I booked a studio apartment through the uniplaces website in August 2026. The contract for the property was monthly, so I reserved from the 1st of September 2026, because I did not know my arrival date yet.
As soon as my arrival for the 15th of September was confirmed, I notified the landlady of this. I have proof in our whatsapp conversations, and my plane ticket.
When I arrived, we signed a contract (dated 15th of September) in portuguese only, and she did not give me a copy, and took the only signed one.
Upon inspection, I realised that the apartment was filled with mold, a foul smell, and several signs of water damage. It did not have proper ventilation, and posed a serious health hazard to me and my pet.
I reached out to the landlady immediately, and she denied the claims. She offered to have the apartment painted, but I told her that would not fix the mold issue.
I also reached out to Uniplaces across multiple platforms, with absolutely no answer until the next morning. This forced me to spend the night in the dangerous environment. Their answer was that the 24 hour tenant protection expired on the 1st of September, but if I provided evidence they would help mediate. I replied immediately with more than enough evidence, and have not gotten a response since then.
The lack of communication and assistance in finding new accommodation forced me to evacuate the studio and stay in a hotel room. I have informed Uniplaces of this, and they told me to wait until the next day to get a response. The lack of help and taking my claims seriously is outrageous, considering that the apartment is shown as Checked on the website, with a Trusted Landlord badge.
It has been 40 hours since I first complained about a health hazard, with no real action on their part.
