You’ve decided to rent an apartment in Italy? That’s exciting! Just get ready to arm yourself with some new words and expressions to get through it. Because yes, there’s specific vocabulary you’ll need to familiarise yourself with.
So, before you find yourself handing over a caparra without really knowing what you agreed to, or arguing with a landlord about the normale usura because they think one scuff mark is a crime, let’s walk through the whole process, step by step, picking up the new vocabulary as we go.
Quick note: the words and expressions below are mostly for long-term rentals. If you’re just booking a holiday apartment, things are much simpler — a few taps on the usual booking websites, and you’re generally done.
Step 1: The search
Your apartment-hunting journey starts with l’annuncio (the listing) on popular sites like casa.it or immobiliare.it. You’ll spot some key words immediately: monolocale (studio), bilocale (one-bedroom apartment), trilocale (two-bedroom apartment), maybe even an attico (penthouse) if you’re feeling fancy.
Ho visto l’annuncio del bilocale in Via Roma. È possibile fissare un appuntamento per vederlo?
I saw the listing for the one-bedroom apartment on Via Roma. Would it be possible to schedule a viewing?
Depending on what you’re looking for, pay attention to whether the apartment is arredato (furnished) or non arredato (unfurnished). Also check il piano (the floor): is it il pianterreno (ground floor), or un piano alto (an upper floor) with un ascensore (an elevator)? And if you’re dreaming of sipping your morning cappuccino outside, look for a balcone (balcony) or even better, a terrazza (terrace). Oh, and if you have a car, ask whether there’s un box (a garage) or un posto auto (a parking spot) — in big cities, good luck finding either.
Cerco un bilocale arredato in centro, possibilmente con balcone.
I’m looking for a furnished one-bedroom apartment downtown, ideally with a balcony.
When searching for an apartment, you’ll typically deal with either il padrone / la padrona di casa (landlord / landlady) or un agente immobiliare (a real estate agent). If you’re looking to split expenses, you’ll also need un coinquilino / una coinquilina (roommate).
Chi è la padrona di casa? Vive nello stesso palazzo?
Who is the landlady? Does she live in the same building?
Step 2: The viewing
Time to actually vedere l’appartamento (view the apartment) in person. Check that the metratura (square footage) and orientamento (exposure) match what was advertised: if the ad promised spazioso e luminoso (spacious and bright), make sure that doesn’t just mean every piece of furniture folds out of the wall (like in the legendary “Taaaac!” scene from the classic Italian movie Il ragazzo di campagna, here) and one brave ray of sunlight visits for exactly fifteen minutes a day! Also ask whether il riscaldamento (the heating) is centralizzato or autonomo (centralized vs. independent heating) and if the utenze (utilities) are already active.
Le utenze sono già attive, o dovrò contattare io i fornitori?
Are the utilities already active, or will I need to contact the providers myself?
You may also want to chat a bit about il quartiere (the neighborhood): is it una zona rumorosa (a noisy area) or a quiet one? Is there a lot of traffico (traffic)? And is it well connected with i mezzi pubblici (public transport) or will you need to urgently befriend someone with a car?
Com’è il quartiere? È una zona tranquilla?
What’s the neighborhood like? Is it a quiet area?
If you have a pet, make sure that gli animali domestici sono ammessi (pets are allowed). It’s also worth clarifying quali spese sono incluse nel canone (which expenses are included in the rent), plus the spese condominiali (condo fees) you’ll be required to cover. And, naturally, find out from which date the apartment will be disponibile (available).
Da quando è disponibile l’appartamento?
When will the apartment be available?
Step 3: The contract
You finally found the one, and now comes the fun part. Assuming you’re not just here for a quick holiday, you’ll be required to sign un contratto d’affitto (a rental agreement). Legally speaking, this is the moment you become il locatario / la locataria (the tenant), while the owner becomes il locatore / la locatrice (the landlord / landlady). These are the fancy legal terms for the two of you.
The main types of contracts are:
- il contratto a canone libero: a contract, known as “4+4″ (four years plus a four-year renewal), with rent negotiated freely between you and the landlord.
- il contratto a canone concordato: a contract with capped rent, lasting three years with the possibility of a two-year renewal (“3+2”).
- l’affitto transitorio: this is a shorter contract, usually between 1 and 18 months, generally for students, people relocating for work, or other temporary needs (just know the reason has to be clearly stated in the contract).
