RJUE · Article 100-A · Solidary liability
Who pays for an unauthorised work
When the builder dissolves, the burden flows upstream to the most solvent party, usually the owner.
Dono da obra
Owner
Promotor
Promoter
Projetista
Designers
Diretor de obra
Work directors
↓ jointly and severally liable ↓
€450.000
Maximum corporate fine for construction without a title or in non-conformity, plus €5,000 to €250,000 in legalisation costs (RJUE).
Phoenix companies: builders that accumulate debt, dissolve, and re-form under a new number leave the current owner as the party still standing when the municipality enforces.
Source: RJUE (Decreto-Lei n.º 555/99), Art. 100-A and Art. 98, as revised by Decreto-Lei n.º 108/2026, de 29 de maio.