A buyer is purchasing an off-plan apartment in Lisbon. What is the contrato-promessa de compra e venda (CPCV)?

1. The final deed that transfers ownership
2. The promissory contract in which both sides commit to the sale before the final deed
3. The agency's mediation contract with the developer
4. The bank's mortgage offer

In what order do the usual steps of an off-plan purchase in Portugal happen?

1. Deed, reservation, CPCV, stage payments
2. CPCV, deed, reservation, stage payments
3. Reservation, CPCV with deposit, stage payments during works, then the deed (escritura) and the balance
4. Stage payments, deed, CPCV, reservation

What formalities must a CPCV for a home meet?

1. It must be written and signed, with the signatures certified in person, for example by a notary, lawyer or solicitor
2. A verbal agreement before two witnesses is enough
3. It must be signed at the land registry by the registrar
4. It only needs the agent's stamp and the buyer's signature

When the signatures on a CPCV for an off-plan home are certified, what must the person certifying confirm?

1. That the buyer has a mortgage approval
2. That the developer has paid its IMI
3. That the agency holds an AMI licence
4. That a construction licence (licença de construção) or a use licence (licença de utilização) exists

A developer says the 2024 Simplex reform removed all licence checks on home sales. Is he right about the CPCV?

1. Yes: no licence is checked at the CPCV or the deed
2. No: Simplex dropped the licence requirement at the deed, but the licence check at the CPCV still applies
3. No: Simplex added a new licence check at the reservation
4. Yes, but only for buyers paying cash

Your buyer signed a CPCV and paid a sinal, then changes his mind and walks away. What happens to the sinal?

1. The seller must return it in full
2. The seller returns half and keeps half
3. The buyer loses it
4. It goes to the agency as its fee

The seller pulls out after the CPCV because he found a better offer. What can your buyer claim under the sinal rules?

1. Double the sinal
2. Only the sinal back, with no extra
3. The sinal plus 10% interest
4. Nothing, because the deed was never signed

Your buyer paid a sinal of EUR 30,000 at the CPCV. The seller then refuses to sign the deed. How much can the buyer claim from the seller under the sinal rules?

An off-plan flat in Porto sells for EUR 380,000 with a 20% sinal at the CPCV. If the developer defaults, how much can the buyer claim under the sinal rules?

A villa in the Algarve costs EUR 500,000. The CPCV sets a 20% deposit, then two stage payments of 15% each during works, with the balance at the deed. How much does the buyer pay at the deed?

A developer's CPCV contains a clause saying the buyer gives up the right to specific performance (execução específica). Is that clause valid?

1. Yes, if the buyer initials it
2. Yes, for off-plan sales only
3. Yes, if the sinal is over 20%
4. No: in a CPCV for a property this right cannot be excluded by a clause

A client asks how much deposit Portuguese developers usually ask for at the CPCV on an off-plan purchase. What is a fair answer?

1. The law fixes it at exactly 5%
2. It is not fixed by law; it is often 10% to 30% of the price
3. The law requires 50% of the price
4. Nothing is paid until the deed

An overseas buyer will pay 40% of the price to a developer before completion. What is the best advice to protect those payments?

1. Pay everything up front to get a bigger discount
2. Pay the instalments into the agent's personal account
3. Ask for a bank guarantee or insurance covering the payments, tie them to construction stages and have a lawyer check the licences and land registry
4. No action is needed because the state guarantees every off-plan payment

Your buyer fears the seller might sell the same flat to someone else before the deed. How can the CPCV protect against that?

1. By giving it real effect (eficácia real): made by deed or authenticated document with an express declaration, and registered at the land registry
2. By adding a higher sinal, which blocks any other sale
3. By sending a copy to IMPIC
4. By having the agent keep the keys

Does signing a CPCV trigger IMT (property transfer tax)?

1. Yes, always, at the full rate
2. Yes, at half the rate
3. Only if the sinal is above 30%
4. No, unless the keys are handed over or the buyer's position is assigned to a third party before the deed

The building is finished and your buyer is ready to complete. What does the state Casa Pronta service offer?

1. A mortgage from a state bank
2. Deed and land registration in one place, at a fixed fee
3. Free legal advice on the CPCV
4. A refund of the IMT

A cash buyer completes, through Casa Pronta, the purchase of a new flat plus a separately registered parking space (two properties). Casa Pronta charges EUR 375 for a cash purchase and EUR 50 for each extra property. What is the fee?

Under the 2026 housing tax package, which new homes get the reduced 6% VAT on construction from 1 July 2026?

1. Every new home, whatever its price or use
2. Only luxury homes above EUR 1 million
3. Only homes bought by non-residents
4. Homes sold as a permanent own home for up to EUR 660,982, or let at moderate rents of up to EUR 2,300 a month

A developer wants to start advertising finished apartments for sale. What must the adverts show about energy performance?

1. The energy class from the energy certificate, issued by an expert recognised by ADENE
2. Nothing until the deed is signed
3. Only the number of solar panels
4. A self-assessment written by the developer

Your buyer's lawyer wants to make the deed conditional on the developer handing over key documents. Which set is a sensible list for a new home?

1. Only the agency's invoice
2. The use licence, the technical housing file (ficha técnica da habitação), the energy certificate and a declaration of no condominium debt
3. The developer's tax return and the architect's CV
4. The buyer's NIF and passport only