{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,5]],"date-time":"2026-01-05T15:00:37Z","timestamp":1767625237573,"version":"3.48.0"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,4]],"date-time":"2026-01-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1767484800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e Tecnologia","award":["2024.07312.IACDC\/2024"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2024.07312.IACDC\/2024"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Urban Science"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Amidst Portugal\u2019s ongoing housing crisis, particularly pronounced in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, thousands of residential units remain vacant. This article investigates why property owners often refrain from placing these homes on the rental market, despite high demand and rising prices. Drawing on empirical data from successive editions of the ALP (Lisbon Landlords Association) Barometer and framed by the literature on housing financialization, institutional trust, and patrimonial ownership cultures, the study shows that vacancy is not merely a result of speculation or neglect. Rather, it emerges as a rational response to a complex interplay of regulatory instability, legal mistrust, and deeply rooted socio-cultural norms. Landlords act not only as economic agents but also as custodians of family heritage, navigating uncertainty in a legal and symbolic environment increasingly perceived as hostile. The article argues that mobilizing Lisbon\u2019s empty housing stock requires more than tax incentives or coercive measures. It demands rebuilding trust, ensuring legal predictability, and acknowledging the cultural meanings that shape property decisions. Policy recommendations include stabilizing rental legislation and designing culturally sensitive engagement strategies for small landlords.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/urbansci10010030","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,5]],"date-time":"2026-01-05T10:53:50Z","timestamp":1767610430000},"page":"30","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Why Homes Stay Empty: Understanding Property Owner Withdrawal in Lisbon\u2019s Housing Crisis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6781-5149","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jorge","family":"Gon\u00e7alves","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Ambiente, Instituto Superior T\u00e9cnico, University of Lisbon, Avenida Rovisco Pais, 1, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4587-2262","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"S\u00edlvia","family":"Jorge","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Ambiente, Instituto Superior T\u00e9cnico, University of Lisbon, Avenida Rovisco Pais, 1, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"INE (2021). 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