How to buy home in Italy – International Realtor

Where is the best place in Italy to buy a home?

For many people the decision as where to buy property in Italy is made based on family connections or work requirements. For others there is a definite lure of lakes, mountains, or the sea. At 301,338 km², Italy offers something for everyone. If you don’t already have a specific place in mind, see the best places to live in Italy for a consideration of the pros and cons of different areas.

Finding a home in Italy

Online meets fragmentation reality

In the internet age it seems intuitive that the first place to look for a home is online. Yet soon an Italian reality sets in. The Italian property market is frustratingly fragmented. There isn’t one “go to” website such as Rightmove in the UK, Realtor.com in the USA or Immobilienscout24 in Germany, there are many. Soon you find yourself performing the same search 5 different ways on 5 different sites. The search results on any particular site may include the same property listed 4 times – with 2 or more prices! Other homes might not be listed on any of the sites except one, not so good if you don’t check the “right” place. Some upscale properties are not publicly listed anywhere due to an owner’s desire for complete discretion.

There is no comprehensive Italian “MLS“ despite claims to the contrary (if you see “the MLS” on a website, caveat emptor, you’re being misled).

Classified ads

In some places there are still local classified ads to peruse, only adding to the fragmentation.

Strolling around

Another approach is to walk around a neighborhood looking high and low to sight vendesi signs. Yet not all properties are visible from the street. Nor do all available properties have signs posted as the owner may want a modicum of discretion.

Put a reputable real estate broker to work for you

With lots of perseverance you might be able to find your ideal home in Italy on your own. Yet a reputable licensed real estate broker may be just the partner you need.

Their knowledge and assistance can save you both time and money. They can help you navigate through the intricacies of the purchase process, including a due diligence evaluation of a property well before closing time so problems don’t emerge at the last minute.

Current Italian law requires real estate brokers to be trained in tax, legal and technical areas, certified (only 20% of candidates pass on average), licensed and they must carry professional liability insurance. A reputable realtor is thus truly prepared to guide you through every step of the property purchase process.

Among the benefits you can expect as a buyer when you use a professional realtor:

Assistance in finding the ideal home in the right location based on your requirements
- They’re probably an expert at searching the various online listing services and will do the searching for you.
- They’ll screen each property, so you don’t waste your valuable time viewing properties you’d never consider.
- They can suggest properties not officially on the market.
Extensive knowledge of technical, legal and tax issues relating to property.
Extensive knowledge of the current market conditions
Title search and documentation review of given property, from ownership records to condominium regulations where applicable, before you make an offer.
Support in understanding financing options (from mortgages to Rent to buy/Rent to own)
- Note: by law an Estate Agent may not recommend a specific mortgage or financial solution – only licensed financial advisers may do so.
Negotiation assistance
Bureaucratic support, from contract drafting to compliance with legal requirements.
Impartiality, guaranteed by law

Real estate agent commission

An estate broker is required by law to be impartial, works on behalf of both the buyer and seller, and thus their commission is normally paid by both buyer and seller. Each agent determines their own rates. A buyer will generally pay 3% + VAT on the sale price; in rural areas 4% or more isn’t uncommon due to the extra costs. 19% of the commission on the purchase of a primary home can be deducted from income tax, for the first € 1000 of commission.

