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Renting in Italy: the crucial vocabulary you need to know

One of the first tasks awaiting any new arrival in Italy is one of the most stressful: finding somewhere to live. Here's some vocabulary to help you out during the house-hunt.

Published: 15 May 2018 17:23 CEST
Updated: 6 August 2020 10:56 CEST

Renting in Italy: the crucial vocabulary you need to know

A 'For rent' sign in Italy. Photo: Steve McNicholas/Flickr

The basics

First, think about your budget and needs. Are you searching for an apartment (appartamento), room in a shared apartment (una camera), or an entire house (casa)?

Secondly, how long do you need it for? The process is quite different for a student looking for a place to live just for one semester compared to someone hoping to stay longer-term, and there are two basic kinds of contract. Long-term contracts are called 'contratti di libero mercato' (free market contracts), and typically last four years with the possibility to renew for a further four. You'll also see them written as '4+4'.

There's also another kind called 'contratti concertati' (mutually agreed contracts) which can be used for three years as a residential contract (uso abitativo) and can usually be extended beyond that. This category also covers temporary use (uso transitorio) which is fixed at a set period of one to eighteen months. In student areas, this also includes student rentals (uso studenti universitari), for between six and 36 months.

Buildings in central Rome. Photo: Ludwig Thalheimer/Unsplash

The landlord is known as 'il/la locatore' in official language such as contracts, and 'il/la proprietario/a' in everyday speech, while the equivalent terms for tenants are 'il/la conduttore' or 'il/la locatorio/a' (in formal contexts) and 'il/la affittuario/a' (informal).

You might rent directly from the landlord if you respond to adverts online or in newspapers, or you could choose to go through a letting agent (agente immobiliare). Even while searching online, you'll see that some apartments are listed as being rented privately (privato) while others are through an agency (agenzia).

Details about the housing

The term for a studio is 'un monolocale', while 'un bilocale' is a two-room apartment, 'un trilocale' has three rooms and 'un quadrilocale' four.

Sounds simple enough? Be aware that exactly what counts as a ‘room’ might differ from place to place, so one trilocale may have two bedrooms and a living room, while another might include the kitchen in the calculation. You'll also see descriptions explaining exactly how many rooms (locali or vani) the place has, but again, check the floorplan (la pianta del piano) to see what's included, whether it's open-plan, and so on.

If you're hoping to live with flatmates (coinquilini), make sure to know the difference between una camera da letto (a single bedroom) and un posto da letto (one bed in a shared room).

Photo: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP

Next, find out if the place is furnished (arredato) or not. If it's described as 'non-arredato', or doesn't specify, look for details about just how unfurnished it is — are any kitchen appliances or light fittings included, for example?

And speaking of the kitchen, note the difference between a cucinotto/angolo cottura (kitchenette, though the former is more separated from the other rooms), una cucina (which may be a large kitchen but may also be too small to sit down and eat) and una cucina abitabile (a kitchen big enough to fit a table inside).

Other things you might have on your wish-list include un ascensore (lift), un balcone (a balcony), una lavastoviglie (dishwasher), un box/garage (garage), una lavatrice (washing machine — bear in mind that these are still not as ubiquitous as in many countries), and un giardino (garden).

Scams

Renters in Italy should be on high alert for truffe (scams).

To avoid these, ask to see proof that the person offering to rent to you actually owns the house, and therefore is legally allowed to rent it. You can ask them to show you their visura catastale (property deed), and check the contract thoroughly as well as visiting the apartment and ensuring that it matches up to the description.

Try to avoid paying your rent or deposit in contanti (in cash), and never pay before signing the contract and ideally getting le chiavi (the keys).

The Italian Interior Ministry has an English language guide outlining the proper process legitimate landlords will go through, which you can find here. And if you have any doubts, don't take the risk.

Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP

Money matters

There are two key points here: make sure you have a contract (un contratto) and that you actually read it. You can also ask if the amount is 'trattabile' (negotiable), as this is sometimes the case.

