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The building bonuses you could claim in Italy in 2021

The Italian government is stumping up state funds for renovating and improving the safety of property. Here's an overview of what you need to know about accessing the main bonuses currently up for grabs.

Published: 3 April 2021 16:43 CEST
Updated: 7 April 2021 09:01 CEST
The building bonuses you could claim in Italy in 2021
From renovations to furniture, you could claim Italy's house bonuses this year. Photo: Alicia Steels/Unsplash

Homeowners in Italy can benefit from a variety of building bonuses on offer, which have been extended throughout 2021.

There’s even more financial aid you could get your hands on in addition to the widely reported Superbonus scheme, which offers a tax rebate on up to 110 percent of the expenses incurred for certain property restorations.

The Decreto Rilancio (Relaunch Decree), introduced in 2020 in response to the Covid-19 emergency, saw an increase to the state kitty for both the so-called ‘Ecobonus’ and the ‘Sismabonus’ restoration bonuses.

Since almost three-quarters of Italy’s homes are over 50 years’ old, according to the Agenzia delle Entrate (Italian Revenue Agency), there’s an enduring demand for reinvigorating many neglected properties.

But there’s more you could be eligible to claim this year, in conjunction with the above two schemes.

Further to the financial package available for making energy upgrades and reducing seismic risk, there is also a government pot for furniture, refreshing gardens and optimising water consumption.

READ ALSO: Which areas of Italy have the highest risk of earthquakes?

Can anyone with a property in Italy claim these bonuses?

Unlike the ‘Ecobonus’ and the ‘Sismabonus’, most of these bonuses are for people who pay taxes in Italy, as they are mainly tax-deductible schemes.

Therefore, you can offset the taxes on your income if you decide to dip into these government property pots. They’re not all tax deductible, though, and some bonuses are available to residents in Italy and non-residents alike.

Here’s a breakdown of the other major building bonuses, aside from the Superbonus scheme, that you might qualify for.

Note: These are complex and subject to change, so it’s important to get professional advice before buying and renovating.

READ ALSO: How to stay out of trouble when renovating your Italian property

There are different government bonuses you could claim to renovate property. Photo: Henry & Co/Unsplash

The Renovation Bonus

The Bonus Ristrutturazioni was included in the government’s Legge di Bilancio 2021 (Budget Law 2021) once again. Continuing throughout 2021, you can apply for a 50 percent tax reduction on carrying out renovation work in both individual properties and condominiums.

You must be paying Italian income tax, known as ‘IRPEF’, to access this bonus.

There’s a maximum limit on expenses of €96,000 and the 50 percent offset to taxes is divided into annual instalments for 10 years. So that means you can deduct €48,000 over 10 years with this scheme.

There is a raft of allowances for accessing this bonus. These include making repairs on property that has been damaged, building garages or parking spaces, increasing security of the property such as installing gates, security doors and CCTV, removing asbestos and gas detection equipment.

READ ALSO: House prices in Italy rise at fastest rate in a decade

This scheme is available to taxpayers in Italy, including both residents and non-residents. Not only can the owner of the property claim the 50 percent tax deduction, but also tenants, members of cooperatives and people who make an income from partnerships and family businesses.

Condominiums can also take advantage of the bonus for work in common areas.

In a move to increase transparency of tax trails, the government included payment instructions in the Budget Law. Paying for renovation services must be recorded either through bank or postal transfers.

More details on this bonus can be found here.

You could access government funds to spruce up your garden. Photo: Elija Hail/Unsplash

The Green Bonus

The Bonus Verde was also extended in the government’s Budget Law and is available until the end of the year.

You could get state help for landscaping your garden or private outdoor areas of existing property, supplying plants and shrubs, doing work on fences, irrigation systems, building wells, roofs or roof gardens.

There’s a 36 percent tax deduction available for jobs relating to gardens, terraces and green areas in general. Like the renovation bonus, you must be a taxpayer to benefit from this one.

The tax relief applied in the tax return must be divided into 10 annual instalments of equal amounts and must not exceed a maximum expenditure equal to €5,000 for each property.

In other words, the maximum deduction you can claim comes to €1,800, as that’s 36 percent of €5,000.

READ ALSO: How and where to find your dream renovation property in Italy

The bonus can’t be used for shops or offices, but if a residential property is also used for work, you can claim half of the total tax relief available.

People living in condominiums are also eligible to apply for work carried out in communal areas.

You can’t get a cash boost for general upkeep of gardens, though. Excluded from the expenses are routine maintenance, buying gardening tools and any work that isn’t innovative – that means you have to transform a green area rather than just keep it well pruned.

Second-home owners can also claim for this one, as the bonus is available per property, not per homeowner.

More details on the Green Bonus can be found here.