A few notes should you use an agent

Regarding the terms agent and broker: some areas outside Italy allow for fully qualified real estate brokers and junior agents. In Italy all property professionals who bring together buyers and sellers must be fully qualified; the terms agent and broker are interchangeable. Other common terms include estate agent (UK) and realtor (North America).
Some agencies may use unlicensed staff to work directly with clients. Anything they do beyond administration isn’t legal. You have every right to work directly with a fully trained and qualified professional. To protect you, Italian law says:
- you don’t owe any fee if you use an unlicensed agent
- the agent’s name must be specified in the transfer deed, even if they aren’t legally qualified
  - you face a penalty of € 500 – 10,000 for failure to do so
You may come across someone, such as a Dentist, Lawyer, Accountant, Architect or Translator, “moonlighting” as an estate agent. If a person wishes to assist buyers and sellers of real estate in a paid capacity, they too must undergo the training and licensing process and by law they must give up their current career: they cannot be both an Estate Agent and a Lawyer etc. Such moonlighting is illegal in Italy, subject to a fine up to € 15,000-. A smooth talker will tell you they don’t need a license. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
As in every profession, a few bad apples exist who get an inordinate amount of attention. Human nature tends to accentuate the negative rather than praise a job well done; for every bad apple, there are many good real estate professionals toiling away on behalf of their clients.

Using a property finder – buyer’s agent

A property finder, also called a buyer’s agent or an exclusive buyer agent (EBA), is a real estate agent who is commissioned by the buyer to scout for the ideal home on the buyer’s behalf rather than working for the buyer and seller (the normal case in Italy) or just the seller. As an intermediary who will still be connecting buyers and sellers, a property finder must be a certified and licensed real estate agent; anyone who is not does so illegally.

Using the listing agent – seller’s agent

Should you discover a specific property of interest through the work of an agent who has worked with a seller to get the word out on the property’s availability, you will normally work with that agent, who by law must work impartially on behalf of both the buyer and seller.

In theory you could still choose your own preferred agent who would make first contact with the listing agent on your behalf. This isn’t too common in practice and in Italy there is no guarantee a listing agent would be willing to collaborate with other agents as they may not want to share the commission. While collaboration is best overall for buyers, sellers and agents, some agents have a more short term view.

Making an offer once you’ve found your ideal home

You’ve found the home of your dreams, congratulations! Typically the aspiring buyer makes a proposal to the seller. It may be an informal verbal offer or it might be in the form of a written purchase contract which becomes binding upon notification of acceptance by the seller. Should the offer be verbal, the parties may choose to complete a written sales agreement if they wish to delay the actual property transfer (closing). The final step is the signing of the formal property transfer document, the rogito, akin to the deed in common law jurisdictions, and the updating of public records registries.

1. Offer negotiation / proposal → 2. Preliminary sales agreement → 3. Closing (rogito)

Note: only the 3^rd step, the Closing (rogito), is strictly required.

1. The offer proposal

In the offer proposal, the prospective buyer states what they are willing to pay and under what terms. A verbal offer is often useful to see if a seller would accept your terms without significantly committing yourself but has very little practical value (by law the actual sales agreement must be in writing). A common alternative is to present a preliminary sales agreement to the seller with an acceptance deadline, usually 15 days or so. Such a proposal, if correctly drawn up, becomes binding on the parties once accepted by the seller.

Warning: some proposal contracts are simply a promise to stipulate a future contract which in turn promises to complete the public deed agreement. This type of contract has been ruled invalid by the Italian supreme court, i.e. worthless.

Tip: Before making an offer, make sure you completely understand what you’d be buying; see the due diligence section.

2. The preliminary sales agreement (il contratto preliminare, a.k.a. “compromesso“)

In most cases the parties will choose to enter into a preliminary sales agreement, colloquially called the compromesso (compromise) which, properly drafted, is a legally binding written contract committing them to the property sale transfer which will be concluded at a future date. This is useful when either party requires a few months before they are ready to finalize the formal property transfer, e.g. such as when the buyer still needs to obtain a mortgage and / or when the seller isn’t yet ready to leave the property.

The written agreement can take one of three legal forms, a private signed agreement (scrittura privata), an authenticated private agreement (scrittura privata autenticata) or public instrument (atto pubblico). An authenticated private agreement is a private agreement signed in front of a notaio. A public instrument is drawn up by the notaio who then witnesses the signatures.

The sales contract can be transcribed into the public property ownership registry, an option providing significant additional protection to the buyer in the case the seller goes bankrupt before the closing or should an unscrupulous seller subsequently sell the property to another buyer. If a notaio is used to authenticate or draw up the contract, (an authenticated private act [agreement] or a public act) then it must be transcribed¹.

