From the candidate:

If the applicant is a natural person

• Application form;
• Photocopy of the personal identification documents of the applicant and his/her family member (identity card, citizen card, birth registration certificate);
• Photocopy of the tax identification documents of the applicant and his/her household;
•  Copy of the income statement (IRS) and respective settlement note, and, if applicable, proof of scholarship income, for the previous year of the application;
• Statement of Social Security remuneration for the last 2 years, of all household members aged 16 or over. In the case of students delivering a certificate of enrollment from the school, where they are enrolled;
• Social Security Declaration, referring to the social insertion income containing the amount earned in the previous year and the monthly amount;
• Social Security Declaration, regarding the unemployment benefit which includes the amount earned in the previous year and the monthly amount;
• Certificate, issued by the respective processing entity, in the case of pensioners who only receive income from pensions paid by mandatory social protection schemes of an amount lower than the annual value of the highest guaranteed minimum monthly remuneration (RMMG) and, consequently, are exempt from filing the declaration for the assessment of personal income tax, if applicable;
• Document proving the NIB;
• Certificate of incapacity for the members of the household in this situation;
• Certificate proving the contribution situation regularized before the tax authorities and social security.

If the applicant is a legal person:

• Application form
• Photocopy of the identification document of a legal person;
• Photocopy of tax identification document;
• Photocopy of the deed of incorporation, or the articles of association, and their amendments, if any;
• Last corporate income tax assessment note;
• Photocopy of the minutes or other document conferring powers of representation to the signatories of the candidacy;
• Photocopy of the civil identification document of the signatories of the application;
• Number of staff and turnover;
• Document proving the NIB;
• Certificate proving the contribution situation regularized before the tax authorities and social security.

 Of the Candidate Property

• Photocopy of the updated land registry;
• Certificate of content of the property description with all registrations in force;
• Termite Infestation Inspection Certificate (CIIT); (Termite Infestation Certification System)
• Document proving payment of the certificate proving the infestation;
• Descriptive memorandum of the work to be carried out in the rehabilitation intervention of the building, accompanied by the list of measurements and respective budget;
• Declaration of the authorisation of the consorts of the candidate dwelling, as owner/co-owner/usufructuary, with a notarized signature.

Statement

Where to Do It

• In this portal;
• RIAC Stores;
• Island Housing Services;
• Regional Directorate for Housing.

Modalities and forms of support

1. The support to be granted is intended exclusively to reimburse the expenses incurred by owners and usufructuaries of buildings or autonomous fractions of buildings with:

a) Repair or rehabilitation of buildings or autonomous fractions of buildings, when affected by termite infestation;
b) Carrying out certification and disinfestation operations of buildings or autonomous fractions of buildings using qualified experts and certified disinfestation operators (Articles 13, 14 and 15 of Regional Legislative Decree No. 22/2010/A, of 30 June).

2. Supports take the form of:

a) Non-refundable contribution;
b) Interest subsidy on loans.

Recipients

Natural or legal persons, profit-making or not-for-profit (owners, co-owners or usufructuaries).

