claim, on top of the unpaid rent, compensation equal to 20% of what is owed; article 1083(3) makes arrears of three months or more a ground for the landlord to terminate the lease.
How the letter must be sent is set out in article 9 of Law 6/2006 (NRAU): communications between the parties are made in a written document signed by the sender and sent by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt to the rented property, unless agreed otherwise in writing. The law also allows hand delivery of the signed document, with the recipient signing a copy with a note of receipt.
If the letter is returned because it was not collected, article 10 of the NRAU requires a new registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt 30 to 60 days after the first one; if it is returned again, it is deemed received on the 10th day after it was sent.
This letter demands payment; it does not terminate the lease. Terminating for rent arrears must be served by a court notification (notificação judicial avulsa) or in person by a lawyer, solicitor or enforcement agent (article 9(7) of the NRAU).
If the tenant wants to settle in instalments, put it in writing with a rent arrears payment agreement.
Mistakes to avoid
- Only communicating by email, SMS or WhatsApp: fine as a courtesy, but it does not replace the registered letter and does not start any deadline.
- Not stating concrete amounts: a letter that does not say how much is owed and since when is easy to contest.
- Threatening consequences that do not exist in the law.
- Changing the locks, cutting off water or power, or removing belongings: it is illegal and destroys the landlord's position in any later proceedings.
- Losing the post office receipt: without proof of sending and receipt, the start date of the deadline is in doubt.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do when my tenant does not pay the rent?
Start with a formal written communication, the rent arrears letter, sent by registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt, stating the amount owed, a concrete deadline to pay and the reference to article 1083 of the Civil Code. That document, and the proof it was sent, supports any later step.
How many months of arrears are needed to terminate the lease?
Under article 1083(3) of the Civil Code, arrears of three months or more give the landlord the right to terminate the lease. The tenant can still end the arrears by paying what is owed plus compensation within the legal deadline.
Can I send the letter by email?
As a courtesy, yes. As proof, no. Article 9 of the NRAU requires a signed written document sent by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt, or delivered by hand with the tenant signing a copy with a note of receipt.
Why is the generated letter in Portuguese?
Because it is a formal communication to a tenant in Portugal under Portuguese law. The form is in English; the letter it produces is in European Portuguese.
What happens to the data I enter?
The letter is generated in your browser. Nothing is sent unless you choose to create an Aluseg account, in which case the same details are used to set up the property, the tenant, the lease and the unpaid rents in your account.
After the letter
Guides for each stage of rent arrears, from the first month to eviction.
Unpaid rent in the first 30 days
What to do from the first contact to the warning letter, day by day.
Tenant not paying rent
Deadlines, written communication and the steps before eviction.
Eviction and the BAS
How the special eviction procedure works in 2026.
Rent default cost calculator
Estimate the lost rent, eviction costs, repairs and vacancy.
Rent arrears tracking
How Aluseg follows every arrears case through to resolution.
Information only, not legal advice.