Italiano 
For Buyers
Italy All Year offers an assisted purchase service which may
be helpful if you are not yet sufficiently familiar with the
italian language or Italian law surrounding the purchase of property. Please
You will be able to buy from a private seller or agency with full piece of mind if you follow these four simple steps:
- appointing a notaio
- appointing a surveyor (if necessary)
- asking the right questions and;
- understanding all the paper work
1. Legal - Appointing a Notaio
In Italy the legal work is done by a public notary called a notaio, who will conduct all the necessary checks and draw up all the necessary contracts for the purchase. Under Italian law the purchaser is the one to appoint a notaio and also the one to pay for the service (approximately €2000-€3000 on average, depending on legal and technical checks carried out.)
You can find a notaio in Italy by:
- consulting the Italian Yellow Pages
- by searching the web using terms such as "notaio + [name of your area]" or
- IAY also hosts a list of notai who have submitted their details to us, though we do so offer of guarantee of satisfaction
2. Technical - Appointing a surveyor
The technical aspect to buying and selling may involve surveys and reports about the condition of the property. This is the job of a geometro (a surveyor) who will carry out the checks to the level requested by the buyer. It is not compulsory to appoint a geometro unless you require a mutuo, and for some properties where the condition of the property is obvious (such as total renovation projects) you may not need one.
However, if you are paying a substantial amount for your property and are expecting only cosmetic work, it may be advisable to appoint a geometro.
Find geometri for your purchase area
- in the Italian Yellow Pages or
- search the internet using terms such as "geometro vendita casa + [name of your area]" or
- IAY hosts a list of geometri who have submitted their details to us. IAY provides this list as a service and can assume no responsibility.
3. Asking the right questions
Though the notaio will carry out all the necessary legal and financial checks before you proceed with a purchase, it is wise to enquire of the owner first. Anything coming to light at the stage of viewing will assist you in deciding whether or not to inform notaio or geometro for that particular property.
Some of the fundamental questions to ask include:
- Is the property mortgaged (called mutuo) or carry some other financial charge (called an ipoteca or pignoramento)?
- How many owners are there and are they all in agreement to the sale?
- Do any third parties have interest concerning the property, such as right of way, use of land etc?
- is there an ongoing dispute involving the property?
- Is there any part of the property that has been built or added to without planning permission (referred to as abusivo), and if so, is it possible to get it approved (referred to as il condono?
For a more comprehensive and detailed list of checks and safeguards, download our Buyer's Guide and Check List (cost €5 in pdf format). The guide covers the areas that you should most pay attention to and also explains some of the terminology you should look out for.
4. Understanding the language and paper work
Being able to follow what is going on during negotiations and procedures with a notaio and geometro requires either a good command of Italian or a competent and reliable interpreter/translator.
If you opt for a translator to officially translate legal and technical documents you should check that they are qualified to carry out such legal and technical translations. For advice on how to do this see our certifying a translator help page.
As with lawyers and surveyors (notaio and geometri) you can easily find competent interpreters and translators by:
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39 333 108 4326 / +39 089 23 12 65 / +44 (0)20 8144 1129