What to check before buying a house in Italy

When you view a house you look at the light, the floor area and the state of the rooms. But much of the information that really matters for the decision cannot be seen on a viewing: whether the area floods, how the building was constructed, whether the floor plan matches reality, whether the condominium has already approved costly works, or whether there are mortgages to be cleared.

This guide puts the checks in order, from the simplest to the most technical. You can do the first three yourself, with public data, even before calling the estate agent. The others need documents from the seller and help from a surveyor and the notary (notaio, the public official who handles property sales in Italy). The guide does not replace their work: it helps you arrive prepared.

1. The area: floods, landslides and earthquakes

This is the check people forget most often, and one of the few things a renovation cannot fix.

Floods. The river basin authorities (Autorità di bacino) mark out the areas that can flood under three flood hazard scenarios: P3 for frequent floods (on average one every 20 to 50 years), P2 for less frequent ones (one every 100 to 200 years), P1 for rare ones. ISPRA, the national environmental institute, combines these maps for the whole of Italy on its IdroGEO platform. A house in a P2 or P3 area is not necessarily one to rule out, but the questions to ask change: are there cellars, garages or basement rooms? How high is the ground floor compared with the street? Has the building flooded before? Are there pumps or flood barriers?

Landslides. In hilly and mountain areas what counts is the landslide hazard in the PAI (the hydrogeological plan), divided into levels from P4 (very high) to P1 (moderate), plus attention areas. The inventory of landslides that have already happened, IFFI, is also useful. A recorded landslide nearby does not mean the house is in danger, but it is a good reason to ask a geologist or the technical office of the Comune (the local council).

Earthquakes. Every municipality is in a seismic zone (zona sismica) from 1 to 4, but the zone tells you how hazardous the area is, not how safe the building is. That is why, especially in zones 1 and 2, the year the building was designed and any structural work matter (see step 4).

The national maps are a first indication and have no legal value: for an official check, the binding documents are the river basin authority's plans and the Comune's planning documents. Our report checks these three topics at the exact address point and explains them in plain words, with the source of every figure.

Worth knowing: for private homes, insurance against earthquakes and floods is not compulsory in Italy. Knowing the risk also helps you decide whether to take out a policy, and which one.

2. The neighbourhood: services, transport and residents

Going back to the area at different times is still the best way to understand it: on a weekday morning, in the evening, at the weekend. Before you do, some data helps you know what to look for.

• Services. How far are the schools, pharmacy, supermarket, doctor and parks? 500 metres is a 6 to 7 minute walk, 1 kilometre about 12 to 15 minutes.
• Transport. Where are the nearest stops, which lines serve them and how often, especially in the evening and on public holidays. If you work in the city, having a metro or regional train within a few minutes makes a difference.
• Residents. Istat, the national statistics institute, publishes data by census section, which in cities often corresponds to a single block: average age, households, empty homes and how the population has changed since 2011. An area with many unoccupied homes or a sharply falling population may have lower prices, but also fewer services over time.
• Noise and traffic. Fast roads, railways, nightlife and nearby airports are easier to notice on a visit at rush hour with the windows open.

Also ask the Comune, or check its website, whether major works are planned in the area: a new road, a long-running building site, a shopping centre.

3. Local prices

Before making an offer it helps to know the range prices move in. The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate), through its Property Market Observatory (OMI), publishes twice a year the minimum and maximum price per square metre for each zone of the municipality, to buy and to rent, by type of property and state of repair.

How to use them:

1. Find the zone of the house and the type of property (for example "abitazioni civili", standard homes, in "normale", average, condition).
2. Multiply the minimum and maximum figures by the gross floor area: you get a range, not a price.
3. Compare the asking price with that range and with similar houses for sale in the same street.

The price ranges are only a rough guide, they come out a few months late and they know nothing about floor, aspect, finishes and actual condition. If the asking price is well above the range, ask the seller what justifies it; if it is well below, find out why before getting excited. For a proper valuation you need a valuer (perito), which is also what the bank will send if you apply for a mortgage.

4. The building and the condominium

Year of construction and structure. Ask for the year the building was designed, not just the year work finished. In Italy the updated earthquake building standards (NTC 2008) have been compulsory for designs since July 2009; older buildings can still be safe, but it is worth knowing whether they have had improvement work. Diagonal cracks in walls, doors that do not close and damp patches are signs to show a surveyor or engineer.

