It has increased a lot, remaining in many cases, the demand for housing in the province of Bergamo is unsatisfieda dynamic territory from an employment perspective and with significant positive values for internal and foreign migration rates. There is a lack of houses, and those that exist are affected by the sharp increase in rents. On the topic I SPI-CGIL of Bergamothe pensioners’ union, and the SUNIAthe CGIL tenants and assignees union, commissioned a study at the Across Concept analysis institute in Brig.
At provincial level, according to ISTAT, in 2021 more than one house in 4 was vacant (some are rented as holiday homes or for short periods, others left vacant): 173 thousand out of 640 thousand, equal to 27% of the total (in the capital we are at 15.4%).
The highest rate of vacant houses is in Albino with 25.3%followed by Alzano with 119.3%, Bergamo with 15.4%, Bonate Sopra with 11%, Caravaggio with 18.8%, Castelli Calepio with 14.7%, Cologno with 14.3 %
In recent years, the formula Airbnb for short-term rentals it has made it more attractive for landlords to think in terms of welcoming them for a few days, rather than renting to the traditional tenant. The impact was particularly disruptive in Cmunicipalities with high housing tension such as Bergamo, Dalmine, Seriate and Torre Boldone, where there were already notable difficulties in finding affordable accommodation. In particular, in the year of the Italian Capital of Culture, the Municipality of Bergamo recorded a 42% growth in rental accommodation through that platform.
Despite the national and regional contributions granted to encourage the growth of regulated and agreed rents, the housing situation ended up being particularly critical. Furthermore, in recent years, the trend of the real estate market has been characterized above all by sales and renovations, also thanks to government economic support (for example the 110% contribution).
As stated in the Three-year plan for public and social housing services 2023-2025, developed by the Bergamo social sector, numerous families, even with existing employment contracts, have to face a huge gap between income and rent of a non-transitory nature. The difficulties concern: families with economic fragility (single income, low ISEE, with discontinuous income, indigent…); foreigners unable to provide guarantees; under 35: young couples and newly formed families, students and young workers; people with diversified fragilities: partially non-self-sufficient elderly people, with mental distress, disabilities, people leaving therapeutic, rehabilitation, community programs, homeless people in situations of serious marginalization.
The housing emergency concerns then the increase in situations of innocent arrears, with the consequent start of procedures for the forced release of properties, as well as the difficulty in supporting installments of mortgages and loans started for the purchase of homes, with the opening of foreclosure procedures and the sale of properties at auction. This can be seen from reading the three-year plans (2023 – 2025) of the offer of public and social housing services in various areas and from the strong increase in requests for the execution of evictions (2,286 in 2022 against 939 in 2021).
Again from reading the three-year plans of the province, several other critical issues emerge. There are few Municipalities that envisage renovation or redevelopment interventions on individual buildings or degraded areas to then be used for social housing. Less frequently the Municipalities provide within the rules of Pgt specific indications on social housing. Even lower is the number of municipal administrations which, in line with the provisions of Regional Law 12/05 “Law for the governance of the territory”, provide for areas of transformation with the obligation of free transfer of areas intended for public housing and social housing.
The difficulties concern in particular the relationship between demand and supply of housing. In various documents it is highlighted that SAP (Public Housing Services) accommodation made available is too few to meet the demand; it often happens therefore that families who have i right requirements are unable to access the house if they exceed a very low ISEE range (7,500-8,000 euros). Furthermore, There are numerous public housing units that are vacant due to lack of maintenance: for example, within Bergamoaccording to the Three-Year Housing Plan 2023-2025, 450 out of 4,300 SAP (public housing services) homes are vacant due to lack of maintenance; in Dalmine there are 80 out of a total of 900 public housing units. The unsatisfied demand also concerns renting at controlled costs, to be covered above all with SAS housing (social housing services) to be rented at sustainable rents, also by consolidating the type of local contracts with agreed rent.
“In the intentions of political decision makers, urban transformation programs and integrated urban regeneration programs (financed by the Region and the PNRR) constitute an important opportunity to promote social housing in order to create a new housing offer at low and sustainable rents for families with low incomes. However,” he points out Augusta Passera, general secretary of the SPI-CGIL of Bergamo“the first results indicate that there is an opportunity to increase housing opportunities for families who are in the so-called gray band, that is, those who have ‘high’ conditions for accessing public housing, but ‘low’ conditions for accessing the market with peace of mind private, has not yet been grasped.”
Faced with this situation, continues the trade unionist, “it is necessary to give new perspectives to the housing offer, also with a view to coordinating urban planning and social policies. The input to the revision of urban planning tools given by the approval of Regional Law n.18/2019 on Urban Regeneration has activated numerous Municipalities in the action of undertaking procedures to vary the Territorial Government Plans, or to rewrite them. But urban regeneration cannot be guided by land development expectations. The housing problem refers to a precise vision of society. It is necessary rethink the short and long-term tools available to local authorities and the role of other entities that can help expand the supply of affordable housing.”
He also intervenes on the issue Luisella Gagni, head of SUNIA in Bergamo: “In the private rental market, rents have been affected by the increase in inflation which at times has affected more than 10%. The increase in utility costs has produced a situation of arrears that could have been remedied or reduced if the rent support funds had been refinanced, thus increasing the percentages of tenants evicted. However, no refinancing has arrived” underlines Gagni. “Added to this situation is the increase in short-term rentals. The choice to opt for this rental method has produced a high number of end-of-lease cancellations by homeowners, causing eviction numbers to soar following the failure to vacate the accommodation and effectively reducing the number of houses available for rental”.