The basic cost you're dealing with is the monthly rent (il canone), but what does it actually include? Check for le utenze (utilities), riscaldamento (heating), spese condominiali (extra service charges), which can vary significantly depending on the area and type of building.

You'll also likely have to pay two extra lump sums when you first sign the contract: a deposit (una cauzione or una caparra) which is typically between one and three months' rent, and an agency fee if you've used one. Make sure to find out the terms and conditions attached to getting your deposit back at the end of the rental period.

Once you're happy with everything, the only thing left to do is sign (firmare) and prepare for the move (il trasloco)!

MY ITALIAN HOME:

Member comments

Anonymous - 22 September 2021 at 22:26 CEST

I am very interested in renting an apartment in the Puglia area short term.I would very much like to improve my Italian.Could somebody recommend a coastal small town without too many tourists where Italians live all year round.I would also need access to public

Mi piacerebbe affitare un appartamento /uso transitorio nell’Apulia con l’intenzione di migliorare il mio italiano.Sono appasionata della lingua e della cultura italiana.Ci ho lasciato un pezzo del mio cuore quando ho visitato la zona tre anni fa.Potrebbe consigliarmi un piccolo borgo sulla costa dove gli italiani vivono tutto l’anno.Avrei anche bisogno dei transporti publici.Grazie mille.

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With income declarations now open in Italy, there are several details of the Italian tax system that you need to know, especially if this is the first time you file.

From deadlines to rules on foreign income and assets to second homes, here is our guide to the 2024 tax season.

2024 tax deadlines

Late spring is generally the busiest time of year for Italian taxpayers as that’s when the window to file the yearly income tax declaration (or dichiarazione dei redditi) opens.

Barring some rare filing exemptions, anyone who’s considered an Italian resident for tax purposes (or fiscal resident) is required to file income taxes in Italy.

But even if you’re not an Italian tax resident, you may still have to file and pay Italian taxes on any income generated in Italy.

Depending on your personal tax situation and income source, you’ll have to file one of two forms, whose official deadlines for this year you can find HERE. The window to file either form is open as of May 20th.

It is strongly advisable to keep the main income tax dates in mind as the Italian taxman shows little in the way of leniency when it comes to late filing and failure to file.

Besides income tax deadlines, there are two other dates you need to be mindful of if you own property in Italy. The first instalment of Italy’s tax on second homes IMU (Imposta Municipale Unica) is due by June 16th, whereas the second instalment is due by December 16th. You can find these and other key tax dates for 2024 in our calendar.

First-timers

If this is your first time declaring tax in Italy, your first task will be to request a codice fiscale (a personal identification number similar to an American Social Security number or a British National Insurance number) if you don’t already have one. Find a guide to doing that HERE.

The 2024 income tax declaration covers the 2023 tax year, which runs from January 1st 2023 to December 31st 2023. As a result, if you moved to Italy after January 1st 2024, you will not have to complete the declaration until next year.

On the other hand, IMU payments are always relative to the year when you make the payments – in this case 2024.

Online v paper

Most people in Italy file their tax declarations and make payments using the personal profile area (area riservata) of the Italian tax office (Agenzia delle Entrate) website.

This is also where taxpayers can find a pre-compiled version of tax return form 730 (or modulo 730) – which is the income tax declaration form generally used by employees and retirees in Italy.

Though most tax declarations can be filed online, there are provisions for people who don’t have internet access or are not comfortable completing tasks online. In this case, you can visit or call your local tax office and request paper versions of the forms, which you can then submit at the same office or, in some cases, at local post offices.

Income tax brackets

Italy’s income tax Irpef applies to employees, many self-employed workers (regular partita Iva holders, but not those on the flat tax rate) and pensioners.

The Italian government cut the number of available tax brackets from four to three last December, but the change only applies to income generated from January 1st 2024.