A deposit is paid at this point; the amount, generally in the range of 5-20%, is at the discretion of the parties. The deposit can take a number of forms: caparra confirmatoria (confirmatory deposit), the most common type of deposit, caparra penitenziale (penalty deposit) or simply acconto (down payment). A caparra confirmatoria obligates the parties to complete the transaction or forfeit the deposit (if the seller is at fault, they must return the deposit and pay the same amount to the buyer; this is commonly, and erroneously, described as the seller paying the buyer double the deposit). The offending party may still be libel for additional damages and / or legally forced to honor the contract². A caparra penitenziale gives the parties the right to back out of the contract by forfeiting (or paying the amount of) the deposit without any further liability for damages. Finally an acconto is simply a down payment toward the purchase price.

The sales contract must be registered within 20 days³; if you use an agency, the agency will register it for you (in the case of a public act, a notary-at-law (notaio, described in greater detail in a following section) will register and transcribe the act within 30 days).

Current registration fees

Tax	Type of deposit / penalty	Amount
Contract stamp duty (Imposta di bollo)		€ 16 every 4 pages or 100 lines € 1 every graphical page (floor plan) – or – € 155 if a notaio is used
Contract registration tax (Imposta di registro)	No deposit / down payment (rare!)	€ 200
Confirmatory (caparra confirmatoria)	0,5% of deposit
Penalty (caparra penitenziale)	3% of deposit
Down payment to (acconto)	individual(s)	3% of deposit
business(es)	€ 200 + VAT
Penalty clause (rare)	3%; minimum € 200

Tip: ensure the contract specifies the purpose(s) of the down payment. By default it will be considered as a simple down payment (acconto).

By law the buyer pays the taxes on the definitive deed⁴ unless the parties decide otherwise. Custom dictates the buyer pays the registration fees for the preliminary contract unless the parties agree differently as the taxes on the down payment are simply an advance on what will be due for the deed transaction. There can be confusion on this point as the law states that each of the parties who benefits from the registration of a general contract (opposed to a sales contract) is responsible for the non-refundable part of the duties and registration fees.

The preliminary agreement should include the following:

Energy certification + copy and € 16 tax stamp
Land registry ownership history certificates (visure) including floor plan (€ 2 tax stamp each)
Copy of F23 form indicating registration tax payment
The registration form 69

Note: The tax stamps must be affixed at the time of the contract signing (they may not be issued after the contract date).

The additional costs to transcribe (e.g. when a notaio is used) the preliminary agreement are:

Tax	Amount
Contract registration stamp duty (imposta di bollo)	€ 155 (instead of that indicated above)
Contract registration tax	as indicated in previous table
Transcription tax	€ 200
Transcription fee (tasse ipotecarie)	€ 35
Notaio fee	Determined by notaio based on their own pricing policy which considers the transaction value.

If you use an estate agent, their fee is now due⁵.

Note: in the past the preliminary contract was often already a definitive contract to transfer the property title, including an obligation to repeat the contract for the purposes of the transcription in the property ownership registry. The first version of the contract would normally make reference to the real sale price; the later version of the contract would often reference a lower tax appraisal value so as to reduce the buyer’s tax burden. While this practice wasn’t legal, it was so common that in 2006 authorities formally introduced taxation, for transactions between private persons, on the tax assessed value (prezzo-valore) rather than the transaction value thus removing the motivation which led to this subterfuge. There are penalties for a false declaration of value.

3. Closing (rogito)

The final conveyancing step, the only one which is required by law, is the definitive property transfer contract between the parties, which must be drawn up and witnessed by the notary-at-law (notaio). The payment balance is due to the seller, as is the notaio fee and transfer taxes, collected by the notaio who will also ensure the property registry for tax purposes (catasto) and the property ownership registry are correctly updated.

