Guide to Renting a Property in Italy

So you've decided to take the plunge and make the move to Italy.

Maybe it's for a three month extended holiday, or a year-long sabbatical? Or perhaps you're committed to staying for as long as it feels right? In any case, unless you have the amount of cash required to purchase a property outright, you will be in the market for a rental.

Finding an apartment (or house) to rent in Italy requires equal measures of patience and impatience. Let me explain...

First, you must be internally patient. This is not a straight line process. There will be setbacks. Your hopes will be raised and dashed more times than you care to count. If you are lucky and you find an apartment straight away, there will still be months of negotiations ahead. Even when the owners and agents say things will move quickly, they will not. 

Second, you must be externally impatient. Unless you push, nothing will happen. You must be prepared to be a bit annoying. 

The first step in any quest to find a rental property is knowing where to look. 

We have used multiple websites, and all come with their respective pros and cons. Idealista is my preferred website, as the properties seem to be relatively well-vetted and they have options to view descriptions in multiple languages. Immobiliare, on the other hand, is a free-for-all. There are more properties on here, but also a lot more fake / out of date listings. There are more platforms, like Casa.it and others.

I would recommend setting up email alerts for any new listings on all these sites. If you are looking for a property in any in-demand location, you basically need to be the first person to contact the agency about it to have a hope. 

I would also recommend using Facebook groups to find listings. 

When it comes to choosing the features of the property you want, flexibility is key. If you're coming from Australia, the US, the UK, etc etc then Italian real estate will seem insane. Beautiful, but insane. Single apartments will span multiple levels and buildings (as at some point someone will have knocked through a wall to expand) and rooms will appear in the most unexpected forms and places. Most Italian cities and towns are very old, and buildings have been converted many times over the centuries. They are not planned, they are adapted. It's incredible. But you need to let go of your home country expectations.

If you are looking for a four bedroom house in the centre of town with a garden, you should probably just stay put. Not to say that you mightn't find it, but it will be one in a million and there will be trade offs in other areas!

So now you are tapped into the options that exist. The perfect listing comes up. How do you proceed?

If you are searching from outside of Italy, you will need someone on the ground to help. Someone who speaks Italian.

Search for and find an agent or representative who is happy to approach the listing agency on your behalf. There are plenty of professional relocation agencies that offer this service, but you can also just ask for recommendations on local Facebook groups and often find someone in the area who is happy to help, usually for a much more reasonable price.

Or if you are already in the country, physically go to the agency. Do not bother with email. They will literally never, ever respond to it. And the idea of submitting a request through the listing websites is laughable. Even the phone is hit and miss. 

So, go to the agency. Ask to view the property as soon as possible. Oftentimes if it is actually available, they will take you through that day or later that week. 

Now, a quirk in the Italian market. The agency will never give you the exact location of the property. It will not be listed online. Even when you are organising a viewing time they will send you to a meeting point nearby from which you will walk with the agent to the property. This is because there is no such thing as agent exclusivity. So any agent can take offers to the owner and make the sale / rental agreement. Property addresses are closely-guarded secrets until you show that you are a legitimate prospect. 

If you've made it to the inspection stage, you still need to move quickly. The next step will be to make a 'proposal' to the owner. This is basically like a mini-contract that outlines the terms on which you would like to rent the property. The main things will be start date, length of contract, price, notice period and furnishings.

Most rentals in Italy are for terms of four years, plus an extension of another four years (known as 4+4). Although you can also find 3+2 contracts. Anything less than this is known as a transitional contract (usually up to 12 months) and these must be accompanied by a letter stating why a shorter term is being sought by the tenant. Usually for work or study reasons. Standard notice periods for the tenant are either 3 or 6 months.

Now, furnishing. An unfurnished property will have nothing in it. Nothing. Not just no appliances, no kitchen. No cupboards. Italians take everything with them when they move. A furnished apartment will be somewhere between fully ready to move in (just bring your clothes) and one step above unfurnished. Perhaps it will just have a kitchen. You need to be clear about this when viewing the property. 

The agent will write the proposal for you, and it will be in Italian. Make sure to read it carefully to ensure you're happy with it. Don't rush this part. Ask questions and make sure you are clear on the terms. When the proposal is accepted, you will pay a portion of the deposit. Usually a month of rent. This is the point at which things will really start to slow down. The agent has locked you (and the owner) in now, and so all urgency is gone. You will likely need to hassle the agency to progress the contract signing prior to your move-in date.

Some time after this, you will sign the actual contract and pay the remainder of the deposit. Depending on where you are, you will be up for 1-3 months of rent. And this will go straight to the owner. Not the agency, or a central organisation designed to ensure your money is held safe...

Aside from this, the contract should just be a longer version of the proposal. After you've made sure there's nothing crazy in it, you can sign. Congratulations e buona fortuna in Italia!

The final point to note is regarding residency. If you need the rental agreement to prove your residency in Italy (which you will if you are staying on any visa / passport other than a 90-day tourist visa waiver) you must, MUST make sure that the owners will register the contract with the authorities. Some rental listings specify that the property comes 'without residency', which should be a very big red flag to any foreigner. Please make sure that this is clearly stated before you sign the proposal and pay any deposit. 

Let me know if you have any other questions about the process below, and I'll do my best to answer!