Funchal is a hillside city, where the water off one roof runs down into the yard or street of whoever lives below. This guide looks at roof repair in Funchal: what the Census says about its buildings, the IPMA-measured climate, the law that applies in an Autonomous Region, what the PDM says about the historic centre, the PRESERVA programme and who to phone. We do not repair roofs: we give information, with sources.
Updated 3 November 2026. General information, not a substitute for the council or a technician.
The essentials
- Madeira has its own instrument for the permit regime. Regional Legislative Decree no. 37/2006/M adapts the RJUE to the Region. We did not read the consolidated text, so we do not state how it treats conservation: confirm with the council.
- In the historic centre the PDM gives the council power. For buildings facing historic street layouts, it can limit changes to roofs.
- PRESERVA gives up to 8,000 euros as a grant to low-income households, for maintaining the home. Since 18 July 2026 there is no fixed application deadline.
- One downpour can be huge. The largest at the station was 158.6 mm in a day.
- The council’s contact is 291 211 000.
What the Funchal numbers say
The INE 2021 Census counts 28,018 buildings in Funchal. We calculated the percentages from the INE figures:
| Funchal | Country | |
|---|---|---|
| Buildings from before 1961 | 27.5% | 23.1% |
| Small repairs | 27.1% | 21.8% |
| Medium repairs | 10.9% | 9.4% |
| Deep repair | 5.9% | 4.6% |
| No repair needed | 56.1% | 64.2% |
Adding the three repair classes gives 12,305 buildings, 43.9% of the total, against 35.8% nationally. And deep repair, 1,656 buildings, is the highest share among the cities on this site. Only 27.5% of buildings pre-date 1961, a little above the national 23.1%: Funchal is not especially old, but many buildings need work. INE measures the whole building, not just the roof.
The climate and what fails first
At the IPMA station in Funchal (1991-2020) it rains 574.3 mm a year, and July and August have almost no rain (1.7 and 1.3 mm). There are 18.4 days a year with 10 mm or more and 3.9 with 30 mm or more. The mean temperature is 20.0 °C and there is no frost.
The extreme is what counts: the largest daily rainfall was 158.6 mm, on 26 November 2010, more than a quarter of a year’s rain in one day. In a hillside city that water has to go somewhere. The Madeiran popular house, according to an article from the University of Porto’s Faculty of Architecture, is associated with eaves and a sub-eave in red ceramic and lime-white walls. We conclude, without a specific source, that the gutter and where it drains matter more than the tile: read the leak causes and gutter cleaning. We found no official sources on sea salt or wind as causes of wear in Funchal and do not claim them. The APICER and CTCV guide, used in other guides, is summarised in the tiles and climate guide.
Permits in Madeira and Funchal
The national rule says conservation works are exempt: see the permit guide. In Madeira, the urbanisation and building regime was adapted by Regional Legislative Decree no. 37/2006/M of 18 August, with amendments, the last in 2024 according to the consolidated version. We only confirmed that the decree exists and is in force. We did not read its article on exempt works.
The most concrete local rule we read is in Funchal’s PDM (Aviso 53/2018, article 66, no. 3): for works on buildings facing historic street layouts, such as Rua da Carreira and Rua Direita, the council may require rehabilitation and limit the volume and the occupation and transformation of roofs. The Historic Centre is an urban rehabilitation area, and the council also lists the Ribeira de João Gomes and Corujeira e Tornos areas. We did not read the rehabilitation-area regulations.
Who to ask
Funchal’s website has a procedures portal, “Urbanismo Online”, and an urban-planning section. The council’s Contact Center is 291 211 000 (every day, 8:00 to 22:00) and the address is Praça do Município, 9004-512 Funchal (contacts as the council publishes them). We could not open the urban-planning requests page, so we do not know which form fits a conservation job.
The PRESERVA programme
According to the council page, PRESERVA funds conservation, repair and improvement of degraded homes of low-income households:
- the applicant is an owner or usufructuary who has lived in the home at least 3 years;
- net monthly income per person does not exceed 150% of the IAS;
- nobody in the household owns another residential property;
- the grant is up to 8,000 euros, depending on income, with a 5% increase in documented cases;
- the rules were amended on 17 July 2026 and, since 18 July, there is no fixed application deadline;
- to find out if you are eligible, the council says to go to the Social Valuation Division at the Town Hall. 291 211 000 and [email protected] are the page’s contacts.
The page does not expressly say whether roofs count. Ask. See also the insulation aid.
Storms and emergencies
Funchal is not among the 22 additional municipalities in Despacho 2389-A/2026, which concerns the mainland. We found no official data on damaged roofs in Funchal. See the aid guide and the one on home insurance.
The council has a civil-protection section with the municipal emergency plan (2025), the “Funchal Alerta” platform, an awareness guide and the Sapadores fire company. The page gives no civil-protection number of its own, only the Contact Center. In immediate danger, 112. See the first 48 hours.
Before you hire
Use the quote checker and the contractor check, read the VAT guide and the guide on work at height. To decide, repair or replace and the overview. The city: Roofs in Funchal. On VAT in Madeira, our guide is the national one: we did not confirm whether the Region has its own rate.
What we could not confirm
- How the regional regime treats roof conservation (text of DLR 37/2006/M).
- Which form and procedure Funchal uses for a conservation job.
- Rehabilitation-area rules for roofs, and tile colour or material.
- Whether PRESERVA accepts roofs, and the documents required.
- The VAT rate applicable in Madeira to repair works.
- A dedicated municipal civil-protection number.
Sources (read on 3 November 2026)
- Funchal council pages on PRESERVA, housing, civil protection, urban rehabilitation areas and the home page.
- Funchal PDM, Aviso 53/2018, JORAM.
- Diário da República, Regional Legislative Decree no. 37/2006/M (title and existence only).
- INE, 2021 Census, indicator 0011482 (percentages calculated by us).
- IPMA, climate normal for Funchal, 1991-2020.
- FAUP, article on the Madeiran house.