The government recently presented the new soil law, a measure that aims to respond to the housing crisis, increasing the offer of land for construction without compromising environmental and agricultural protection.
According to the executive, the legislation seeks to balance the need for more urbanizable land with the preservation of essential soils for biodiversity and agriculture.
Main changes in soil law
According to the new legislation, there are four major changes:
- More land available for housing constructionallowing an increase in real estate supply and, theoretically, the reduction in prices of houses;
- Reinforcement of the response to the housing crisispromoting the construction of real estate at controlled prices;
- Protection of agricultural soil and environmental areasensuring that certain zones remain untouchable;
- Controlled construction and within the established legal criteriaavoiding deregulated expansions.
Who decides to reclassify the land?
Contrary to what has been speculated, the government will not make direct reclassification of land. The decision will be responsible for municipal assemblies, following specific rules established by law.
This process aims to ensure a transparent and supervant system locally, without direct intervention of the executive.
Construction restrictions
Not all land can be used for construction. The new law maintains a series of prohibitions, including:
Related:
- Agricultural only Class A and B agricultural;
- Protected areas and integrated places in Natura 2000 network;
- Risk zones, such as areas subject to flooding and coastal erosion;
- Coastal waterfront, river margins and territories threatened by rising sea level.
In places where the construction is allowed, a grounded technical opinion will be required to ensure that buildings comply with environmental and urbanistic norms.
Impact on housing prices
The government argues that the measure will help reduce housing prices by providing more land at lower costs.
To ensure that built houses are not the subject of real estate speculation, price limits were established, setting maximum values up to 20% below the average market price.
Maximum price fixation means state control?
No. The legislation does not fix housing prices mandatory, but sets limits to prevent speculation on rustic land.
If the price of these land approaches current urban soils, houses built in these spaces will have to respect the ceiling defined by law, making it impossible to resale to speculative values.
Conclusion
The soil law seeks to respond to the problem of lack of accessible housing, increasing the supply of land and imposing mechanisms that avoid artificial pricing.
However, its implementation will depend strongly on municipal decisions and the enforcement capacity of the responsible entities.
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