Che tipo di contratto proponete?
What type of contract do you offer?
You’ll also need to provide a series of documenti (documents) such as your passaporto (passport), il codice fiscale (the Italian tax code), your permesso di soggiorno (residence permit) if you’re from outside the EU, and some proof that you can actually pay the rent (or, if you’re not employed, a garante — “guarantor” willing to vouch for you).
Sto ancora aspettando il codice fiscale, intanto posso farvi vedere le ultime buste paga.
I’m still waiting for my tax code, but in the meantime I can show you my most recent payslips.
Before you sign il contratto di affitto (the lease agreement), check how much la caparra (the security deposit) will be, as this is money you’ll only see again after intense scrutiny of the stato dell’immobile (condition of the property) when you leave.
A quanto ammonta la caparra?
How much is the deposit?
One more thing to ask about: whether the lease includes a clause about la possibilità di subaffittare (the possibility of subletting). This is worth clarifying, especially if you think you might travel for a few months and hand the keys to a friend, or if you just want to rent out that spare room to recoup some cash. As we say in Italian: patti chiari, amicizia lunga (clear agreements make for long friendships)!
Posso subaffittare una stanza?
Can I sublet a room?
Step 4: Moving in
Keys in hand, it’s time to prepare gli scatoloni (boxes) for il trasloco (the move). This is the part where we regularly rediscover just how many belongings we own, and channel our inner Marie Kondo to scartare (eliminate) half of them!
Conosce un’azienda di traslochi affidabile?
Can you recommend a reliable moving company?
And there might be one more piece of paper waiting for you: il verbale di consegna, a handover report documenting the exact condition of the apartment. It’s not legally required, but it’s highly recommended because it will be your best friend when it’s time to get your caparra back.
Questa macchia non è presente nel verbale, possiamo aggiungerla?
This stain is not listed in the report, can we add it?
Step 5: Living there
Ah, casa dolce casa (home sweet home)! You’ve finally made it — keys, boxes, and everything else. But settling in also means meeting your new companions: le bollette (the bills), such as la bolletta della luce (electricity), del gas (gas), and la TARI, the waste collection tax. And don’t forget il canone RAI (the RAI TV license fee), which is automatically added to your electricity bill if you own a television (yep, even if you only use it to watch Netflix).
Non ho la televisione. Devo pagare lo stesso il canone RAI?
I don’t have a TV. Do I still have to pay the RAI TV licence fee?
As mentioned earlier, you might also pay for le spese condominiali (condo fees), covering things like stairwell cleaning and routine maintenance.
Le spese condominiali sono incluse nel canone d’affitto o sono a parte?
Are the condo fees included in the rent, or do I pay them separately?
Step 6: When things go wrong
Hopefully not, but something might go wrong sooner or later. Maybe it’s un malfunzionamento (a malfunction) that your landlord insists is manutenzione ordinaria (routine maintenance, i.e., your problem) rather than straordinaria (special maintenance, i.e., their problem). Or maybe you’re trying to get your caparra back and suddenly the owner sees danni (damages) in every tiny mark on the wall.
La lavatrice ha smesso di funzionare. Come ci regoliamo per la riparazione o la sostituzione?
The washing machine stopped working. How should we handle the repair or replacement?
If you ever need to leave before your lease is technically over, this is called recesso anticipato (early termination). There’s one key term to keep an eye on: il preavviso, which is the notice period you’re required to give, usually at least six months. You’ll need to put la disdetta (the termination) in writing, and send it either as una raccomandata con ricevuta di ritorno (a registered letter with return receipt) or una PEC (certified email).
Purtroppo devo andare via prima del previsto. Qual è la procedura per disdire il contratto di affitto?
Unfortunately I have to leave earlier than planned. What’s the procedure for terminating the rental contract?
And that’s it, your survival kit for renting an apartment in Italy. The rest you’ll pick up along the way. In bocca al lupo (good luck) with the search!
Valentina Nicastro is a travel writer in love with her home country, Italy. Having travelled widely around the globe, she realised there was more to explore closer to home and decided to put the passport aside for a while. When she is not immersed in documenting Italy, you’ll find her donning her communication consultant hat, weaving words as a content writer and bridging linguistic divides as a translator.