READ ALSO: Italy’s building bonus: Can you really claim back the cost of renovating property?

The Furniture and Appliances Bonus

Believe it or not, there’s even some state aid on hand for buying household appliances – the Bonus Mobili e Elettrodomestici. You could claim a 50 percent tax deduction on expenses of up to a maximum €16,000, as detailed in the Italian Revenue Agency’s updated guide.

The Budget Law 2021 boosted the funds from last year’s €10,000 limit. This scheme applies to household goods of at least A+ class (A for ovens), intended to furnish a property undergoing renovation.

That means this bonus is linked to the Renovation Bonus. To be sure you can access this one, the renovation work must have begun before buying any furniture or appliances – but expenses on restoring the property don’t need to actually be paid beforehand.

Some items covered by the bonus are the following:

  • Ovens
  • Refrigerators
  • Dishwashers
  • Electric hobs
  • Washer-dryers
  • Washing machines

You qualify for this if the items you buy are for a residential property and, like the previous two bonuses mentioned, the deductions must be spread across 10 annual instalments. You must make any purchases by December 31st, 2021 to qualify for the ceiling limit of €16,000 in expenses.

READ ALSO: How will Italy’s property market change in 2021?

The Facades Bonus

Another bonus extended in this year’s Budget Law is the Bonus Facciate. This scheme allows you to deduct 90 percent of the amount incurred for renovating the exterior facades of buildings, with no maximum spending limits.

Everyone can benefit from this bonus. Again, those paying income tax can access it, as well as those holding a partita IVA (VAT number) and even tenants of rented properties. Both Italian residents and non-residents are eligible.

The Facades Bonus is available throughout 2021 and covers a vast amount of work, including restoring external surfaces of existing buildings, balconies and friezes.

You can deduct 90 percent of expenses from gross tax of either personal income tax, ‘IRPEF’ or corporate tax, known as Imposta sul Reddito Sulle Società (IRES).

You can find out more about this bonus here.

The Water Bonus aims to increase water efficiency. Photo: Jos Speetjens/Unsplash

The Water Bonus

The Bonus Idrico was also extended in the Budget Law and provides for a 50 percent discount on €1,000 of works for individuals resident in Italy and up to €5,000 for businesses.

To claim from this national purse, you’ll need to buy water-saving goods, such as toilets, showers, taps and sinks that are water efficient. It’s a bid by the government to promote lower water consumption.

The money is for the supply and installation of ceramic sanitary toilets and related drainage systems, including plumbing and masonry work and the dismantling of pre-existing systems.

How to access the bonus is yet to be defined by a decree of the Minister of the Environment and Protection of Land and Sea. For the latest on this bonus, keep an eye on this site.

READ ALSO:

Next Steps

To check whether you are eligible, speak to a professional and keep checking the Agenzia delle Entrate website before you begin any work on property.

If you’re keen to buy, you may also want to take a look at our guide to the additional costs you might not be expecting, and read up on some of the common mistakes to avoid when buying a house in Italy.

See more in The Local’s Italian property section.

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PROPERTY

Five pitfalls to watch out for when buying an old house in Italy

Tempted to snap up a little slice of Italy at a bargain price? The older the house, the more potential issues you'll need to be aware of.

Published: 29 March 2024 10:17 CET
Updated: 29 March 2024 12:03 CET
Five pitfalls to watch out for when buying an old house in Italy

Italians themselves may have very little interest in buying or fixing up Italy’s many unwanted old houses, but international visitors are often swept away by the charm of these rustic buildings in romantic settings.

It’s easy to see why. The quirky structures, period details, and picturesque surroundings – not to mention low asking prices – inspire countless people worldwide every year to investigate buying an Italian home of their own, often as an investment or retirement property.

MAP: Where in Italy can you buy homes for one euro?

International interest in cheap Italian property has only intensified in recent years, with dozens of idyllic villages advertising ‘one euro’ homes and other low-cost property offers aimed specifically at foreigners.

Savvy buyers are aware that non è tutto oro quel che luccica (all that glitters is not gold), and quickly realise that these long-neglected buildings really cost somewhat more than one euro to buy and renovate. Still, some of The Local’s readers tell us these offers are worth taking advantage of.

But whether you’re looking at spending a couple of thousand euros or much more on your dream Italian property, there’s always a lot to consider – including some issues that you’re unlikely to experience when buying a home in your home country.

These unexpected issues can turn the Italian dream into a bit of a nightmare, and sometimes lead to buyers having to abandon a purchase, losing money in the process.

But if you’re aware of potential pitfalls in advance, you’re far more likely to be able to complete the purchase process with no major problems at all.

Property taxes and fees

Of course you’ll be expecting tax as part of the property purchase process, but Italian property taxes are particularly steep.

