In recent months, provincial law-enforcement units have intensified checks on two distinct fronts across Campania. One effort targets the illegal squatting of publicly owned housing, while the other focuses on a sprawling network of undeclared short-term rentals that has stripped the treasury of more than €10 million. The operations, carried out by the Carabinieri and the Guardia di Finanza illustrate how gaps in administrative oversight can fuel both real-estate crime and tax fraud.
Squatter occupation of a public casale in Porto Sant’Elpidio
During a routine patrol, Carabinieri officers discovered two men, aged 34 and 27, inside a former farmstead (casale) that belongs to a public housing agency and is leased to the municipality of Porto Sant’Elpidio. The pair had forced entry, connected illegally to the municipal electricity grid, and possessed no identification documents. Their presence triggered a charge under article 657 of the penal code which defines illegal occupation of real property and a separate accusation under article 617 for electricity theft.
Legal follow-up and wider inspections
Both individuals were photographed for evidence, taken into custody, and handed over to the Questura, where investigators learned they had previously filed asylum applications for international protection. Parallel inspections of four other abandoned casali in the surrounding area uncovered no further squatters. Separate checks in Sant’Elpidio a Mare and Montegranaro identified a 30-year-old and a 43-year-old, respectively, for immigration-related violations; however, they were not linked to the housing occupation case.
Hidden revenue in Salerno’s vacation-rental market
Simultaneously, the Guardia di Finanza of Salerno completed a comprehensive audit of 85 accommodations spread across the Amalfi Coast, the Cilento coast, and the historic centre of Salerno city. The audit revealed a coordinated scheme in which owners operated bed and breakfast establishments and holiday apartments without registering the activity, securing the required safety or health authorisations, or submitting any tax declarations.
Scale of the undeclared economy
Financial analysts estimate that the concealed turnover exceeds €10 million. Operators regularly omitted contributions to the IRAP (regional production tax), the mandatory RAI licence fee and royalties owed to SIAE. They also failed to remit the local tourism tax and neglected to display rates or use the national identification code (CIN), making it virtually impossible for tax authorities to trace transactions.
Common violations and their impact
Beyond fiscal evasion, the inspections uncovered widespread use of undeclared or irregular labour, with several workers employed off-the-books. The absence of public-service fees not only deprives the state of revenue but also harms municipalities that lose the tourism-tax income earmarked for local infrastructure and cultural projects. Moreover, the failure to pay RAI and SIAE royalties undermines the financing of public broadcasting and the rights of artists.
These coordinated actions underscore the necessity of continuous collaboration between the Carabinieri the Guardia di Finanza and the local Questura. By swiftly identifying perpetrators, enforcing the relevant statutes, and recovering lost revenues, the authorities aim to restore fairness in both the housing market and the tourism sector, sending a clear signal that illicit profiteering will not be tolerated.
