COVID-19, rent contribution: here’s how to request the bonus
UPDATE FROM LEGAL ASSISTANCE FOR EXPATS
Money to pay the rent during the COVID-19 emergency, call for applications published: here’s how to request your rent bonus.
Applications to be presented to the municipalities of Lazio Region that will filter them.
Requirements, necessary to access the rent contribution, provided by the Lazio Region to face the Coronavirus emergency have been disclosed. As already informed in recent days, the sum allocated by the Region for the whole territory is 22,000,000.00 euros: 55% of the amount will be set aside for the Comune di Roma and the remainder for all the other Municipalities of the Lazio Region. Citizens will have to apply to the municipalities of the region that will then filter them.
The criteria to apply for the contribution have been just announced together with the call for applications. Tenants Union (Unione Inquiline) confirms the doubts arose in recent days: “This will take long, tenants need money immediately”.
Necessary requirements: here’s how to get the rent bonus
Tenants wishing to claim the one-time rent bonus must meet certain requirements. The criteria include Italian citizenship, EU country citizenship or a regular residence permit. Registered residence or tenants who rent for work and study reasons in the commune. You must hold a lease (contratto di locazione) or assignment of lease (assegnazione in locazione) for a household use. In addition, those who apply for the bonus must have a total family income of €28,000.00 gross (lordi) or less for the year 2019 and a reduction of more than 30% of the total household income for causes attributable to the Covid-19 emergency within the period that goes from 23 February to 31 May 2020. [CHECK THE COMPLETE CALL FOR APPLICATIONS]
Applicants (tenants) must meet the following requirements:
a) Italian citizenship, or citizenship of an EU country, or, in cases of non – EU citizens, be in possession of a regular residence permit. Residence permits expiring between 31 January and 15 April are considered valid until 15 June 2020;
b) Registered residence or to be tenants who rent for work and/or study reasons in the Comune and rent and live in the property for which the rent bonus is requested;
c) Lease or assignment of lease of a real estate unit for housing use duly registered (excluding AI, A8 and A9 cadastral-category properties). For contracts of public entities title is proved by payment of the fees;
d) Lack of title of ownership, usufruct, housing use of an accommodation suitable to the family household unit (REf. adequate housing – alloggio adequato: art.20 of the Regional Regulation n. 2/2000 et seq. And i.) In the territorial area of the commune of residence or in the territorial area of the commune where the tenant resides for work and study reasons. This requirement applies to all family members of the household unit;
e) Not having obtained for the year 2020 indicated in the notice, any other rent contribution from the Lazio Region, local authorities, associations or institutions;
f) Total family income equal to or less than € 28,000.00 gross for the year 2019 and a REDUCTION ABOVE 30% of the total household income for causes attributable to Covid-19 epidemiological emergency in the period that goes from 23 February – to 31 May 2020, compared to the same period of the year 2019. This reduction may refer to both income of employed workers (reduction referred to dismissal, reduction of working hours, wages guaranteed funds = cassa integrazione, etc.), and income of workers under non-permanent contracts of any type (contratti a tempo indeterminato di qualsiasi tipologia), and for self-employment income / freelancers -lavoro autonomo/liberi professionisti (with particular reference to the ATECO categories whose activity is suspended following government measures).
Tenants Union: “This will take a long time, tenants need money now”
In the last days, unions have submitted requests in order to avoid a wave of evictions and have later expressed their skepticism: “Municipalities will not be able to collect self-certifications before the end of May and the call for applications will not be published until June – this was the response of the Tenants Union in relation to the rent bonus of the Lazio Region – This is going to take a long time and we will probably hear about the calls after the summer. For this reason, the Tenants Union Regions continue to ask for concise measures. More funds will arrive, and we will continue to ask for a fruitful collaboration with the Region to find clear solutions. Tenants need money now!”.
Original article in Italian here.
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