How to view an apartment and talk to a landlord in Italy

What should you ask at an apartment viewing in Italy?

Start with the listing. Italian adverts use a fixed vocabulary: ammobiliato means furnished, termoautonomo means the flat has its own boiler and you control the heating, piano is the floor (piano terra is the ground floor), ascensore is the lift, and spese condominiali escluse means the building charges come on top of the rent. The rent itself is il canone, and the deposit is il deposito cauzionale.

At the viewing, the landlord, il proprietario, often asks about you first: your work contract, how long you plan to stay. Answer briefly, then ask your own questions. Use Lei throughout.

What are the lease contract types in Italy: 4+4, 3+2 and transitorio?

Every residential lease has to be in writing to be valid⁴. Beyond that, the law gives three shapes, and the landlord will name one of them.

• Quattro più quattro, the canone libero contract. The rent is whatever you agree. It lasts at least four years and then renews for another four, unless the landlord gives one of the reasons the law allows, such as needing the flat for family use or selling it. At the second expiry, after the four-year renewal, either side can send a registered letter at least six months before the end to renew on new terms or to leave; with no letter, it renews on the same terms¹.
• Tre più due, the canone concordato contract. The rent and the other terms follow local agreements signed by landlord and tenant associations for that city, so the rent is usually below the open market. It lasts at least three years, and at the first expiry it is extended for two more unless you agree a renewal, or the landlord has one of the same legal reasons to refuse¹.
• Transitorio, the transitional contract. The law allows contracts shorter than the normal minimums to meet particular needs of the landlord or the tenant². A ministerial decree sets the rules: at most eighteen months, a specific written declaration of the temporary need, and the standard model contract attached to the decree⁵. It was made for a short posting, a course, a renovation at home.

If you plan to stay, ask for a quattro più quattro or a tre più due. If a landlord offers a transitorio with no real temporary reason, ask why.

How much deposit can a landlord ask for, and what is a caparra?

The deposito cauzionale cannot be more than three months' rent. It earns legal interest, which the landlord has to pay you at the end of each year⁶.

A caparra is a different thing, and the word matters. Under the Civil Code, a caparra confirmatoria is a sum you hand over when the deal is concluded. If you then back out, the other side can walk away and keep it; if they back out, you can walk away and claim double¹¹. So if a landlord asks for a caparra to hold the flat before the contract is signed, you are committing to the deal, not paying a deposit. Ask which one it is: «È una caparra o il deposito cauzionale?»

Does the lease have to be registered, and who pays for it?

Yes. The law puts the duty on the landlord: register the contract with the Agenzia delle Entrate within 30 days, then tell the tenant and the building administrator within the following 60 days³. The tax office accepts registration from either party, and both are jointly liable for the tax¹⁴. The 30 days run from signing or from the start date if that comes first; a contract that stays within 30 days in a year between the same two people is exempt. Registration is done online with the RLI form or at an Agenzia office, by appointment¹².

The cost: a registration tax of 2% of the yearly rent, multiplied by the number of years, with a first-year minimum of €67, plus stamp duty of €16 for every four written pages and, in any case, every 100 lines. For a canone concordato contract the taxable base is reduced by 30% in municipalities under housing pressure. The landlord can instead opt for the cedolare secca regime, if the conditions are met¹³. By law the registration costs are split equally between tenant and landlord⁷.

Why it matters to you: any side agreement to pay more than the rent written in the registered contract is void³. A registered contract is what protects your rent and your right to be there. Ask: «Il contratto viene registrato?»

Who pays for repairs and the spese condominiali in an Italian rental?

The Civil Code draws the line. During the lease the landlord must carry out all necessary repairs, except small maintenance, which is the tenant's⁹. Small maintenance means repairs for wear caused by use, not for age or accident; where the contract says nothing, local custom decides¹⁰. A boiler that stops heating water is not wear from your use. In Italian the phrase is «a carico del proprietario», at the landlord's expense, and it is the sentence to say on the phone.

The spese condominiali, also called oneri accessori, are the building's running costs. Unless the contract says otherwise, the tenant pays for cleaning, running and ordinary maintenance of the lift, water, electricity, heating and air conditioning, drains, and other shared services, and 90% of the porter. You have two months from the request to pay, and you have the right to see the receipts behind the figures⁸. Everything else that needs doing falls to the landlord, who must carry out all necessary repairs⁹.

When something breaks, call. Say what the thing does («la caldaia fa un rumore strano e poi si spegne»), ask for a tecnico and a date, and if the landlord suggests you call someone yourself, come back with «capisco, ma è a carico del proprietario». Calm, not angry.

What does a real apartment viewing sound like in Italian?

1. ProprietarioBuongiorno, questo è l'appartamento. Prima di iniziare, ha già un contratto di lavoro in Italia?Good morning, this is the apartment. Before we start, do you already have a work contract in Italy?
2. YouSì, lavoro a Bologna da settembre. L'appartamento è ammobiliato e il riscaldamento è autonomo?Yes, I've been working in Bologna since September. Is the apartment furnished, and is the heating independent?
3. ProprietarioSì, è termoautonomo e ammobiliato. Per il contratto chiediamo due mensilità di deposito.Yes, it has its own heating and it's furnished. For the contract we ask two months' deposit.
4. YouVa bene. Le spese condominiali sono incluse nel canone? E che tipo di contratto è?All right. Are the building charges included in the rent? And what kind of contract is it?
5. ProprietarioLe spese sono a parte, circa cinquanta euro al mese. Il contratto è un quattro più quattro, registrato.The charges are separate, about fifty euros a month. The contract is a 4+4, registered.
6. YouPerfetto. È possibile registrare la residenza qui?Perfect. Is it possible to register my residence here?
7. ProprietarioCerto, nessun problema.Of course, no problem.
8. YouAllora mi mandi la bozza del contratto, così la leggo con calma.Then send me the draft contract, so I can read it at my own pace.