Picturesque Italian town with a dwindling population tries to lure new residents by offering to pay their rent and waive school meal fees and taxes
- Teora, located in the Campania region of Italy, has a population of around 1,500
- Newcomers will be given 150 euros a month towards their rent for two years
- Or they can have a 5,000-euro lump sum to go towards buying a property there
An Italian town is trying to lure new residents by offering to pay their rent.
Picturesque Teora, in the Campania region of southern Italy, is aiming to revive its dwindling population with the scheme.
Newcomers to the town will be given 150 euros (£125/$162) a month towards their rent for two years or get a 5,000-euro (£4,193/$5,402) lump sum to go towards buying a property there.
The picturesque town of Teora, in the Campania region of southern Italy, which is trying to lure new residents by offering to pay their rent
The only catch is that all newcomers must have at least one child and they must commit to living in Teora for at least three years.
The town’s population started to decline in 1980 after a devastating earthquake and now stands at around 1,500.
It is believed that an average of two babies are born there each year compared to 20 deaths, with most from old age.
Mayor of Teora, Stefano Farina, told CNN: ‘We’re down to barely 1,500 residents. After the terrible quake many young people fled.
‘I want to invert this negative trend. Children are our future, new families will be the building blocks of our shrinking community, so we encourage those with more kids to apply.’
For those interested in moving, rental prices in the town are as little as 200 euros (£167/$216) a month while some homes are on the market for 30,000 euros (£25,159/$32,416).
Newcomers to Teora will be given 150 euros (£125/$162) a month towards their rent for two years or get a 5,000 euro (£4,193/$5,402) lump sum to go towards buying a property there
In addition, the town will also waive school meal fees and local taxes for any newcomers.
However, Teora isn’t the only town in Italy to incentivise house moves.
Taranto became the first Italian city to offer homes for one euro (84p/$1.08).
The remote port city in southern Italy has seen its population dwindle over the years and local authorities hope the offer will boost the ailing area, including its historic centre.
The council aims to attract 25,000 inhabitants.