Energy certificate. The energy performance certificate (attestato di prestazione energetica, APE) shows the energy class of the home and must be attached to the deed of sale. A low class means higher bills and, often, works to budget for.

Systems. Ask for the declarations of conformity for the electrical, gas and heating systems, the boiler logbook and the date of the last service.

Condominium. Most flats in Italy are in a condominio, a building with shared ownership and costs. Through the seller, ask the building manager (amministratore di condominio) for the building rules, the minutes of the latest meetings, the accounts and the state of payments. Two points matter more than the others: extraordinary works already approved, which can cost thousands of euros, and charges the seller has not paid, because the buyer is liable together with the seller for those of the current year and the previous year. The questions to ask are gathered in Questions for the building manager before buying a flat.

5. Land registry documents

The land registry (catasto) describes the property for tax purposes. Each flat is identified by municipality, foglio (sheet), particella (parcel) and subalterno (unit number).

What to ask for and check:

• Visura catastale. The visura, the land registry record, shows category, class, size, cadastral income and registered owners. Check that the registered owner is the person selling and that the category matches the use (for example a home in category A and not a storeroom in C/2).
• Cadastral floor plan. Compare the floor plan (planimetria catastale) room by room with the house: moved walls, an extra bathroom, an enclosed veranda or an attic turned into a bedroom must all be shown.
• Cadastral compliance. Since 2010 the deed of sale must include a statement that the cadastral data and floor plan match the actual state of the property. If they do not match, an update must be filed before the final deed (rogito).

6. Planning compliance

This is different from cadastral compliance, and more important: it concerns the permits under which the house was built and altered. A property can be perfectly registered in the land registry and still have unauthorised building work.

Your own surveyor, architect or engineer (in Italy often a geometra) asks the Comune for access to the records (accesso agli atti) and reconstructs the property's lawful status (stato legittimo): the original building permit (licenza, concessione or permesso di costruire) and those for later changes (DIA, SCIA, CILA). They then compare it with the actual state. They also check the certificate of fitness for use (agibilità).

Small differences often fall within the tolerances allowed by law, which were widened in 2024; others can be regularised, with costs and timescales you should know before signing. Some unauthorised work cannot be regularised and can make it hard to get a mortgage or to sell later. This check costs a few hundred euros and is worth doing before the preliminary contract, not after.

7. Mortgages, seizures and title

The notary checks the Revenue Agency's property registers (Servizio di pubblicità immobiliare, formerly the conservatorie) for mortgages (ipoteche), seizures (pignoramenti) or other registered encumbrances on the property. A mortgage for the seller's loan is normal and is cleared with the payment at the final deed; a seizure or a pending lawsuit needs much more care.

Also ask how the seller came to own the property: if the house was received as a recent gift (donazione), talk to the notary before making the offer, because it can carry risks for the buyer and make a mortgage harder to get. Finally, check for easements (servitù), for example rights of way, and any third-party rights.

8. Offer and preliminary contract

Once accepted, the purchase offer (proposta d'acquisto) binds both parties. Before signing it:

• include the conditions you need (condizioni sospensive), for example getting the mortgage or a positive outcome of the planning checks;
• make clear the amount and type of deposit (caparra) and what happens if either party pulls out;
• list what stays in the house (kitchen, furniture, air conditioning) and the condition it will be handed over in.

The preliminary contract (contratto preliminare or compromesso) can be registered in the property registers: this protects it from mortgages, seizures or sales to third parties recorded after it. It has a cost, but it is worth it when months pass between the preliminary contract and the final deed, or when you pay a large advance.

The checklist at a glance

You will find the first three steps summarised in our report, starting from the address, with the source of every figure. For the others you need the seller's documents and the professionals: getting to them with the right questions saves time and, often, money.

Sources

• ISPRA, IdroGEO platform: landslide and flood hazard, IFFI inventory.
• Dipartimento della Protezione Civile (Civil Protection Department), seismic classification.
• Agenzia delle Entrate (Revenue Agency), OMI property price ranges.
• Istat, data by census section.
• Decreto legge 78/2010, article 19, paragraph 14 (cadastral compliance in deeds); DPR 380/2001, article 9-bis (lawful status); codice civile (Civil Code), article 2645-bis (registration of the preliminary contract) and article 63 of its implementing provisions (condominium charges).