Property
Whether you are looking to buy, sell, or rent, we can assist you. Do not hesitate to contact us for an informative consultation or for full support throughout the process.
Buying
Buying property in Italy can be a daunting and intimidating process because of its peculiarities, its pitfalls and its own laws; at every stage of the process, conventions and habits may be different from your own country. If you are not familiar with it, it may present you with some challenges, therefore having a lawyer by your side to guide you step by step and to protect your interests is advisable.
Let’s see the process in a very brief overview:
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- Obtain a “codice fiscale” (similar to a tax number or a social security number). This is essential to buy a property in Italy. You can request it from your local Consulate or from any Agenzia delle Entrate office in Italy. Our team can also obtain the codice fiscale for you.
- Look on the most popular Italian property websites and shortlist the properties you like. Please be aware that estate agents in Italy can only sell what they have in their portfolio, or in the portfolio of some colleagues willing to split fees. If you rely on one agent only you will only be shown properties of that estate agent and maybe of a handful of colleagues, so you may miss a lot of properties. Also, private sales are still very popular in Italy, and if you rely on one agent, you will very likely miss all the private sales. Dealing with multiple agents and sellers can be stressful, and it would be much more convenient to deal with one person only, but this is how it works in Italy.
- Contact all of the sellers and estate agents to arrange visits. Our team can book viewings for you, if you find difficult to get in touch with vendors.
- Once you have (virtually or in person) visited the properties and found “the one”, you will want to make an offer to buy. When making the offer, you need to pay a deposit. Beware, this step is crucial; the offer to buy must be well formulated to protect your interests because, if accepted, the offer becomes binding and you cannot step back anymore without losing your deposit. Clauses to protect your deposit can be added to the offer to buy, however, it is important to ensure they are worded properly or they won’t have any legal value and you risk losing your deposit or being tied up in a contract you don’t want.
- Once the offer to buy is accepted, find a notary you trust; after all, you, the buyer, are going to pay for their services. It can occasionally be difficult to find a notary familiar with transactions involving foreign buyers, especially in some areas of Italy. In these regards, the role of the lawyer can be very useful because they can act as mediator with the notary, and deal with them on your behalf.
- The contract must be signed in front of the notaio by the seller and the buyer. If you are not fluent in Italian, you may need to give power of attorney to an Italian speaker who can sign the contract on your behalf.
- You are the proud owner of your beautiful Italian home.
Our assistance can cover the entire process, according to your needs and the level of assistance required.
We can assist you from the moment you shortlist properties, we can contact all vendors and give you advice on each property, we can arrange surveys, draft the offer to buy making sure your interests are protected, select the notaio and deal with them on your behalf, represent you at the rogito. We apply flat fees, irrespective of the time devoted to your case, so that you can budget in advance with no surprises.
Given the difficulty in connecting with vendors, we can also book property viewings for you and obtain the codice fiscale on your behalf, which is essential to buy a property in Italy.
Do not hesitate to contact us for an informative consultation or for full support throughout the entire process.
Selling
If you are going to sell your property privately, once you have found a buyer you may want some guidance to comply with the law and complete the process smoothly, quickly and in the best interests of both parties. We can help at every stage in this process, do not hesitate to contact us for an informative consultation or for full support throughout the process.
Renting
Renting in Italy can be challenging.
First of all, it is quite important to know that the law in Italy is very protective of tenants, therefore landlords are always very cautious when renting out. They want to be reassured that prospective tenants can keep up with payments, so the prospective tenant should be ready to show proof of income.
The first obstacle that prospective tenants may encounter when looking to rent is that estate agents and landlords don’t usually return emails. Also, differences in language and customs can form significant barriers: therefore, it could happen that you are turned away even if calling by phone. In that case, someone who speaks the language and can engage easily with them could certainly facilitate the hunt for a suitable apartment. Also, it’s important that your situation is properly represented to landlords, who are more willing to rent if they know something about the prospective tenant and can feel reassured that they would be good tenants.
In these regards, we can help with contacting the landlords/agents and properly representing your situation. We can assist you step by step, we deal on your behalf with the landlords/agents until the signing of the contract. We also follow up until the contract is properly registered with the relevant authority.
And, if you need, we can also search and shortlist properties for you.
Do not hesitate to contact us for an informative consultation or for full support throughout the process.