The paint job has flaws, the paint is peeling, or the painter has stopped answering the phone. This guide shows what to keep as proof, how to write to the painter, where to go if they do not reply and what each body can and cannot do. The Civil Code articles on defects are in the guide to the contract, warranty and payment; here we only cite them.
Updated 4 November 2026. General information, not a substitute for legal advice.
The essentials
- Proof first: dated photos, messages, quote, proof of payment and invoice.
- Write to the painter by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt. The consumer body DECO PROteste gives 30 days to complain to the contractor, the same period as article 1220 of the Civil Code (Código Civil) that we read for the contract guide.
- The Complaints Book records the complaint but does not return money.
- IMPIC supervises, it does not settle disputes. IMPIC, the construction regulator, says on its own page that it does not resolve disputes, set compensation or order sums to be returned.
- To get money back or demand repair there is consumer arbitration, the Julgados de Paz (small-claims justice of the peace courts) or the courts.
1. Proof: what to gather
| Document | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Quote or contract | Shows what was promised: paint brand, coats, preparation, deadline. DECO PROteste calls the contract an important means of proof to invoke the warranty |
| Messages, emails | Proof of requests, promises and refusals |
| Proof of payment and invoice | Proof of what you paid and to whom |
| Dated photos and videos | The state before, the defect and how it develops |
| Name, tax number and certificate or licence number | Identifies the painter. See how to check in the quotes guide |
If the defect is technical, for example paint peeling because of damp, an expert can state the cause. IMPIC says expert reports are made by technicians of the Orders of Architects, Engineers and Technical Engineers. We did not read any prices. Also check whether the problem comes from the wall: peeling paint.
2. The letter to the painter
- Describe each defect, room by room, and attach photos.
- Ask for the repair and set a deadline. The DECO PROteste template for defects in a home, dated 16 August 2021, allows 15 days and warns that legal remedies will follow if nothing is fixed.
- Send it by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt, as DECO recommends. Keep a copy.
- Do it within 30 days of finding the defect.
If the painter does not reply or has vanished, write to the address on the quote or invoice. The contract guide summarises what the Civil Code provides next: removal of the defect, a price reduction or termination of the contract. Unless agreed otherwise, the price is due on acceptance of the work, so do not pay the balance without checking it.
3. The Complaints Book (Livro de Reclamações)
Decree-Law 156/2005, in its 2017 republication, requires the electronic format from all service providers, and the physical one from those with a fixed establishment open to the public. Civil construction is listed in the annex.
- The provider has 15 working days to answer an electronic complaint (article 5-B).
- The form goes to the competent body. For civil construction, supervision belongs to IMPIC (article 11). Where no specific body exists, it falls to ASAE, the food and economic safety authority.
- That body examines the complaint and, if the facts suggest an administrative offence, opens proceedings. In an unresolved consumer dispute, it tells the consumer about alternative dispute resolution (article 6).
- If the physical book is not handed over at once, you may call the police (article 3(4)).
4. Complaint to IMPIC
IMPIC examines whether the company committed administrative offences and can penalise it. To complain, you must confirm that the company is in a regulated activity, describe the facts clearly and attach proof. It will not bring your money back.
5. Where to settle the dispute
| Route | What the sources we read say |
|---|---|
| Consumer arbitration | According to gov.pt (updated 27/03/2026), cases are generally free and take about three months. Each centre sets its own limit: Lisbon and Coimbra, €5,000; the others, none. The arbitrator’s decision is binding and enforceable |
| National Construction Arbitration Centre | On IMPIC’s list, with competence over private building contracts. We did not read its rules, costs or whether the painter must accept |
| Julgados de Paz | According to the DGPJ (justice policy directorate, 16/10/2026): claims up to €15,000 for civil breach of contract; a single fee of €70, paid by the losing party; mediation with agreement costs €50, shared. The parties attend in person. See also the neighbour leak guide |
| DECO PROteste | Its 2 June 2025 dossier says it can take a case to an arbitration centre under €5,000, after you have written to the painter |
In consumer arbitration, Law 144/2015 lets the centre refuse a case if the consumer did not first try to settle with the provider (article 11), and you need no lawyer (article 10).
6. If no invoice was issued
DECO PROteste has a template letter reporting a missing invoice to a tax office (Serviço de Finanças), also by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt.
What we could not confirm
- Whether the painter must accept arbitration. gov.pt only mentions compulsory arbitration for essential public services. We did not confirm in the statute the €5,000 rule that DECO mentions.
- Which time limit applies to painting. DECO PROteste speaks of 10 and 5 years of liability and 3 years to sue; the contract guide, from the Civil Code, gives 30 days, one year and two years. Act within 30 days.
- Suspension of time limits. Law 144/2015 applies to conciliation the regime of Law 29/2013, which we did not read. Do not count on it.
- A painter with no premises or no email. We did not confirm how the Complaints Book applies then.
- Recent amendments to Decree-Law 156/2005 and Law 144/2015: we read the 2017 version and the consolidated text on pgdlisboa.pt.
- Fraud or breach of trust, when someone takes an advance and vanishes: we read no criminal-law sources. Speak to a lawyer or the authorities.
- IMPIC response times and expert fees.
Sources (read on 4 November 2026)
- IMPIC, Como apresentar uma Queixa (how to file a complaint; page of 24/09/2015), Centros de arbitragem (arbitration centres) and Lista de técnicos credenciados para relatórios de peritagem (page of 13/11/2015).
- Decree-Law 156/2005, republished by Decree-Law 74/2017, Diário da República, series 1, no. 118, 21 June 2017, PDF at aiccopn.pt: articles 1 to 6, 11 and the annex.
- Law 144/2015 of 8 September (alternative consumer dispute resolution), text at pgdlisboa.pt: articles 2, 10, 11, 13, 14 and 18. Not read on dre.pt.
- gov.pt, Arbitragem de conflitos de consumo nos centros apoiados pelo Ministério da Justiça (consumer arbitration), updated 27/03/2026.
- DGPJ, Como funcionam os Julgados de Paz?, updated 16/10/2026.
- DECO PROteste, Obras em casa: licenças, o que fazer na câmara e impostos, 2 June 2025.
- DECO PROteste, Defeitos em habitação (template of 16/08/2021) and Denúncia de falta de emissão de fatura (undated template).