PNRR student accommodation: the total cost is lower than rents on the open market
Private rents are, on average, 48 per cent higher than the property component of the full PNRR rates and 82 per cent higher than those under the DSU scheme. Even when utilities and services are taken into account, living in student accommodation costs 20 per cent less than a traditional tenancy.
Key points
In Italia today, living in a subsidised hall of residence costs around 20 per cent less than traditional rent. Accommodation created using funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan actually has a lower real cost than that of rentals on the open market. This is shown by the initial findings from the Student Housing Observatory at Scenari Immobiliari, which examined a representative sample of over 200 facilities and around 10,000 beds created under Ministerial Decree 481/2024.
The crux of the study concerns the method used to compare prices. Putting the rent for a PNRR student accommodation on the same footing as the basic rent for a room in a shared flat effectively means, comparing two different types of property. In student accommodation funded by the Ministry of Universities, the fee normally includes utilities, internet access, reception services, maintenance, cleaning of communal areas, management of shared spaces, and services relating to study and security. In the private market, however, many of these items are paid for separately.
A comparison of costs
If we compare costs, the national average rent for a single room in a student hall of residence funded by the PNRR is 595 euros per month, with all services included. Taking into account the component allocated to the right to university education (DSU) – which accounts for around 30 per cent of beds and carries an average rate of 250 euros per month – the weighted average price falls to 490 euros per month.
The comparison with the private market varies significantly depending on the property in question. A single room on the private market has a national average rent of around 355 euros per month, but this is solely the cost of the tenancy in a second-hand property, excluding utilities and additional services. The cost rises when looking at new-build properties: here, the average rent reaches €475, 34 per cent higher. In both cases, service charges, utilities and other costs associated with the day-to-day running of the accommodation must be added to this figure, which Scenari Immobiliari estimates to total more than 30 per cent. When these expenses are added together, the actual cost rises to €720 per month – more than 20 per cent higher than the weighted average rent for PNRR student accommodation.
“Any comparison between student accommodation built under the NRRP and that on the free market must take into account the actual breakdown of costs borne by students and their families,” explains Francesca Zirnstein, Director-General of Scenari Immobiliari. “Limiting the analysis to the nominal rent for a room risks providing an incomplete picture of the financial benefits. When the various components of expenditure are analysed in isolation, it becomes clear that the new student housing provision not only guarantees higher quality standards and an integrated system of services, but also, in many cases, represents a competitively priced solution.”
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