Some time back we talked about how the ASAE announced that they’ll be taking serious actions against this type of illegal holiday lets, heavy fines for those who fail to comply with the law.

The entire country has seen several inspection actions taking place, and obviously the Algarve has been by far the main target considering the fact that the region sports thousands of holiday homes which are in high demand at this period of the year.

The aim of the inspections is to clamp down on privately owned rooms or villas that are being let without being licensed under the Alojamento Local regime.

During last year, a total of 103 inspections took place and in 35 of them, infractions were detected. So far in 2013, 78 inspections have taken place and 26 infractions recorded, so this means that one-third of the rentals are illegal. Keep in mind though that only half of the summer season has gone in the Algarve, so more inspections are expected to take place before the end of this year’s season.

ASAE mentioned that the inspections are both ‘reactive’ and ‘proactive’, which means that they are carried out both from an annual programme of actions as well as a result of investigations, complaints and denunciations.

The most common problem found by ASAE inspectors is the non compliance with minimum hygiene and safety standards.

The law which governs the ‘Alojamento Local’ lists a series of requirements which these establishments must comply with.

Lagos and the region surrounding it is currently a top nightlife destination for tens of thousands of holiday makers, however the regional council has recently decided to close all of its bars at midnight.

As social media and travel-focused sites such as this one are starting to pick up on this odd piece of news coming from the Algarve it is though that tourists will start to change their holiday-making plans in order to avoid this particular region.

When you look a bit deeper into the new restrictions you’ll see that they will not affect all bar owners equally.

The reason given for the move is said to be noise abatement, however the Algarve Surf and Marine Activities Assosciation – ASMAA – says that it has more to do with offering council-owned bars by the riverfront a competitive edge over the other establishment, seeing as how the riverfront ones are exempt from the new regime.

A few more details about these new Lagos licensing restrictions by-laws: they include reducing the operating licensing hours by two hours for all bars and restaurants in Lagos that have traditionally traded after midnight – with the notable exceptions of the council-owned bars that will soon open on top of the public parking garage in the Avenida along the riverfront.

There’s a massive storm brewing between the Lagos Council and ASMAA, as evidenced by a public disclosure meeting that was held between the Council and ASMAA representatives. ASMAA’s notes on the meeting raise more than a few questions as to the ulterior motives of the Council in going forward with these new by-laws.

This is a rather unnerving development for the region, since pretty much all facets of tourism will surely be impacted greatly, including the Lagos car hire industry, if these new by-laws are passed in their current form, we’ll keep an eye on the issue as it develops and report back to you.