Public Housing in Rome: How to Apply, Open Calls, and the ERP Waiting List

In a nutshell

Public housing in Rome is called ERP housing (Edilizia Residenziale Pubblica — publicly subsidised residential housing). It is managed by two bodies: Roma Capitale (Rome City Hall, roughly 27,000 units) and ATER Roma (Azienda Territoriale per l'Edilizia Residenziale — Rome's regional public-housing authority, roughly 49,000 units). Apartments are allocated through a public call to low-income households, who pay heavily subsidised monthly rents — sometimes as little as €30–€100. Waiting times can be long, but households in urgent situations — facing eviction or dealing with a severe disability — receive higher scores and are prioritised.

At a glance

Cost	Free. Submitting an application costs nothing — no marca da bollo (revenue stamp) required.
Timeline	New calls open every 2–4 years. Definitive waiting list: 12–24 months to publish. Actual allocation: 1–10 years depending on your score.
Main Rome office	Dipartimento Politiche Abitative (Housing Policy Department), Via Capitan Bavastro 94 + your local Municipio (district office).
Documents needed	ID document, Codice Fiscale (Italian tax ID) for all household members, ISEE (income-and-wealth indicator), family status certificate (stato di famiglia), rental contract, declaration of property ownership.

How the ERP system works in Rome

The path to a public apartment has four stages:

1. Public call (bando): Roma Capitale publishes a call every 2–4 years. The most recent one was in 2021/2022. Sign up for the Comune newsletter to be notified when the next one opens.
2. Scored application: you submit your application with supporting documents. Every circumstance — household size, housing hardship, ISEE level — translates into a point score.
3. Waiting list (graduatoria): after the assessment period (6–12 months for the provisional list, up to 24 months for the final one) a ranked list is published.
4. Allocation: when a suitable apartment becomes available for your household size, Rome City Hall contacts you. You have 15 days to accept.

Monthly rent is tied to your ISEE: from €30 to €100 per month for the lowest incomes (canone sociale), up to €300–€450 for median incomes (canone moderato). Building-maintenance charges (spese condominiali) typically add €30–€80 per month on top.

Who can apply

You must meet all of the following requirements simultaneously.

Nationality: you are eligible if you are an Italian citizen, an EU citizen, or a non-EU citizen holding a long-term EU residence permit or a two-year permit tied to regular documented employment. Asylum seekers and recognised refugees may also apply in specific circumstances.

Residency: you must have been living or working in Rome for at least 5 years (some calls require 10 years in the Lazio region, of which at least 5 in Rome).

Income: your ISEE must be below the threshold set by the open call — broadly €24,000–€26,000 per year (check the exact figure in the current call).

Property: you must not own a suitable apartment in Rome or its province, and you must not have voluntarily given up or been evicted from a previous ERP property for non-compliance.

What earns the most points

Your position on the waiting list is calculated by adding up scores from multiple categories. The situations that earn the highest scores are:

• Eviction order in force (finita locazione or involuntary rent arrears): +5–10 points
• Precarious shelter (shack, container, living in a car): +10 points
• Severe disability (Legge 104/1992 art. 3 c.3) or 100% disability rating: +3–5 points per household member
• Severe overcrowding or certified uninhabitability: +5 points each
• Single-parent household with dependent children: +3 points
• Elderly person aged 65+ living alone or as a couple: +3–5 points
• Very low ISEE (under €6,000): +2–5 points
• Length of Rome residency: 1 point per year, up to 10 points

If your situation changes after you submit (a child is born, you receive an eviction notice, a disability is diagnosed), you can request a score revision.

How to apply step by step

When a call is open:

1. Download the application form from comune.roma.it or aterroma.it.
2. Get your ISEE: visit a CAF (free assistance office for tax forms and benefits applications) with your household's documents — Certificazione Unica or Modello 730 (Italy's simplified annual tax return for employees), bank balance statements as of 31 December, land-registry searches (visure catastali), vehicle registrations. Preparing the DSU declaration (the form that generates the ISEE) is free of charge.
3. Complete the form and attach scanned copies of: ID documents, Codice Fiscale for all household members, family status certificate (stato di famiglia), rental or loan-for-use contract (contratto di affitto o comodato), a declaration of property ownership, and any documents supporting additional points (eviction order, disability certificate, etc.).
4. Submit the application by one of these methods:
   • Online through the Roma Capitale portal using SPID or CIE
   • In person at your Municipio (district office) — bring everything to the protocol desk
   • PEC (PEC — certified email, legally valid in Italy) to the address stated in the call
5. Keep your receipt (ricevuta di protocollo): it is proof of your submission date.
6. After the provisional waiting list is published (3–6 months after the call closes), check your position. If you believe your score is wrong, you have 30 days to appeal.

Main office: Dipartimento Politiche Abitative — Via Capitan Bavastro 94, 00154 Roma | Tel. 06 67103060 | Hours: Mon–Fri 9:00–12:30; Tue/Thu also 14:30–16:30.

For ATER the process is equivalent: aterroma.it, Lungotevere Tor di Nona 1, freephone 800 091 196.

Mistakes to avoid

1. Never pay anyone. The application is free and there is no fast track for sale. The waiting list is public and scores follow criteria set by the Lazio Region — nobody can bump you up it for money.
2. Never give false information about income or household composition. Roma Capitale cross-checks data with Agenzia delle Entrate (Italy's tax-revenue agency). A false declaration is a criminal offence and results in permanent exclusion from the waiting list.
3. Don't let your position go stale. If you move address or your household changes, you must notify the office within 30 days. Failing to update your details can get you struck from the list.

Special cases

You are facing an eviction? You can apply for an emergency allocation alongside your regular position on the waiting list. Also look into the Comune's contribution for involuntary rent arrears (contributo per morosità incolpevole) to buy some extra time.

Someone in your household has a disability? You are entitled to a barrier-free apartment. Both ATER and Roma Capitale can adapt an existing unit at their expense, under Legge 13/1989.

You are already in an ERP apartment that no longer fits your needs (too small, too large, structural problems)? You can request an internal transfer within the public housing stock by filing a motivated request with the Comune or ATER.

You want to buy the apartment you are already living in? After at least 5 years of residence in an ERP unit, you can apply to purchase it at a subsidised price (riscatto — Legge 560/1993), typically 30–50% of market value.

Watch out for decadenza (loss of tenancy): you lose the right to your ERP apartment if your income exceeds the maximum threshold for two consecutive years, if you sublet the apartment, if you are absent for more than three months without justification, or if you purchase another adequate property elsewhere.

Official sources

• Roma Capitale — Housing Policy Department
• Roma Capitale — ERP calls
• ATER Roma — Official website
• ATER Roma — Calls and waiting lists
• Lazio Region — Housing policy
• SUNIA Lazio — Tenants' union
• Lazio Regional Law 12/1999

Legal references: L 457/1978, DPR 1035/1972, LR Lazio 12/1999, Reg. Reg. Lazio 2/2000, L 560/1993, DL 47/2014 conv. L 80/2014, L 104/1992, Roma Capitale ERP Allocation and Management Regulations.