Separated parents, twenty million for rent: implementing de…

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport has published the decree of September 14, 2026, which defines the criteria and methods for accessing grants from the 20 million euro Fund intended for housing support for separated or divorced parents who have not been assigned the family-owned home and have dependent children up to the age of 21. The measure, signed by Minister Salvini in agreement with the Minister of Economy and Finance Giorgetti, is published in the Official Gazette of the Italian Republic, General Series no. 239 of October 14, 2026, with reference 26A05352, and was registered by the Court of Auditors on October 2, 2026 (reg. no. 3355).

The Fund established by the budget law

The Fund was established by Article 1, paragraph 234, of Law no. 199 of December 30, 2025 (State Budget Forecast for 2026), with an annual allocation of 20 million euros starting from 2026, charged to chapter 1690 p.g.5 of the budget forecast of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. Paragraph 235 of the same law delegated the definition of the methods for disbursing the grants to a decree by the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, in agreement with the Minister of Economy and Finance. The decree now opens the operational phase: a public notice, to be published on the Ministry’s institutional website within seven days of the publication of the measure, will indicate the terms and methods for submitting applications for 2026.

Requirements and amount of the grant

Separated or divorced parents who declare, among other things, the following may access the grants:

that they have not been assigned the family-owned home, which must belong to the applicant, the other parent, or the children living with them;
that they have at least one dependent child under the age of 21;
that they are in compliance with the obligations of care and maintenance of the children;
that they have an individual income not exceeding 35,000 euros;
that they do not own residential properties in the municipality of the family home or within 50 km;
that they do not receive other public subsidies for similar housing purposes and are not assignees of public residential housing.
The grant is recognized in a single annual payment and corresponds to 50% of the rental fee actually incurred, up to a maximum of 6,000 euros per year.

Digital Application and Ranking List

Applications must be submitted exclusively electronically via a dedicated platform, accessible through SPID, CIE, or CNS; each applicant may submit only one application, to which the platform assigns an “ID” identifier. The ranking list is approved by decree of the Director General for Housing and Urban Regeneration within fifteen days of the closing deadline and published on the Ministry’s website using only the ID identifier. In the event of a tie in scores, the lowest income prevails.

Regional Allocation and Priority

Resources are divided into pro-rata allocations for each region and autonomous province, calculated using three parameters: 80% in proportion to the average number of separated or divorced parents residing there during the 2020-2024 five-year period (ISTAT data, approximately 163,000 units per year nationwide), 15% in inverse proportion to the average regional income (Ministry of Economy and Finance data), and 5% based on the number of municipalities with high housing tension (CIPE resolution no. 87 of November 13, 2003). Quotas not used by one region are reassigned to others. In the ranking list, priority is given—with scores defined in the annex—to the lowest incomes (15 points up to 15,000 euros, 13 up to 25,000, 10 up to 35,000), the number of dependent children, disability, involuntary unemployment, and residence in municipalities with high housing tension.

Checks and Financial Coverage

Late applications, those submitted through methods other than those provided, and those lacking the requirements are automatically excluded. The Ministry may carry out random checks on declarations and make disbursement subject to a positive outcome; in case of inconsistencies, the grant is revoked and resources are reassigned by moving down the regional ranking list. Grants are disbursed within the limits of available resources and without new or increased burdens on public finances.

For the families involved, the decree marks the transition from regulation to concrete right: within a few days, the public notice will set the deadlines for submitting applications, while the potential audience remains broad, with approximately 163,000 separated or divorced parents per year and an individual income ceiling of 35,000 euros, which includes a large portion of single-parent households renting.

Official Gazette of the Italian Republic, General Series no. 239 of October 14, 2026 — Decree of the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport September 14, 2026, in agreement with the Minister of Economy and Finance, “Criteria and methods for selection and disbursement of sums from the fund destined for housing support for separated or divorced parents who are not assigned the owned family home and have dependent children, up to the age of 21” (26A05352).