In Sassari, finding an apartment to rent is increasingly difficult for families with children, pensioners and others whom landlords consider unreliable, even when they can afford the rent. In an article published on October 19, La Nuova Sardegna reports that some agencies in the city receive up to 50 calls for each listing, sometimes within just a few hours.
An example gives a sense of the costs: a couple with two children and a monthly income of €2,600 would spend about €780 a month on housing if they devoted 30% of their income to it. In the survey cited in the article, only two of the roughly 100 listings reviewed were three-bedroom apartments renting for less than that amount. Sunia secretary general Stefano Lupinu says rents below €600 are hard to find; utility bills and condominium fees come on top of the rent. The issue is part of the broader picture of rental costs in the Sassari area.
Student rentals also add to demand. Daniele Campus of Federproprietà notes that a landlord can earn about €800 by renting out a four-room apartment as a whole, compared with as much as €1,000 by letting the rooms individually. Tourist rentals play a smaller role than in Alghero, but can offer higher returns and require a management workload that not everyone wants to take on.
According to the agencies consulted, those who face the greatest obstacles include families with children, separated fathers, people with disabilities, pensioners and foreign nationals. Some landlords, says Sara Ruggiu of the Home Business agency, are looking for couples without children or pets and with permanent employment contracts. The problem, she says, is not always an inability to pay: even households with sufficient income can be turned down because of concerns about handling possible rent arrears and evictions.
Operators cite the fear of being unable to recover a property when rent goes unpaid as one of the main deterrents. Fabio Giordo of Casa Facile Sassari estimates that a legal process can take up to two years and cost the landlord about €15,000. Gianbattista Pes of Solo Affitti Sassari, by contrast, says that tenant screening and insurance cover can reduce the risk of rent arrears at his agency to almost zero. Sara Brundu of Key Estate also describes the problem as one of perception and reports rising demand from students, medical residents and people in housing transitions.
Measures proposed by industry professionals include more support after a lease is signed, protections for landlords, insurance and greater awareness of the tax benefits of agreed-rent contracts and the cedolare secca flat-tax regime. Sunia also calls for more public housing and says the municipal waiting list is stalled because of a shortage of homes. Lupinu says the program for rent arrears through no fault of the tenant can provide grants of up to €12,000, but its eligibility criteria are considered too restrictive.
In 2026, the Municipality of Sassari also published a call for applications for temporary financial assistance to help people access private rentals. The measure provides grants of up to €450 for an apartment and up to €250 for a room or part of a property; where provided for, it can also cover two months’ rent as a security deposit. The assistance helps households secure an affordable lease; it does not involve the allocation of public housing.