Student Housing Crisis in Milan
Interview from Student on the increase of rent in student housing
By: Sara Cole, Taylor Welsh, Laura Bigay Ojeda, Valeriia Dziuba
Studying abroad is a huge step in one’s life. It’s a time where you travel, learn, and experience a whole new country, while also studying your passion in a different school. But before that, you need to do your research on where to live and what the options are in your country. Choosing a home in a new city can be one of the hardest things a student can do. You need a place that is not too noisy, not too far away from the city but also not too far away from your new university. Specifically in Milan, finding housing as a student has become extremely difficult, especially for students who will only be in the city for a few short months. There has been a lack of available housing that is affordable, near universities and in safe areas. This deficiency has left many students without help from their university housing service to find a new home that meets the necessary criteria they are looking for. We see that many students have turned to paying outside housing services for help or booking expensive long-term Airbnb’s.
Milan’s central location to other major European cities, efficient transportation and undeniable Italian charm, the prices of housing have been exponentially rising as more and more people realize what the city has to offer. The increase in interest in the city has created a high demand for housing. Additionally, the city has begun many developments and construction projects that have made finding housing even more difficult. Traditionally in Italy, Milan was never the first choice for living. As the city has grown and gained its reputation for business, shopping and fashion, many more people have decided that Milan is the best spot to live. People from Italy, and even all over Europe, have begun making their way to Milan to enjoy the tax system and work in the business industry of the city. This tax adjustment increased the amount of available money in Italy and the number of high-earning residents has increased by 88%. However, with the increased demand for housing, the value of property in Milan increased 25% in November of 2017 and further increased an extra 2% between 2019 and 2021. This increase in available money has brought people from all over the world into the city, but the process has become too expensive for locals to keep up with. With this problem that the locals are facing, a new petition has been started, Via Padova Viva, which is an attempt to ask the municipality to help restore the original pricing of pre-owned and dated housing back to their affordable standard.
Students are calling government officials to take action to help with the rapid increase in housing prices. Currently in Milan, the average price for a single room is €620, which is a 20% jump from 2021. The average price for a shared room is €439, an 11% jump from 2021. This is far too high for students who are taking a full class schedule and working a low-paying job if they can work at all. Milan Mayor, Giuseppe Sala, spoke about state funds to help the problem by stating “…if you manage to find state funds, everything becomes easier”. State funding would allow students to move out of their parent’s home. A survey by Eurostat found that 68% of Italian university students still live with their parents. This is significantly higher than the EU average of 17%. Living on your own is a critical part of growing up and university is the perfect time to do so. The cost of housing is holding so many students from experiencing a critical part of maturing. This is hurting Italian society as so many young people are not experiencing the struggles of living on your own.
“Living in Milan has been an experience, and I am lucky enough to live in an amazing neighborhood not too far from my university. While looking at different neighborhoods, the one that I knew I would enjoy the most was Navigli. This is probably my favorite neighborhood and it’s not just because I live there. Everything you need is close by, which comes at a cost. Milan is the most expensive city to rent in Italy, even if you are away from the city area. People are willing to pay more than €2000 per month to live close to the city center to get the experience. Most housing for students can be provided by their university, or students have to search for their own housing. My home university did not provide so I had to take matters into my hands and do my research. Before coming to Milan, it was a struggle just to understand how the city worked. Now that I have been here for more than 5 months, I understand how expensive the rent in Milan is.” said to ask from Puerto Rican student studying in Universita Cattolica.
We got the chance to interview a student who goes to Universita Cattolica in Milan and talk about his experience with his housing. International students, along with Italian students, are struggling to find an accommodation that would match their needs and financial capacities. The most important advice that can be given to all young people in Milan is to be prepared to be patient during your search, and to not give up hope of finding a place which you will call your home.
Interview
Interview with Ivan — a Ukrainian student, who lives in Milan and studies Economics and management in Cattolica University.
Valeriia: Hi, Could you please tell me when did you come to Milan? What was the purpose of your stay and what’s your current status right now?
Ivan: Yes, I came to Milan after the war. I came here at the beginning of April. So basically the purpose was studying because as soon as the war began, I really wanted to go abroad to, well to study and also to escape the war of course. So as soon as I had the chance, my family had friends here. That was an opportunity to apply to university here and I basically applied to universities here in Milan, to Bocconi and to Cattolica. And fortunately Cattolica accepted me and I got green light from the border admission. Now I’m here.
Valeriia: And could you please tell me about your experience of finding a house? And how long did it take it for you?
Ivan: Yes, basically at first when I applied I did not know where to stay, but fortunately my sister worked in Milan before and she had a friend here and basically through her friends we were able to find a shelter (shelter for refugees), it was an agricultural enterprise basically in Cernusco which provided us with shelter so I could stay there.
Valeriia: So they’re they helped you with the searching for the house, so you didn’t do it alone, basically.
Ivan: Yes, they helped.
Valeriia: And can you recall how long did it take for you?
Ivan: It was like a couple of weeks, probably like a month and a half, yeah.
Valeriia: Okay. And can you describe the place where you stay right now and are you satisfied with it?
Ivan: Right now, yes. But right now I already moved. I moved like one month ago we were able to find a new home, which now I pay rent here and it’s in Assago, which is from the opposite side of Milan. And yes, I’m happy.
Valeriia: And can I ask you, is it like the student housing or it’s an apartment? Do you live alone or you share some facilities with someone else?
Ivan: I shared the flat with my sister. Basically we split. We split the rent. But yeah, I basically live with my sister.
Valeriia: And how do you find the pricing for the house? Do you find it affordable? And does the price correspond to the quality of the place you stay, or you think that is overpriced or underpriced?
Ivan: I think the price here it corresponds with the quality because it’s a quiet neighborhood and pretty. Comfortable flat and even big by Italian standards. So here for this apartment which is pretty spacious and located in a good place, we pay as much as we would pay for a single room flat somewhere in the centre of Milan. So I think it’s yeah, it’s a good deal.
Valeriia: And you’re so you’re satisfied with the quality of the place you stay in?
Ivan: Yes.
Valeriia. Okay. And so here’s another question did you hear something about the young people and students protesting in front of Polytechnic University of Milan regarding the high prices for rent. So there are some young protestants that are setting the tents to protest against the housing crisis and have you heard about it or you just found out?
Ivan: I have not heard about it actually, but I did hear about this issue many times also from Italian friends that I have here. Because yes, it is a problem to find a place to live. For a student in Milan, it is a big problem. It’s very hard.
Valeriia: And so you’re familiar that this is the problem and it exists. And do you think that the local government will look into this case and find solutions in the near future to help the students in Milan and young people?
Ivan: They can’t really afford to pay because they’re still students.
Valeriia: Do you think that the protests will result into something positive, into something actionable?
Ivan: I think that it’s a very difficult issue to solve because it’s about the money, but it’s also more than that. I have classmates who have high income, but who also complained because it was also hard for them to find, it took many weeks of negotiations, and legal complications, I hear there’s some kind of legal barriers exist which prevent the owners of the appartment to accept the inhabitants. I don’t think this protest will solve anything in the short term. I think that this issue is not just in Milan, but probably in many metropolitan areas. Milan is an expensive city.
Valeriia: Do you have any advice you would you give to students who want to come to study in Milan and to find accommodation?
Ivan: Yes. The advice I would give is to ask for student dorms, also to be prepared to spend some money. There are also a lot of private specialized services that offer options.
Valeriia: This is all of my questions. Thank you so much!
Ivan: Thank you too!
