A 94-year-old woman in Florence faces losing the flat where she has lived for more than 60 years. Franca currently pays €450 a month, but the landlord wants to raise the rent to €1,200. Her rental contract ends in February, and her family says she cannot afford to stay at the new price.
Franca receives a small pension, which is a regular payment after retirement, as well as payments following her husband’s death. Her daughter says the proposed rent would leave her with almost nothing for food or other needs. She has not yet told her mother about the change. Franca moved into the flat in the early 1960s and lived there with her husband. Her daughter was born there, and the home holds many family memories.
The family understands that rent cannot remain unchanged forever. Her daughter is willing to help pay a smaller increase, but says the proposed amount is impossible. She also says there was no real opportunity to negotiate a lower price. She has now contacted Sunia, a union that supports tenants, for help.
