Too many Brits are buying property in Portugal without using a surveyor, despite being unfamiliar with Portuguese construction methods and the risk of their properties being susceptible to damage.

“The method of construction in Portugal is completely different from northern Europe because a lot of Portugal is liable to earthquakes,” said Robert Levin, a surveyor based in Portugal. “Because of this, what the average buyer may know about construction in the UK becomes useless when looking at Portuguese properties.”

For the last 60 years buildings in Portugal have had to be constructed with a concrete frame which reduces the risk of collapse in an earthquake, but creates other problems in connection with cracking and damp penetration. Plumbing and electrical installations are also different in Portugal and should be checked, especially in older properties.

“Although having a new house built may seem to remove a lot of these problems, the design and specification should be looked at carefully as properly done these can reduce problems at a later date very easily,” continues Levin, who runs Scott & Gray Investimentos.

“I have seen recently properties designed by ‘top’ Portuguese architects which would not pass British Standards with regards to handrails and balustrades – toddlers could easily fall through them. One I saw had two bedrooms with insufficient width to have a standard double bed, let alone twin singles, plus bedside tables and still be able to open the wardrobe doors – sliding doors would have solved the problem! This same property had a rooftop terrace accessed by a freestanding staircase – there were no balustrades at all and a drop of over two metres at the staircase. Another part of the roof terrace has a drop of 3.25 metres into a lightwell outside the kitchen!”

For details of property for sale in Portugal, visit the Portuguese listings on Rightmove Overseas. One way to save money when buying in Portugal is to use a currency specialist when transferring your pounds into euros to complete the purchase of your property. For more information on this, contact Smart Currency Exchange.

To understand the full step-by-step process to buying a property in Portugal, collect The Overseas Guides Company’s ‘Portugal Property Buying Guide’