Find the correct entity
Examples include EPAL in Lisbon, Águas e Energia do Porto in Porto, SMAS in Sintra, SIMAS in Oeiras/Amadora, AGERE in Braga and FAGAR in Faro. Confirm the entity on the municipality’s official website.
Application and handover
Identity, NIF, occupancy evidence, meter serial number and reading are commonly requested. Do not assume an unregistered tenancy is automatically rejected everywhere; check the local evidence list.
Understanding the bill
Water, wastewater and municipal waste items may appear. Consumption bands and fixed charges vary locally; never apply another municipality’s tariff to your address.
Estimates, leaks and disputes
Submit opening and closing readings. For abnormal consumption, check internal plumbing and request the entity’s written leak-review procedure.
Water: from handover to the first bill
Start with the local operator
There is no single nationwide water company or application checklist. Identify the operator serving your municipality and distinguish a new contract, a change of account holder and reopening a closed meter. Before signing a tenancy, ask whether water is individually metered or paid through shared building charges. If water is described as included, clarify which charges the agreement covers.
Keep a handover record
Save the meter number, date and reading photograph with the handover record. An agreed opening reading helps separate your usage from the previous occupier’s. Check the operator’s current identity, NIF, address and occupancy-document requirements. If you set up direct debit, monitor the first collection rather than assuming activation is complete.
Investigate an unexpected bill
Check the billing period and actual versus estimated readings. A water bill can contain wastewater and waste-service charges as well as water. Observe the meter with taps off if a leak is suspected; do not remove seals or dismantle the meter. Send the operator the reading image, bill and relevant dates, and contact the landlord in writing about internal plumbing. Reduced and family tariffs need local eligibility checks.
- Confirm the operator for the exact address.
- Establish individual or shared metering.
- Record opening and closing readings.
- Compare estimates with actual consumption.
- Save the closure confirmation when moving out.
Official reference · Checked 6 October 2026.
Social and family tariffs
Eligibility and application vary locally. Check the provider and ERSAR.