Earthquake risk · the building you buy

The ground sets the shaking. The building sets the damage.

Two flats on the same street can sit at opposite ends of the risk range.

Set by the location

Fixed for every building here

  • Seismic zone in NP EN 1998-1 (two scenarios: distant offshore, moderate nearby)
  • Ground type: soft alluvium amplifies shaking compared with rock
  • Nothing a buyer can change
Set by the building

Different in every building

  • Structural system and its era
  • Condition of timber, masonry and concrete
  • Alterations since construction: walls removed, storeys added, ground floor opened
What a buyer can check

Before the CPCV

  • Which system you are buying
  • Which alterations were made, and whether they were licensed
  • Whether works after 15 Nov 2019 produced a seismic vulnerability report
No one can forecast the next earthquake for a specific building. What the building is, and what was done to it, can be established.
Sources: NP EN 1998-1 (Eurocode 8) and Portuguese national annex · Decreto-Lei n.º 95/2019, Art. 8.º, and Portaria n.º 302/2019, in force 15 Nov 2019 · Last reviewed 24 Sep 2026 · InspectOS