By law the notaio has 30 days to update the public databases. The sooner the better, so verify with your notaio when this will happen and that it has happened. If a mortgage is involved, the mortgage documents will be signed at this time too, and the notaio will register the lien against the property on the lender’s behalf. If the parties did not stipulate a preliminary sales agreement (compromesso) and the services of a realtor were used, their commission is now due.

Among the buyer’s obligations are to:

pay the balance due
pay various duties and taxes, collected by the notaio
pay the notaio compensation
pay the agent compensation, if applicable and still outstanding

Among the seller’s obligations are to:

swear the current state of the property corresponds to the legal floor or lot plan registered with the property registry (catasto)
state if the utilities (impianti) meet standard or not
provide a current energy rating certificate for the property
pay the agent compensation, if applicable and still outstanding
hand over the keys to the property; ensure it is free of people and things unless agreed otherwise

Among a notaio’s tasks in ensuring a successful closing:

perform a title search
- ensure the buyer is aware of any encumbrances (limitations) on the property rights they are to acquire
  - e.g. easements and rights of way, liens (mortgage, foreclosure), right of first refusal
verify the identities of the parties to the sale; ensure they meet the legal requirements to enter into the agreement (e.g. minimum age, of sound mind)
confirm the tax regime to apply and collect the taxes due
draw up the property transfer deed, ensuring it conforms to all applicable laws
attach the legal floor and / or lot plans for the property
read the deed transfer agreement to the parties, ensuring they have understood it and it represents their will
collect stamp duty and taxes due on behalf of the state
register the property transfer in the property ownership registry and in the property land registry (catasto)

Stamp duty and taxes due on a property sale

The determination of the exact tax due is somewhat complicated as a number of variables are involved. The table below illustrates various taxes depending on the particular situation. Don’t despair, your real estate agent or notaio can provide you with a prospectus of the applicable taxes based on the particular situation. For sales between private citizens (non-businesses) taxes are paid on the tax appraisal value which is usually well below the market value. There are also significant discounts if the buyer will be using the home as their primary residence⁶, with the exception of up-scale properties classed as A1, A8 and A9.

Case	If purchased from	Tax base	VAT	Property transfer document registration fee (Imposta di registro)	Property ownership registry fee (Imposta ipotecaria)	Property tax registry fee (Imposta catastale)	Min. document registration fee
Primary home (except property categories A1, A8, A9)	individual(s)	Cadastral value (rendita catastale 100 increased by 5% & 10% (1,155)*	–	2%	€ 50	€ 50	€ 1000
Other homes + property, buildable lots	Cadastral value (rendita catastale * 100 increased by 5% & 20% (1,26))	9%
Primary home	business(es)	Actual sales price	4%	€ 200	€ 200	€ 200	–
Additional homes	10%
Homes in categories A1, A8, A9	22%
Farmland	If sold to a full time (60%+) entrepreneur(s)	Actual sales price	–	€ 200	€ 200	1%	€ 1000
If sold to non-full time entrepreneur(s)	Actual sales price	–	12%	€ 50	€ 50

As you’ve probably noticed, Italy is very good at creating complex tax regimes!

Note: if a preliminary agreement was used, tax paid on a down payment is credited to the amount owed at the closing (rogito).

Perform due diligence before you sign a contract

Ensure appropriate due-diligence is performed on a property before you make an offer so as to avoid surprises after the fact. If you use a reputable real estate broker they will assist you through the process. Other professionals can assist with specific parts of the process.

