Housing in São Tomé and Príncipe

Housing arrangements in São Tomé and Príncipe are fragmented across formal, private and informal practices. The 2024 housing and population census recorded 53,535 ordinary households, 65 collective households and 20 people without a fixed residence; all 20 people without a fixed residence were recorded in Água-Grande. Among recorded occupation arrangements, 57.0% involved ownership through self-construction, 12.0% inheritance, 8.7% gifts, 2.6% purchase, 10.5% ordinary rent, 0.2% rent-to-own, 8.6% free occupation and 0.4% other arrangements. District patterns differ. Ordinary renting accounted for 15.4% in Água-Grande and 12.0% in the Autonomous Region of Príncipe, known locally as RAP. Caué had the highest share of ownership through self-construction at 66.2%. RAP had the highest recorded shares for purchase at 6.3% and gifts at 16.5%. There is no unified national rental register or one-stop housing platform documented in the official sources. The 4,885 recorded rental households show a strongly low-cost rental market: 62.4% paid less than 500 Dobra per month, 23.4% paid 500 to 999 Dobra, 6.3% paid 1,000 to 1,499, 2.2% paid 1,500 to 1,999, 1.5% paid 2,000 to 2,999, 0.7% paid 3,000 to 3,999, 0.3% paid 4,000 to 4,999 and 1.4% paid at least 5,000 Dobra. The rent was unknown for 1.8% of these households. Higher rental amounts were concentrated mainly in Água-Grande and RAP. A formal rental file may include a contract, identity documents, a passport or residence card for a foreign tenant, a property or cadastral certificate and a copy of the contract. Arrendamento, also called aluguer, can be registered. Current reliable national confirmation was not available for deposit limits, notice periods, rent caps, a standard contract or a uniform eviction procedure, so these matters should be stated clearly in the written agreement. Most housing construction or purchase is financed privately. Among 32,162 households reporting financing for self-construction or purchase, 90.2% used personal savings, 5.1% used a bank loan, 0.6% used microcredit and 4.2% used other sources. Bank financing reached 9.0% in RAP and 6.2% in Água-Grande. No reliable current national overview was available for total purchase or construction costs, deposits, brokerage, insurance, utility connections or mortgage conditions. Transaction fees depend on the value and type of the transaction. The Instituto de Habitação e Imobiliário, or IHI, is the state housing and real-estate institution. It works with new construction, rehabilitation, the state housing stock, sales, rentals and housing finance, with particular attention to low-income and vulnerable families. Access to a state house requires registration in the IHI database and a written application to the IHI Conselho de Administração. No uniform nationwide eligibility assessment has been published. IHI reported 57 T2 social houses for families from risk zones: 12 in Malanza, 25 in Santa Catarina and 20 in Praia das Burras. WACA and WACA+ projects provide location-specific alternatives rather than a general housing benefit. Project areas include Micoló, Santa Catarina, Iô Grande, Malanza, Praia das Burras and Praia Abade. Resettlement is voluntary and project-based. WACA+ selection priorities are set by the community and include households affected by poverty in a risk zone, women heading households or widows, older people without means of support, people with disabilities and households in the highest flood or other risk areas. Other locally identified poverty cases may also qualify. New settlement in a risk zone normally does not create eligibility, except in cases of extreme vulnerability. A WACA+ house has two bedrooms, one living room, a kitchen and a bathroom, with an equipped plot, sanitation, water, electricity and fencing. Ownership is transferred through a contracto de doação com encargos, a donation contract carrying obligations. ZES sites include social facilities and green areas, but these arrangements do not automatically transfer to the private rental market. A roça is a historic or community settlement form that remains relevant to existing housing and resettlement; it is not a standard national rental model. Property documents may also use local terms such as casa, alojamento, terreno, concessão, aforamento, doação, herança and compra e venda. Property security depends on the land and building record. Lei n.º 3/91 governs state land property management, while Lei n.º 12/2018 is the Código de Registo Predial and Lei n.º 14/2018 is the Código do Notariado. DGRN is the national authority for property registration and notarial services. The Conservatória do Registo Predial publishes the legal status of land and buildings. Before a purchase, check the certidão predial or matricial, the seller's identity, the ownership chain, registered charges, the escritura pública, and SISA or other tax evidence. A purchase is registered with a signed application and the public deed. Gifts and inheritances require the relevant deed and tax certificate. A mortgage is documented through a deed or bank agreement. Do not treat possession, an informal sale or a building's physical occupation as proof of clear registered ownership. Construction or extension work may involve DOPU, SRIOTRN, DSGC or district services, depending on the location. Where no plan exists, a short urban-planning study may be required. Under the RJOU procedure, the architecture decision may take up to 30 days, technical plans must generally follow within 180 days of architectural approval, the building permit may take up to 20 days after the technical plans, and the use permit may take up to 20 days after completion, followed by an 8-day notification. Fees vary by application and authority. An Alvará, meaning the relevant permit or licence, can expire if the application is not made within one year, construction does not begin within 15 months, work stops for more than 15 months or an approved time limit is exceeded. A registered building contractor with an Alvará is required. Multi-storey residential buildings require technical construction supervision, but the owner remains responsible for the project. The contractor's liability for safety and structural stability lasts five years. RGEU housing standards require sanitary facilities and potable water. A connection to public water and sewerage networks is required where those networks exist. Where there is no sewerage network, the building must use a septic tank and infiltration system; untreated discharge into rivers or the sea is prohibited. A site should be checked for flood exposure, slope instability, soil conditions, drainage and general safety before construction or purchase. The 2024 data show substantial differences in basic services. Among 45,499 households reporting their main water source, 42.5% used a public source, 30.4% a line in the yard, 14.4% a neighbour's supply, 4.1% a line inside the house, 4.2% a river or stream and 2.8% a spring. Only 6.9% reported treating their water, while 91.1% reported no treatment. Electricity was the main lighting source for 84.1% of households. Of 7,241 households without electricity, 59.4% had never had it, 36.5% had been disconnected for non-payment and 1.4% reported an outage; the remaining responses were classified otherwise or were not specified. Wastewater and sanitation also vary sharply. Among the relevant households, 52.0% discharged wastewater into the environment, 17.2% used a septic tank, 19.3% reported fossa séptica com consumidor, 4.2% used public sewerage and 5.5% used a rudimentary pit. In a separate sanitation base of 25,808 households, 26.9% had no bathroom, 16.1% used a shared bathroom, 23.3% used an improved latrine and 33.6% a simple latrine. Among 19,691 households without a bathroom, 81.9% mainly used the natural environment for defecation. Água-Grande has the highest density and proximity to services, with electricity as the main lighting source for 88.6% of households; the corresponding figures were 89.8% in RAP, 78.3% in Lobata and 69.4% in Caué. RAP relies more on rivers and springs for water, while rural districts more often use public sources, natural wastewater discharge and simple latrines. When a housing arrangement ends, the contract and general law govern the handover. Record the condition of the home, keys, meter readings, utility transfers or cancellations and any deposit settlement. Sales, transfers and inheritances require the relevant deed, tax checks and registration through DGRN or the Conservatória. State or WACA+ homes may carry obligations under the donation contract, which can limit later transfer or use. DGRN certificate charges are listed at 250 Dobra for a 20-day service, 300 Dobra for a three-day service or 325 Dobra for a one-day service, plus 20 Dobra for recognition. These charges do not represent the total cost of acquiring, building, renting or securing housing.