Requirements and conditions of access

A. Access Requirements: The following individuals may apply for the support provided under Regional Legislative Decree No. 22/2010/A of June 30: a) The owner or co-owners of a building or autonomous unit of a building to be repaired, as of the effective date of the aforementioned decree, provided that the property is not under arrest, seizure, or subject to attachment in enforcement proceedings; b) The usufructuary of the building or autonomous unit of a building to be repaired, as of the effective date of the aforementioned decree, provided that the property is not under arrest, seizure, or subject to attachment in enforcement proceedings, and that the usufruct title was established in accordance with the law and for life. Access to the support depends on the verification of the following requirements: a) In the case of a natural person, the following conditions of eligibility must be met: i. Be in good standing with social security; ii. Be in good standing with the tax authority. b) In the case of a legal entity, whether for-profit or non-profit, the following conditions of eligibility must be met: i. Not be declared insolvent by a court decision, in liquidation, dissolution, or cessation of activity, subject to any preventive asset liquidation measure, or in any analogous situation, nor have such proceedings pending; ii. Be in good standing with social security; iii. Be in good standing with the tax authority. If the building or autonomous unit of a building is owned by two or more parties, the income considered for determining the support will be the total income of all co-owners. If the applicant is a legal entity, whether for-profit or non-profit, the support to be granted will be as follows: a) Non-profit legal entity – 100% interest subsidy; b) Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) – Up to a maximum of 80% interest subsidy; c) Large Enterprises (LE) – Up to a maximum of 40% interest subsidy. The eligibility of an application submitted by a co-owner always depends on the consent of the co-owners and acceptance of the non-transferability burden that will apply to the building or autonomous unit of a building. The eligibility of applications submitted by usufructuaries depends on the submission of a declaration issued by the owner of the building or autonomous unit, or a legal representative with sufficient authority, expressing consent for the execution of the works for support purposes, and acceptance of the non-transferability burden that will apply to the supported property and its legal regime. B. Non-transferability Obligation Supported buildings or autonomous units are subject to a non-transferability obligation (i.e., they cannot be sold or used as loan collateral) for a period of two years from the completion date of the supported works. This obligation must be registered, with the entry mentioning its nature and duration. Lifting of the Non-transferability Obligation: Any beneficiary or property owner receiving support—where the application was submitted by usufructuaries or non-owners who have lived permanently in the property for more than five years—wishing to transfer the building or autonomous unit before the end of the period, must request the lifting of the non-transferability obligation. Lifting this obligation will require reimbursement to the Autonomous Region of the Azores of the support amount. Termination of the Non-transferability Obligation: For natural persons, the obligation ceases, and lifting is allowed without repayment, in cases of: a) Death or permanent and total disability of the beneficiary or their spouse; b) Inadequacy of the dwelling for the household due to an increase in first-degree descendants, unless the supported dwelling can be expanded. Transfer After Expiry of the Non-transferability Period: Transfer of the supported building or unit, within five years after the end of the non-transferability period, obliges the beneficiary or property owner—if the application was submitted by the entities mentioned in item 3—to reimburse 30% of the support amount to the Autonomous Region of the Azores. Determination of Support To determine the support to be granted, applicants will be grouped by gross annual household income classes. The income threshold (VLR) for each class is determined by multiplying the number of household members by a correction coefficient (as per Table I in the annex) and by a base value (which must not be less than twice the monthly minimum wage in the Azores Autonomous Region). The determination of support also considers the base value for income classification, the maximum eligible construction cost per square meter, and the percentages for non-repayable contributions and loans, as set out in the following tables. Legal Entities Amount of Support: The support amount granted will correspond to the value of the intervention to be carried out, within the maximum limits set in the following tables. C. Obligations of the Beneficiary The beneficiary is required to: a) Start the works within 6 months from the date of notification of support approval; b) Complete the works within a maximum period of 12 months, unless delayed by factors beyond their control; c) Carry out the works described in the approved technical report; d) Cooperate with inspections and monitoring actions carried out by competent authorities regarding both the application process and the execution of the works and compliance with obligations; e) Present legal documents proving supplier expenses and service provisions; f) Report any relevant changes to the application or support amount before the decision is notified; g) Ensure that hazardous waste from the construction is properly handled and sent to its final destination. D. Implementation of Support Non-repayable support is granted in phases, depending on the nature and scope of the work to be performed, upon presentation of expense documents issued by suppliers or service providers, including contractors, following an inspection of the work by the regional housing authority.

Observations/Exceptions

•  The responsibility for disinfesting any goods or waste contaminated by termites, as well as their immediate destruction, lies with their holder. It must be done within the minimum period necessary to carry out the operation.
•  When, after the fixed period, not all operations are carried out, the municipality may disinfect or destroy the infested materials, and the expenses will be reimbursed by the holder, within 20 days from the notification.
•  The owners or usufructuaries of the buildings are responsible for complying with all obligations arising from the requirements, namely those arising from the obligation to authorise inspections and disinfestation actions.

 

Candidacies rejected outright

Applications that present one of the following situations are rejected:

a) Buildings or autonomous fractions of buildings that, due to their characteristics or location, are not capable of guaranteeing the safety of their occupants, even with the design of supports;
b) The required value of the intervention is clearly disproportionate to the certificate of absence of infestation and inspection and the list of measurements of the work to be carried out in the rehabilitation of the building.

Priority applications
Priority is given to the following cases:
a) That constitute emergency situations – because it is verified that the infestation jeopardizes the structural safety, totally or partially, of the building;
b) That constitute a great housing shortage;
c) In which the applicant's household in an individual name includes a person with a disability;
d) That relate to properties located in zones, classified or classified buildings.

Additional Information

• The support provided for can be combined with other support that is in force as long as they do not result in the overlapping of support, with a view to the recovery or rehabilitation of properties, already subject to reimbursement;
•  On the death of the beneficiary, the beneficiary is entitled to the right to support to the members of the household who survive him/her. If there is no household, it is only transmitted to the heirs if the payment of any contribution has been made or any works on behalf of the same have begun;
•  Non-refundable support is granted in a phased manner (depending on the nature and extent of the work), upon presentation of the expenditure documents, and after the inspection of the work, carried out by the competent regional directorate for housing (the last phase is only processed after the inspection has been carried out);
• Failure to comply with the beneficiary's obligations (unless duly proven and recognised by the competent authority) implies, depending on the situation, the prescription of the amount of support or immediate termination of the support with its return or exclusion. (Articles 45 and 48 of Regional Legislative Decree No. 22/2010/A, of 30 June);
•  The provision of false statements determines: in addition to a criminal case, in the investigation phase the exclusion or in the phase between the decision and the granting of the support the extinction of the right or after the implementation of the support the reimbursement of the same plus 10%;
•  The environmental department is responsible for supervising the operation of the infestation certification system and the disinfestation operations, the removal, forwarding and disposal of infested waste;
•  It is the responsibility of the housing department to supervise the progress of the works in accordance with the project, approve the changes and expedite the final inspection.

Legislation

•    Ordinance No. 92/2015 of 1 July 2015;
    • Regional Legislative Decree No. 22/2010/A, of 30 June;
    • Regional Legislative Decree No. 14/2015/A, of 26 May;
    • Ordinance No. 38/2011, of 20 May;
    • Ordinance No. 90/2011, of 9 November;