This means that your 2023 income will be taxed based on the four-bracket system below:

Up to 15,000 euros: 23 percent
Between 15,001 and 28,000 euros: 25 percent
Between 28,001 euros and 50,000 euros: 35 percent
Over 50,000 euros: 43 percent

Like income taxes in many other countries, Italy’s Irpef is a progressive tax, meaning that you only pay the higher rate on the portion of your income that is over the relevant threshold (for instance, 43 percent on the portion of income exceeding 50,000 euros).

Foreign income

It’s not unusual for foreigners in Italy to have some or all of their income coming from outside Italy – whether that is a pension paid from an overseas country, remote working for a non-Italian company or rental income from a property outside of Italy.

If you’re an Italian tax resident, you’ll be required to declare your global income – that is income generated not just in Italy but anywhere in the world.

It’s important to note though that declaring your foreign income does not necessarily mean you will have to pay tax on it.

Italy has dual taxation agreements with most countries, including the UK and US, meaning that if you have already paid tax on your income in another country, you won’t be taxed on it again – though you’ll still have to tell the Italian taxman about it.

Foreign assets and bank accounts

Italian tax residents who hold financial assets abroad – this includes real estate, financial investments, unit trusts, and even foreign bank accounts – are required to declare them by completing the foreign assets section of their yearly tax return form (section W of form 730 and section RW of form Redditi PF).

Depending on the types of assets you own abroad, you may have to pay Italy’s tax on foreign real estate (IVIE) and/or a tax on foreign financial activities (IVAFE).

It’s worth noting that retirees who’ve opted for Italy’s special seven-percent flat tax rate are exempt from the requirement to declare (and pay IVIE and/or IVAFE on) foreign assets.

You can find further info about declaring foreign bank accounts HERE.

Tax breaks

Italy has a number of tax breaks to help taxpayers, especially those with lower incomes, reduce their tax bill each year.

These are generally divided between tax deductions (deduzioni fiscali), which lower your taxable income, and tax reductions (detrazioni fiscali), which lower your final tax bill.

Tax reductions for 2024 apply to anything from rent to public transport to education expenses, and include a 19-percent tax break on medical expenses applicable to amounts exceeding 129.11 euros. You can find a full list (in Italian) of tax reductions and deductions here.

It’s also worth noting that Italy offers a number of favourable multi-year tax regimes for residents – these include the so-called ‘impatriate’ tax scheme and the seven-percent flat rate for foreign pensioners – as well as a number of home renovation bonuses.

Tax for second-home owners

If you live outside of Italy but you own property in the country which you use as a second-home or holiday home, there are a few things to be aware of, with the first being whether or not you are an Italian tax resident.

If you use your Italian property just for holidays then you probably won’t be. But if you tend to spend a significant amount of time in your Italian property, you should keep in mind that Italy’s tax office will consider you a tax resident if, for at least 183 days a year, you are registered with Italy’s National Registry of the Resident Population (or Anagrafe) or have your place of “residence or habitual residence” in Italy.

The other thing to consider is whether you have any Italian income through renting out your property, including on Airbnb. If you do, you will need to declare this income in Italy.

Finally, even if you’re not an Italian tax resident and don’t generate any income in Italy, you’ll still have to pay Italy’s property tax IMU (Imposta Municipale Unica), which is owed by all owners of second homes. You can find this year’s IMU deadlines HERE.

Getting help

If you’re completely daunted by the Italian tax system, don’t panic: help is available.

If you have a fairly simple tax situation (e.g. you have a single employer and no other sources of income) and speak some Italian, you may be able to get the assistance you need at one of Italy’s tax support centres (Centri di Assistenza Fiscale, or CAF).

If, however, you are self-employed, are starting or operating a business, are earning income in multiple countries, or simply find the whole process too difficult, you may need the help of a chartered tax accountant, or commercialista in Italian.

Please note that The Local is unable to advise on individual cases. Find more information on the Italian tax office’s website or seek independent advice from a qualified tax professional.

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