STOP. Before You Buy Property In Italy, Read This

Hi,
Antonio here.

I’m an Italian civil lawyer, and I deal with property issues every single day.
Let me tell you something most people realize too late: in Italy, problems don’t usually come from the house itself. They come from what people don’t check before buying. And once you sign, it becomes your problem.
People fall in love with a property. They trust the agent. They assume everything has been properly verified along the way. That’s where things start to go wrong.
Before buying, there are a few things you absolutely need to verify.

First, does the property have a certificate of habitability (agibilità)? This is not a formality. It proves the property is legally fit to be lived in. Without it, you can run into serious issues with residency, resale, and even getting a mortgage. And yes, many properties are sold without it.

Second, check the condominium costs, especially the ones already approved. This is where people get surprised in a bad way. You need to ask clearly what the monthly costs are and whether there are major works already approved, because you might end up paying for renovations decided before you even bought.

Third, understand whether there are shared parts or rights on the property. That garden, parking space, or access road might not be fully yours. You need to verify common areas, rights of way (servitù), and any usage limitations. In Italy, ownership is often more “shared” than it looks.

Fourth, check whether the layout matches the official plans. This is a very common issue. People renovate and never update the paperwork. If the property doesn’t match official records, the deal can get blocked, resale becomes difficult, and you may have to pay to fix it.

Fifth, look for defects or illegal works. Hidden problems and unauthorized works happen more often than you think. Some can be fixed, some cannot. If you don’t check before buying, it becomes your problem.

Now, a very important clarification.
In Italy, the notary plays a fundamental role in the transaction and ensures the legality of the deed. But their role is specific and well defined. They are not there to carry out a full technical and legal due diligence on your behalf or to assess the overall risk of the deal from your perspective.
I recently reviewed a case decided by the Tribunale di Bologna.
A buyer had purchased a property through a regular notarial deed. Everything looked perfectly fine.
After the deed was signed, the local municipality carried out checks and discovered serious irregularities. The works carried out on the property were not compliant with the applicable regulations.

The result?
An order was issued to demolish the non-compliant parts of the property.
At that point, the buyer was left dealing with the consequences — both legal and financial.
The process had been followed. The deed had been signed. And yet, the underlying issues had not been fully investigated before.
This is the key point: the system works, but only if each step is properly handled. If something is not checked before signing, it doesn’t disappear. It simply becomes your responsibility afterwards.

If you are buying property in Italy, you need to understand this: what you don’t verify before is exactly what will cost you after.
If you want to avoid this, you need someone who looks at the deal from your side, before you commit.
I assist international clients throughout the entire process, from the initial offer to the final deed (rogito), anywhere in Italy, making sure that what you are buying is exactly what you think it is.

If you are considering a purchase and want a second opinion before moving forward, just get in touch.

Antonio

This article does not constitute legal advice, is not exhaustive and is a guidance only.

To know more about buying property in Italy, see here.

BDB Relocation and Legal in Italy