perform an on-site survey to verify the property matches what is described in the land registry documents
- you may want to engage a professional surveyor (geometra) or an architect to assist you, depending on the complexity of the property
  - fees for a site survey will vary depending on location and complexity but will generally be less than € 1,000.
- See also: Is a home inspection report part of the sale process?
verify the current ownership and the ownership history over the last 20 years (title search: visura ipotecaria)
- your real estate agent should provide you official documentation as could a notaio.
  - you can also choose to engage a lawyer however this is uncommon in Italy as much of what a lawyer or title search professional would do in other jurisdictions is done by the notaio and sometimes by the realtor. Engaging an additional professional for a second or third opinion can certainly provide extra piece of mind.
- tip: there are a few cases which deserve particular scrutiny such as when property rights were transmitted through a donation or an inheritance.
verify if there are any limitations placed on ownership, such as rights of way and other easements, liens, or an indefinite leasehold (surface right).
- a licensed estate agent can perform ownership checks for you; alternatively you may desire to engage a lawyer specialized in property law or a notaio to assist you with the above two points
verify if anyone has a legal right of first refusal on purchase of the property, e.g. an existing tenant or a neighboring landowner.
- verify if the property is listed in the historic register, i.e. is subject to restrictions overseen by the Soprintendenza per i beni architettonici e paesaggistici.⁷
- ask your real estate broker if a right of first refusal may apply and about ways to mitigate a possible risk.

Verify the complete cost of the purchase, including taxes and title fees.

your real estate broker can give you a prospectus of the costs involved which will vary depending not just on the price but on characteristics of the property, the profile of the current owner(s) (business or private citizens), whether the property will be a primary place of abode… etc.
- further details on taxes and costs follow

When drawing up a purchase offer contract:

specify exactly what you’re buying, e.g. a description of the property and the land registry identifiers for the property
condition your purchase on the delivery of all legal documentation required for the specific property (this varies depending on when the building was constructed, but generally includes occupancy certificate, energy audit certificate, building permits, etc)
- if you will be taking out a mortgage, you can either get a pre-approval letter from your bank or make the mortgage a condition of your purchase.
  - a seller may not be willing to accept a conditional offer.
ensure the offer has an expiry / expiration date
ensure any promises made orally are put in writing. There’s planning permission approval to install a swimming pool? Make sure it is documented.

What is a notaio (notary-at-law) and what do they do?

A notaio (a notary-at-law with legal training, not to be confused with the lessor notary public found in common-law jurisdictions) is a self-employed public official who acts in the general public interest, thus for both the buyer and the seller, to insure the integrity of public deeds, including property transfers, whether they be by purchase, inheritance or court ruling.

In the Italian system the Notaio performs the title search and draws up the deed agreement, conveyancing tasks a lawyer or other professional would perform in countries which use the common law system such as the US and UK.

A notaio is required by law for drafting and registration of the final sales agreement (deed). As it is the buyer who is most at risk in the property sales process, custom dictates the notaio is selected by the buyer who pays the notaio fee. While the notaio is paid for by the buyer, in an apparent contradiction they legally work on behalf of the state and are required to protect the interests of both the buyer and the seller. A notaio may not act when their action would create a conflict of interest, e.g. when one of the parties is a relative.

One area of potential misunderstanding is that a notaio does not perform a site-survey: they do not verify the true current state of a property corresponds to what is legally documented beyond taking a statement from the seller, a statement which may or may not be true.

Notaio costs

Each notaio sets their own fees. The fee is usually a sliding percentage of the sales price; the lower the sales price, the higher the percentage. Fixed fees were abolished with the Bersani reforms in 2006; guidance published in 2012 suggests an average fee of 1.1% for an average sale price of 500,000 with range from 0.4 to 4.82% for sales values between € 25.000 and 1 million. The actual fee charged will depend in part on the complexity of the transaction (how many owners, how many plots is the property comprised of, how extensive will the notaio’s involvement be during each conveyancing phase) and on the extent of competitive pressures in a particular geography. If a mortgage is to included, add another 60% or so to the fee as the notaio is also responsible for registering the mortgage lien. You may ask a notaio for a written estimate of their fees on a particular transaction without further obligation. Like any other profession, some notai will be more scrupulous, responsive and professional than others. Ask for a recommendation from a person you trust and go with it.

The notaio also collects taxes and fees due the state; the taxes will appear on their bill and are often mistakenly considered part of the cost of the notaio.

