Selling property in Italy: a document checklist

Property for sale sign in English, Italian and German.
Property for sale sign in English, Italian and German.

Planning to sell your home in Italy? Your first concerns are most likely related to its market value and time to sell. Rightly so. You'll find more than a few real estate agents (and their impostors) happy to give you a back of the napkin value appraisal in order to get your business. Yet a professional property appraisal should be more than a 2 minute exercise; notably it should include a review of all pertinent documentation. Documentation which should be available for consultation by potential buyers. In addition, certain documentation is required by law for the preliminary and/or closing/completion sales agreement.

I heard that groan. True, the document gathering process can be a bit tedious, especially if you've owned your home for years. Believe me, I'm not happy to be the bearer of bad tidings! All too often a seller doesn't find out about these requirements until the closing/completion time approaches. Yet there are several upsides to gathering property documents early:

  1. a more accurate appraisal provides you with peace of mind that you will get a fair price for your property in a reasonable amount of time.
  2. by facing the problem sooner rather than later, you won't risk losing the sale once a probable buyer emerges; the buyer isn't going to want to wait weeks to see documents. Forewarned is forearmed!

Here's what you should gather and why:

In the case of a unit in a condominium:

In the case of a property currently rented out:

Regarding each of the sellers:

Footnotes

 1 Decree Law 31 May 2010, № 78

 2 Decree 22 January 2008, № 37

 3 Decree Law 23 December 2013, № 145

 4 Who can perform the energy certification (in Italian)

 5 Testo unico delle disposizioni legislative e regolamentari in materia edilizia. Decreto del Presidente della Repubblica 6 giugno 2001, № 380

 6 Legge 28 febbraio 1985, № 47 Norme in materia di controllo dell'attivita' urbanistico-edilizia, sanzioni, recupero e sanatoria delle opere edilizie.

  7 R. D. 27/07/34 № 1265 artt. 220+

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The above is offered as general guidance without warranty; changes may have occurred since it was written. Do consult with appropriate qualified professionals regarding your specific situation before making any real estate purchase.

About the author

Sean Michael Carlos

Sean Michael Carlos grew up in Rhode Island, USA. He studied in the US, UK and Germany before settling in Italy where he has lived for over twenty-five years, in three different regions.

Sean is a licensed real estate agent in Italy with over 10 years experience in the sector and would love to hear from you if you are looking to buy or sell property in Italy.

Professional assistance available

Are you looking to buy, sell or rent property in Italy? If you require an estate agent to support you, one who can help you bridge the culture, language and knowledge gap, do feel free to contact me with your requirements.

Selected properties for sale

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