The IL’s proposed legislation, which is set for debate this Wednesday in the Assembly of the Republic, addresses the housing crisis, highlighting that idle properties owned by the state contribute to the limited availability in the market.
The proposal encourages private and/or social entities to identify vacant state properties — from central administration, regional, local, and Social Security — and, upon identification of those with residential potential, interested parties may submit an offer to acquire the surface rights for rehabilitation and conversion into habitable spaces.
The IL project outlines that this offer would initiate a “bidding process for the property,” providing the state with two options: either to accept the property transfer to the highest bidder or to propose a plan for its use.
If the property is transferred, the new owner “must rehabilitate the property and offer it at affordable rents for five years,” unless “the building is intended as a permanent personal residence for the same duration.”
After this five-year term, the owner may rent the property under their preferred model, adhering to existing rental regulations, according to IL.
IL also introduced another legislative proposal, also to be debated this Wednesday, to reduce the autonomous taxation rate for residential leasing from the current 25% to 15%.
The party finds it unacceptable “that the state takes a quarter of rental income, holding landlords responsible for all obligations, while the state only intervenes in cases of litigation.”
“Moreover, leasing already involves the payment of several significant indirect taxes, especially in VAT for every maintenance work and equipment purchase, apart from property tax (IMI),” it states.
IL believes that lowering the autonomous tax rate for residential leasing would make the sector “more competitive” and non-compliance “much less attractive, as the tax cost would no longer be a deterrent.”
Conversely, the party argues that the rate reduction, “combined with existing deductible expenses, including IMI and condominium fees, provides a clear incentive for contract formalization.”