If one of the parties doesn’t speak Italian

The official property transfer agreement will be in Italian. If a buyer (or seller) cannot read Italian, they usually engage a bilingual lawyer with a power of attorney (procura) to act on their behalf. Other scenarios are possible, e.g. if all parties (buyer, seller and the Notaio) speak the same foreign language, the contracts may be done in that language but the attachments must be translated from Italian and the agreement must still be translated into Italian, all of which can be more complicated that it may seem on the surface.

Paying for your new home in Italy: banks, financing and more!

The payment process

Should the parties choose to complete a preliminary agreement before the actual closing transaction, the buyer usually makes a down payment in the form of a personal cheque made out directly to the verified owner of the property in question.

Balance payments are usually made by a non-transferable cashier’s check (a.k.a. banker’s draft, assegno circolare) payable to the seller.

Have a few extra bricks of cash under your mattress? In general cash transactions must be less than € 3000 in order to comply with anti-recycling laws.

Payment escrow (deposito del prezzo)

Once the property deed transfer contract is signed with the Notaio, the Notaio must register the deed transfer contract and update the land registry and the tax database (catasto). Civil code article 2671 says this should be done as quickly as possible and in any case within 30 days. While this process normally goes off without a hitch, a buyer is at risk of prejudicial claim, such as a bank or tax lien, being placed on the property before the land registry transcription occurs.

Law 124/2017 solves this problem by introducing an escrow account (deposito del prezzo⁸), managed by the Notaio. The optional use of an escrow account can be requested by either party, although this will almost always be the buyer, the clear beneficiary. Neither of the parties may object to the use of the escrow facility, not even as a condition of the sale. Should the buyer wish to use the escrow account facility, they should express this desire in advance so the Notaio is able to prepare the necessary documentation and the seller isn’t taken by surprise. The law allows the parties to choose the escrow option even at the time of the closing (rogito); it is difficult to imagine this in practice.

Funds collected by the Notaio (a cashier’s check, aka bank draft, made out to the Notaio) will be deposited into a dedicated bank account which is legally separate from the Notaio’s own patrimony. The Notaio must release the funds to the seller upon the successful transcription of the deed transfer.

A buyer may also consider using the escrow facility to place a condition on the deed transfer, e.g. the funds may be released only when an existing mortgage lien is extinguished or when condominium expenses are paid or when the property is emptied of things and/or a tenant. It isn’t difficult to imagine this type of conditional use of the escrow facility by the buyer, imposed on an unwilling seller, leading to court cases.

As a Notaio will incur additional costs to administer the escrow process, it is likely they will charge for this service.

In the short term buyers can expect sellers to be unhappy with escrow account usage as the seller will have to wait a week or so for payment.

Banking in Italy

Most property purchasers will want a bank account in Italy to simplify payment of their new home and to pay future utility bills etc.

To open an account in Italy a bank will ask for personal identification and an Italian tax ID number (codice fiscale). The good news is that getting a codice fiscale is pretty easy, the tax authorities are happy to help anyone who might want to pay tax sooner or later! Your real estate agent can help get your tax ID should you need one.

Tip: Avoid online simulation tools which generate a tax id based on your name, date of birth and place of birth. These tools don’t actually create the code with the tax authorities.

Note: Citizens and permanent residents of the US will find some banks won’t allow them to open an account. The reason is due to ill conceived US legislation which assumes any account abroad, even in a medium or high tax jurisdiction, exists to hide money. A realtor specialized in working with US citizens can help you find a bank happy to have your business.

Obtaining a mortgage

Buyers resident in Italy should be able to obtain a mortgage for the property provided they can demonstrate sufficient income to meet payments. The value of the mortgage can not exceed 80% of the value of the property, as determined by the bank’s appraiser (this value potentially may be more or less than the selling price). The mortgage lien placed on the property may be more than the actual mortgage amount as the bank wants to protect not just the amount lent but also its costs should it need to recover the debt.

