Ticino government seeks full control of subsidized housing firm

The Ticino government is proposing to acquire all the shares of Alloggi Ticino SA, the company that manages nearly 1,400 affordable-rent apartments spread across more than 20 municipalities. The matter reaches the cantonal parliament on Monday. The UDC party has already announced it will launch a referendum if the government's position is approved.

Founded in 1987, Alloggi Ticino SA now manages 41 buildings, with rents on average 10% below market prices. Director Nicola Molinaro, interviewed by RSI, describes steady growth in recent years, with several property acquisitions since 2019-2020. No property, he says, has ever been sold: the company remains oriented toward growth, since demand continues to exist.

Apartments are allocated according to internal criteria based on income and asset limits, inspired by former federal legislation on housing promotion. Molinaro states that the company avoids signing contracts that would commit more than half of a tenant's monthly net income to rent. The investment plan runs through 2035, with at least 40 million francs earmarked for renovations.

Reservations from the business community

The proposal to acquire the entire share package has not convinced the business community, which generally views an expansion of the state's footprint in the real estate sector with suspicion. Trustee Alberto Montorfani has put forward an alternative: the Canton, taking over a company already worth several times the value of its current shares, could resell it to an investor or turn it into an independent foundation, still committed to sustainable housing. The proceeds from such a sale could finance the purchase of land or buildings to be offered to other operators, again with affordable housing in mind.

Monday's debate will therefore also have to address this question: whether direct, full public control of the company, with the corresponding commitment of cantonal resources, is preferable to a solution that preserves room for independence and competition in the sector, without abandoning the goal of affordable housing. The UDC's announced referendum makes it likely, in any case, that the final decision will not stop at the parliamentary vote.