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Italian public housing company seeks 100 private apartments, dividing real estate sector
🇮🇹 Italy /Economy & Trade

Italian public housing company seeks 100 private apartments, dividing real estate sector

From Corriere della Sera · () Italian

Translated from Italian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified New plan
  • Itea, a public housing company in Trentino, Italy, plans to purchase 100 private apartments by 2028 to address housing shortages.
  • The initiative has divided real estate stakeholders, with some welcoming it and others urging Itea to prioritize renovating existing vacant properties.
  • Unions argue that 100 units are insufficient to solve the social housing crisis, while real estate agents see it as a step to stabilize rental prices.

Trentino's public housing company, Itea, is set to purchase 100 private apartments over the next two years, a move aimed at alleviating the region's housing shortage. The initiative, announced by Itea President Sergio Anzelini and Provincial Councilor for Housing Policies Simone Marchiori, has sparked debate within the real estate sector.

It's an important initiative, long awaited.

— Severino RigottiPresident of the Trentino Real Estate Agents Federation, commenting on Itea's plan to buy private apartments.

Real estate agents, represented by Severino Rigotti of Confcommercio's Federazione mediatori agenti d’affari, have largely welcomed the plan. Rigotti described it as an "important initiative, long awaited," expressing hope that Itea would regain its former role in property development and help stabilize rising rental costs. However, Roberto Oss Emer, president of the Trentino Building Association, suggested that Itea should first focus on renovating its existing stock of vacant and degraded apartments before turning to the private market.

The priority of a public company like Itea should be to recover and renovate the hundreds of vacant or degraded apartments... not to buy from the private market.

— Roberto Oss EmerPresident of the Trentino Building Association, suggesting a different approach for Itea.

Trade unions, including Cgil, Cisl, and Uil, acknowledged the positive intent but deemed 100 apartments insufficient to address the broader social housing crisis. They called for clearer long-term planning, warning that the current approach risks becoming mere "propaganda." Provincial councilor Paolo Zanella echoed these concerns, pointing to worrying data in the social balance sheet that suggests a need for more structural solutions.

One hundred apartments will not solve the problem of the shortage of social housing.

— Trade Unions (Cgil, Cisl, Uil)Assessing the scale of Itea's planned acquisition against the region's housing needs.

Itea's plan involves acquiring entire buildings or portions of at least 12 units, which can be new or renovated, some accessible to people with disabilities, and all including parking. This acquisition strategy is part of a larger goal to introduce over 1,800 housing units by 2028, combining recovered structures and new constructions. While Rigotti fully supports the purchase plan, emphasizing its potential to calm the rental market, he also noted that the long-term need is for significantly more housing.

This operation will serve to calm the rental market: there are no houses and rents are high and many cannot afford them.

— Severino RigottiExplaining the potential economic benefits of Itea's purchase plan.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Corriere della Sera in Italian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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