Experts say the total cost of buying in Italy will add approximately ten percent to the purchase price, and advise prospective buyers to budget accordingly.

There’s stamp duty, which is between two and nine percent of the cadastral value (valore catastale) of the property, with a minimum threshold of €1,000 even on the cheapest homes. Plus VAT at four or ten percent, land registry tax, and, if applicable, mortgage tax.

You can also expect to pay between one and five percent of the purchase price as a fee to the estate agent. In Italy agents work for both the buyer and seller – and collect compensation from both parties once the deal is done.

Then you’ll likely need a couple of thousand euros for the notary, plus a similar fee for any other agents you use, such as a mortgage broker, plus legal fees if a lawyer is involved.

See more about the ‘hidden’ costs of buying property as a foreigner in Italy.

Bickering relatives

It may sound unbelievable to non-Italians, but it’s not unusual to find that even the smallest old properties, or parts of them, are legally divided up between dozens of family members due to Italy’s inheritance rules.

One buyer The Local spoke to found herself having to deal with 22 people, all relatives, who each turned out to own a share of a small property she was buying in Mussomeli, Sicily; one of the first places in the country to sell off old properties for a euro.

Toti Nigrelli, the mayor of Mussomeli, said “having to negotiate the sale with multiple owners” was normal.

While this buyer impressively managed to negotiate the deal with all 22 parties, in many cases similar sales fall through because relatives – distant cousins, great-aunts, long-lost nephews – are often not on good terms, disagree over the sale, or can’t be traced.

At the very least, you will need to check the property’s records carefully to make sure there are no surprises in store – such as long-lost relatives who might turn up to claim the property back after you’ve bought it.

A trullo house before renovation in Cisternino, Puglia. AFP PHOTO / GIUSEPPE CACACE

Illegal builds

Another thing that often astounds foreigners who buy property in Italy is the enormous number of illegal builds – homes that were built entirely without permits – on the market as well as the even greater number of houses featuring modifications which were never officially approved or recorded.

Illegal housebuilding in Italy is often thought of as a decades-old issue, but recent data shows that, in 2021, 15 houses were built illegally for ever 100 authorised. Illegal building is twice as common in the south of the country as in the north, and thousands of cases are detected every year – though few people are ever prosecuted.

If you buy a house with undeclared modifications, the buyer is usually held responsible for paying to regularise the paperwork with the town hall. If you catch this issue early enough – and not all sellers or estate agents will inform you about them – you may be able to negotiate for the seller to cover these costs before you make an agreement.

If however you end up unknowingly buying a house built without the correct permissions, or if you never regularise any unauthorised changes, the property will likely prove very difficult to sell on.

This is one of many reasons why buyers need to carefully check the catasto (land registry or cadastral records) of a property themselves, and have a notary check everything is in order.

Conservation rules

When you initially view and fall in love with that charming stone house in the historic centre of a gorgeous Italian hilltop town, rules and regulations are probably not the first thing on your mind.

But it pays to know that old homes featuring frescoes, loggias or ancient stone cellars, as appealing as they are, are often protected by Italy’s cultural heritage authority – meaning more red tape for their owners.

One reader was forced to give up her dream of buying a portion of a two-floor 1700s building in the village of Civita Castellana, Lazio, because it needed renovation work to make it livable – but the frescoed walls, decorated fireplaces and elegant stonework entrance were vincolati (under restrictions) due to Italy’s historic conservation rules.

READ ALSO: Tuscany or Basilicata? How Italy’s international property market is changing

In many cases, this means renovation work can’t be carried out at all, or will be subject to reams of paperwork and close monitoring from authorities known as the sovraintendenza belle arti. To make things trickier, rules can also vary by local authority.

If you think a property you’re interested in might be subject to these rules, it’s always wise to consult the local sovraintendenza at an early stage. And of course, you’ll want to get hold of the records of the property from the catasto (land registry).

Resale prices

The high taxes and costs involved in buying and selling a property in Italy are often said to be one reason why, for most Italians, the concept of climbing the property ladder doesn’t really exist in the way it does in some countries.

Italy’s property market is unusual in Europe in that house prices on average are relatively stagnant. With the exception of some types of property – such as new-build apartments and luxury homes – overall prices have risen little over the past decade.

This is partly because the Italian market is weighed down by a large volume of old, neglected properties in need of major work – hence schemes like the one-euro sales and the (formerly popular but now-unavailable) 110 percent ‘superbonus’ for renovations.

But overall, if your main motivation for buying an old Italian home and renovating it is profit, you’ll need to consider that the resale potential may not be what you’d hope. The exceptions to this are at the pricier end of the market, in most major city centres, and in tourist hotspots.

See more in The Local’s Italian property section.

Do you have any more tips on buying a property in Italy? We’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.

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