As summer draws to a close, universities and workers return to populate the cities they have designated as the location for their activities. But a challenge is renewed every year: finding a roof over your head without spending a fortune. A phenomenon also seen in Spain. However, the task is difficult: in Milan, in the university area, a bed costs an average of 637 euros, in Bologna 506, in Rome 503. Adding to the difficulties is the decision of many owners to make their homes available for short-term rentals on platforms such as Airbnb: “That way, you earn double,” explains a precarious worker heard from Republic.
The number of short-term rentals
In our peninsula there are a total of 620 thousand short-term rentals. Ten years ago there were about 89 thousand. On the other hand, according to Istat estimates, vacant homes reach 10 million. But despite these figures, the multiplication of advertisements on sites like Airbnb that allow tourists to stay for a few days in the most famous cities is leading to a significant increase in rents. This is what a study by the Tortuga think tank reveals: a 1% growth in listings on Airbnb leads to a 5.7% increase in rents. And those who pay the price are university students looking for accommodation to study, often far from home, or young workers. “Short-term rentals are stealing our homes,” complain university students. Who do not even have the support of the public: there are 830,000 non-residents in total, but student residences only have 50,000 places.
The costs
In Naples and Florence, the price of a single room for students has increased by 16%. The Italian director of Airbnb, Giacomo Trovato, also recognizes the needs of the free market: “Students are a specific type of residence, their expectation is to have rents at subsidized prices, but the free market cannot find the solution, you cannot ask a landlord to rent at a loss.” Ilaria Lamera, symbol of the student protests against high rents with her tent in front of the Polytechnic University of Milan, returned home to Alzano Lombardo to save 600 euros a month.
“They offered me garages and closets”
Among the most incredible stories told by university students of Republic There is Pablo Pipestem's. Unbelievable, but it is now the norm in university cities like Bologna: “I spend my days on Facebook pages dedicated to looking for beds also because, as soon as a “good” ad arrives, about twenty interested students respond and among them one who takes is always there, often it is the first. We are talking about ten minutes between the publication of the valid ad and the moment it disappears.” In Bologna, he studies political science. Previously, he had a contract of 290 euros per month for a single room outside the center in a house shared with other children. The contract has expired and he is looking for new solutions. But the offers do not go below 500 euros per month.
The B&B
Whether it's a small room in the suburbs or closer to the university, the owners have all adapted to this figure. They know that sooner or later, with the hunger for beds in Bologna, they will rent them out. For five hundred euros, to which you have to add the money to live, I would like at least a decent place to live. And they offered him everything: “Garages converted into student rooms, where you practically live in the cellar, a few rooms without windows, an apartment that was actually a B&B, with guests who could change every night.”
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