Valuing a property in Portugal before gifting it

Updated on 29 October 2026•3 min read

Thinking of gifting a home to a child or passing on part of an inheritance during your lifetime? Before deciding, the family needs to know the property's market value, which is different from its tax value.

Value the property you plan to gift, free

Why market value matters in a gift

Treating your children equally

A gift to one child may have to be taken into account later, when the estate is divided, to even things out between siblings. Knowing the property's real value helps the family plan fairly.

Gift or sell?

Some families consider selling the property and sharing the money instead of gifting it. Market value is the basis for comparing the two options.

Not to be confused with the VPT

Tax and the registration of a gift are, as a rule, based on the tax value (VPT), which can be very different from the price the home would sell for today.

Thinking about the property's future

Whoever receives the property may want to sell it one day. The value used for the gift affects the sums for that future sale, including capital gains.

Gifts, tax value (VPT) and market value

A gift of property is, as a rule, made by public deed (escritura pública) or authenticated private document (documento particular autenticado), and is then entered at the land registry (conservatória do registo predial).

For tax purposes, the tax value (VPT) shown on the caderneta predial generally applies. A spouse, children and grandchildren have a more favourable regime for stamp duty (Imposto do Selo) than other relatives, but there are always tax formalities to complete. Check your case with a notary, a solicitador or a certified accountant.

Market value is something else: the likely sale price today. It is what lets the family compare gifting with selling, and think about fairness between heirs.

The usual steps

Find out the market value of the property, so that the whole family starts from the same figure.
Decide as a family: gift, sell and share, or keep the property.
Clarify with a notary or a solicitador what the gift means for the future division of the estate.
Formalise the gift by deed or authenticated private document.
Register the gift at the land registry (conservatória do registo predial) and meet the tax obligations.

Frequently asked questions about gifting a property

Which value counts in a gift?

For tax and registration, the VPT generally applies. For the family to decide and think about fairness between children, the useful figure is market value, the likely sale price today.

Does gifting a home to one child disadvantage the others?

It does not have to. The law protects each heir's share, and a gift to one child may be taken into account when the estate is divided. Ask a notary or a lawyer for advice on your case.

Can I gift the home and keep living in it?

You can gift the property while keeping a life interest (usufruto): the parents carry on using the home and the children receive the ownership. It is an option to discuss with a notary or a solicitador.

Is tax payable on a gift?

It depends on who receives it. A spouse, children and grandchildren have a more favourable regime than other relatives or third parties, but there are always tax formalities. Check with the tax office (Finanças) or a professional.

Can the Tagus Value report be used for the tax office (Finanças)?

No. It is a market value opinion that supports the family's decision. For tax purposes the VPT applies, and the report does not replace a valuation required by the tax office (Finanças).

What Tagus Value gives you

A free estimate

A first market value in a few minutes, calculated using real prices in the property's area.

The Premium report, reviewed by an adviser

A full study, with comparable properties, explained adjustments and a price range, reviewed by a Tagus Value adviser.

The Tagus Value estimate and report are opinions of market value: they do not replace the VPT, a valuation by a property valuer registered with the CMVM, or a valuation required by the Tax Authority, a bank or in court proceedings.