ARende, in the weeks preceding the reopening of the University of Calabria, the city changes face. The streets of Arcavacata, Quattromiglia and Commenda are filled with cars with “license plates” from the whole region: Catanzaro, Reggio, Vibo, Crotone, Cosenza. But not only that.
Families arrive from Basilicata, especially from Potenza, and there is no shortage of parents from eastern Sicily, Messina and Syracuse. Some even from Puglia, although to a lesser extent. All with the same goal: to find a room, an apartment, a safe place for their children to live during the academic year. The first part of our investigation into the high rents in the city caused a lot of discussion. La Gazzetta del Sud circulated quickly among the chats and message boards of parents, students, citizens and – also – the political party. The photo circulating on social media – a parent sitting on the hood of the car, exhausted after yet another visit to an apartment – has almost become the symbol of this race against time. A race which, for many, turns into an obstacle course made up of off-market prices, absurd requests, non-existent contracts and a widespread sensation: speculation is taking place in Rende.
The hunt for a bed The parents’ stories are a raging river. There are those who come from Rossano and say they have visited ten apartments in one day, all with the same script: small rooms, old furnishings, neglected common spaces and economic requests that border on the absurd. “They ask my daughter 300 euros for a room that’s worth maybe 150. And if you try to negotiate, they tell you that there’s a queue outside anyway,” says a father. Another, arrived from Vibo, adds: «Many don’t even want to sign the contract. They tell you that if you want the room you have to pay in cash, and often they ask for even more than the initial price.” The market, in fact, appears drugged.
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