Open-market contract
A deduction for your main home, at different amounts according to your total income band.
CAF services · Housing
Rent assistance and local benefits in Turin
Rent assistance and local benefits in Turin do not come as a single form of help: there are municipal and regional grants, tax deductions, and measures for people who suddenly find themselves in difficulty. They open at different times, and if you miss the window you wait a year.
01 · What exists
What rent assistance exists
The tools fall into two families: grants, paid by municipalities and regions through calls for applications and based on the ISEE, and tax deductions, which reduce the tax due in your return.
| Tool | Who provides it | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Rent grant | Municipality or Region, through a call for applications | Paid directly, based on the ISEE and on how much of your income goes on rent |
| Arrears through no fault (morosità incolpevole) | Municipality, with dedicated funds | For people who can no longer pay because of a change in circumstances |
| Tenant deduction | In the tax return | Reduces tax, with amounts that vary by type of contract and income |
| Deduction for students living away from home | In the tax return | On a maximum annual rent. See education expenses |
| Benefits for young people | In the tax return | Schemes for renting your main home within an age band |
Grants and deductions do not exclude each other: a municipal grant does not stop you deducting the rent, unless the call for applications says otherwise. They are two separate channels, and people often use only one because they do not know about the other.
02 · The call for applications
How the rent assistance grant works
It is a non-repayable grant towards months of rent already paid, reserved for people whose ISEE is within certain thresholds and whose rent takes up a significant share of their income.
- You need a registered residential rental contract, with the property as your registered residence.
- You need a valid ISEE within the thresholds of the call.
- You need proof of payment: bank transfers or receipts for the months in the reference period.
- The grant is usually a percentage of the annual rent, up to a ceiling.
- The call may exclude people who already receive other housing support.
- Properties in certain cadastral categories are excluded.
Why so many applications are rejected
Almost always because of documents, not requirements.
- Contract not registered, or registration not kept up to date
- Registered residence not matching the property
- Rent paid in cash, with no traceable record
- ISEE expired or inconsistent at the time of the application
03 · The emergency
The fund for tenants in arrears through no fault of their own
This is a separate tool, designed for people who can no longer pay the rent because of a sudden event beyond their control.
The cause
Loss of your job, reduced hours, serious illness, death of a household member who contributed to the income.
The documents
The cause must be proved: dismissal letter, cassa integrazione (state wage-support scheme) order, medical certificate.
The eviction procedure
In many calls the measure applies once an eviction procedure for arrears is already under way.
Payment
The grant usually goes to the landlord, to cover the arrears, in return for a commitment to suspend or postpone the eviction.
Timing is everything: the measure works when it is activated before the eviction procedure has reached enforcement. Anyone who turns to the offices when the bailiff has already set a date almost always finds the doors closed.
04 · In your tax return
The tax deduction for tenants
This is the tax channel: you do not ask anyone for it, you claim it in your tax return. The amounts vary by type of contract and income band.
Agreed-rent contract
A more favourable deduction: it is one of the advantages of the 3+2 contract for the tenant.
Young people
A specific scheme for renting your main home, within an age band and below an income threshold.
Workers who relocate
A deduction for people who moved their residence for work, within the set limits.
Students living away from home
A separate deduction on a maximum rent, with a requirement on the distance from the university.
Enough tax to absorb it
It is a deduction: if your gross tax is too low you do not recover it in full, except in cases where a credit is provided for.
05 · What you need
What to prepare
The documents are the same for almost all the tools, and it pays to have them ready before the calls open.
- Registered rental contract, with the registration details and any extensions.
- Receipts or bank transfers for the months paid in the reference period.
- A valid, consistent ISEE.
- Applicant's ID document and codice fiscale (Italian tax code).
- Certificate of residence or self-declaration, if the call requires it.
- For foreign nationals, the documents required: see foreign nationals.
Paying rent in a traceable way is not only a requirement of the calls: it is also the condition for the tax deduction and the proof you need in any dispute with the landlord. Paying rent in cash is the choice that closes the most doors at once.
06 · The other side
What works for the landlord
Landlords too have tools that make it worthwhile to choose arrangements affordable for the tenant.
- The canone concordato (agreed-rent contract) gives a reduced cedolare secca (flat tax on rental income), an IMU (municipal property tax) reduction and lower registration tax.
- A tenant who has access to grants and deductions is a tenant who pays more regularly.
- The arrears-through-no-fault fund can bring the landlord payment of arrears that would otherwise be hard to recover.
- A registered contract is the condition for all the benefits on both sides.
- Some municipalities offer IMU reductions for landlords who let at agreed rent.
- A comodato (free loan for use) is an alternative when there is no rent, with its own rules.
Frequently asked
The questions that keep coming up
Can I combine the rent grant with the deduction?
As a rule, yes: they are separate channels, one administrative and one fiscal. Receiving a municipal grant does not stop you deducting the rent in your tax return.
Some calls may, however, set specific limits: read the rules of each call. Still, it often happens that people who receive the grant do not claim the deduction, or the other way round, simply for lack of information.
I pay my rent in cash. Can I apply for the grant?
Almost certainly not. Calls require proof of payment, and untraceable receipts can be challenged or are not accepted.
Traceable payment is also the condition for the tax deduction and the proof you need in any dispute with the landlord. It is worth switching to bank transfer for that reason alone.
I have lost my job and cannot pay. What can I do?
Check whether your municipality has an active fund for arrears through no fault: it is designed precisely for people who can no longer pay because of a sudden event they can document.
Act immediately, before the eviction procedure reaches enforcement: the measure works while there is still time for an agreed suspension. Meanwhile, update your ISEE with the ISEE corrente (current ISEE), which reflects your present income.
I am a student living away from home. What deduction can I claim?
There is a separate deduction on rent for university students living away from home, on a maximum annual rent, with a distance requirement between the municipality of residence and the university.
The contract must be registered and of an eligible type. The deduction goes to whoever bears the cost: the parent if the student is a dependant, otherwise the student.
Let's talk
Calls for applications stay open for a few weeks, and if you miss them you wait
With the ISEE (the Italian means-test certificate) already in hand, you can apply on the very day the call opens. Let us prepare it beforehand.