If the buyer isn’t resident in Italy with proof of income, then getting a mortgage in Italy is more difficult, but there are mortgage brokers who can help in some cases. Some buyers will take out a mortgage on property they already own elsewhere, sometimes known as a home equity loan. This actually has the advantage that the buyer isn’t exposed to currency exchange rate swings which can easily be 25% or more over a 10-20 year time frame.

Rent to buy / rent to own

A seller may be willing to finance the buyer’s purchase under the Rent to Buy (a.k.a. rent to own, affitto con riscatto) scheme introduced at the end of 2014. Due to limitations in the program, buyers and sellers alike will most likely consider Rent to Buy a financing solution of last resort.

Mortgage costs in Italy

To stipulate a mortgage in Italy, you will incur most or all of the following expenses:

mortgage application fee (spese istruttoria)
- not all banks charge this but it can run from € 500-€ 1000 for those which do.
property appraisal fee
- the bank will appraise the property to independently determine its value regardless of the asking price or sale price
insurance policy on the
- property
- mortgage borrower
Notaio fee
- required to register the mortgage lien
stamp duty on the mortgage agreement
taxes on the mortgage lien registration
“supporting” bank account
- many banks ask you to keep an account with them in addition to the mortgage. There is no logical reason for this other then to add an extra fee to the cost of doing business with them. You should avoid it unless you need it.

Can foreigners purchase property in Italy?

You’ll be pleased to know that Italy generally allows foreigners to purchase property in Italy as long as Italians are allowed to do the same in the purchaser’s country of origin or if the foreigner lives (“regolarmente soggiornante“) in Italy. There are no limits on EU and EFTA citizens.

Can non-EU nationals live in Italy if they buy a home?

Ownership of property in Italy doesn’t provide specific rights to stay in Italy, you’re still subject to normal immigration regulations, which for many allows a visa free stay in Italy for up to 90 days. It is possible to obtain a long term Elective Residence Visa if you can document that you won’t need to work in Italy, e.g. you have significant income (more than € 31,160/year) such as royalties, a pension, investments from outside Italy. In general it is very difficult to obtain a work visa in Italy.

After your home purchase

Notifications

Once you’ve purchased your new home, you’ll need to notify others of the good news! Exactly who needs to be notified will depend on the case, your estate agent can help you. A few examples:

If the home is your primary residence
- register your residency with the city, important if you’re claiming “primary home” tax breaks. Currently you have up to 18 months to do this, but don’t dilly dally!
- update your identity card, driver’s license
- notify your bank, auto insurance
- sign-up for a new doctor if you’re in a different ASL jurisdiction
- tax authority, pension system: notify your employer or the tax authorities directly if you are self-employed
- file a change of address notification with the post office (“Seguimi”), costs around € 30 / year
Utility companies
- in most cases it is cheapest to just change the name of the client (voltura) rather than initiating new service
  - e.g. prior owner, account number, meter number
Condominium administrator
Soprintendenza Archeologia, belle arti e paesaggio – for listed properties, in most cases to be done by the seller

Ongoing costs

Once you’ve become a new home owner, you’ll have a few recurring costs:

utilities
condominium fees
- only applicable if your property is part of a condominium
a local trash and services tax
a property tax to fund city activities
- waived if your home is considered your primary residence
insurance
- you should at least consider an insurance policy which covers damage to third parties, for example if a water pipe breaks and floods the neighbors. You can also consider theft, fire and other coverage.
- avoid duplicating coverage you already may have
  - If you live in a condominium, there may be a group policy on the building
  - If you took out a mortgage, you’ll have some coverage for the life of the mortgage

Tip: Your real estate broker can provide a prospectus of your expected annual ownership costs.

Tax deductions

Property owners can benefit from a series of tax deductions if they file a tax return in Italy. The exact details can change from year to year.

Real estate agent fee
Mortgage interest
Renovation costs
Energy conservation improvements