Modena 7‑sqm rental unit flagged as Italy's smallest illegal apartment

A 7‑square‑metre studio in the historic centre of Modena was listed for rent, making it the smallest apartment advertised on Italy’s major rental portals. The unit, offered at €200 per month plus €130 in utilities, contains only a single bed, a portable stove and a cramped bathroom corner.

The tenants’ union Sunia, part of the CGIL, denounced the listing as a symbol of extreme speculation that squeezes the local housing market. It highlighted that the rent is illegal under the 2024 “Salva Casa” decree, which lowered the minimum size for a residential unit from 28 m² to 20 m²; any dwelling below that cannot be offered for habitation. Sunia also compared the cost to a 90 m² apartment in the same building, which would generate over €20,000 in annual condominium and electricity fees. The contract was advertised as a free‑rent 4+4 year lease, further breaching the law.