COLPO D’ASTA · THE RIGHT MEASURE
The handbook
Practical guides to Italian property auctions and buying a home, one chapter at a time. For each property the notice of sale prevails.
Le basi 3
- Judicial, notarial and bankruptcy auctions: the differencesJudicial, notarial and bankruptcy auctions are not the same thing: they differ in who sells, the notary involved and the type of deed. Here is how to tell them apart before you bid.
- Notarial auction from the Rete Aste Notarili: how it worksIn a notarial auction you sign an ordinary deed of sale before the notary, not a transfer decree. Here is how the Rete Aste Notarili works, step by step, and what to check.
- How a property auction works, from the notice to the keysA property auction runs from the sale notice to the keys: minimum offer (offerta minima), deposit (cauzione), bidding, payment of the balance within 120 days and the transfer decree. Here are the steps.
Leggere l'annuncio 4
- Auction with no bids (asta deserta): how much the price drops at the next roundAuction with no bids (asta deserta): the price can fall by up to a quarter at the next attempt, and by up to half after the fourth. Example with numbers and what to check.
- Base price (prezzo base) and minimum offer (offerta minima): the difference explained with an exampleThe base price (prezzo base) is the starting point of the auction, the minimum offer (offerta minima) is the threshold below which you cannot bid. Here is the difference with an example using round numbers.
- Minimum bid increment: how much and when you bidThe minimum bid increment (rilancio minimo) is the smallest amount by which each offer must rise during the auction: it is set by the sale notice, and you will find it in the line dedicated to the auction.
- Sale without judicial auction, synchronous, asynchronous and mixed: what it meansSynchronous: online bidding at a fixed time. Asynchronous: online bidding over several days. Mixed: online or in the room, together. The sale notice says which one applies.
Leggere la perizia 1
Dopo l'aggiudicazione 3
- What happens after the award: all the stepsAfter the award you pay the balance within 120 days, then the transfer decree arrives that makes you the owner. Here are the steps in order.
- Transfer decree (decreto di trasferimento): what it is, when it arrives, what it containsThe transfer decree is the judge's order that makes you the owner after the auction. Here is when it arrives and what it contains.
- Balance payment: when to pay and what happens if you don'tThe balance must be paid within 120 days of the award, a deadline that cannot be extended. If you don't pay on time you lose the deposit (cauzione): here is what to check.
Casa occupata 1
Soldi 1
Comprare casa 3
- Payment on account (acconto) or deposit (caparra): what changes if the sale falls throughIf the sale falls through, the payment on account is usually refunded to you, but the confirmatory deposit may cost you the amount paid or cost you double.
- Confirmatory deposit (caparra confirmatoria): when it becomes a payment on account and whether you need an invoiceAt the notarial deed (rogito) the deposit (caparra) becomes part of the price. If the sale falls through because of the buyer, they lose it; if the seller is at fault, they must return it twice over.
- Bare ownership: is it worth buying?Bare ownership costs less than full ownership, but it does not give you the use of the home while the usufructuary is alive. Here is what to check before you sign.
Documenti e catasto 3
- Cadastral maps: how to consult them for freeYou can view the cadastral map online on the Italian Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) website, starting from the sheet and parcel number of the property. Here is how.
- Online cadastral extract (visura catastale): how to request it and how much it costsYou request the online cadastral extract (visura catastale) on the Agenzia delle Entrate website: free if you are the owner, paid for everyone else. Here is how to get it.
- Cadastral extract (visura catastale): what it is and how to download itThe cadastral extract (visura catastale) shows the category, class, size and cadastral income of a property. The owner can download it free online: here is how.
Urbanistica e abusi 3
- Unauthorised building works (abuso edilizio): what they are and how to spot themUnauthorised building works (abuso edilizio) means building or altering a property without the required permit, or in a way different from what was authorised. Here is how they are discovered and what you risk if you buy.
- Unauthorised building works: when they become time-barred and what a buyer risksUnauthorised building works do not become legal over the years. If you buy, the risk is inheriting them: here is what to check in the appraisal report and at the Comune.
- Building amnesty: the 1985, 1994 and 2003 lawsAn unfinished building amnesty from 1985, 1994 or 2003 does not make the property safe: here is what to check at the Comune before you buy.
Mutuo 4
- First-home mortgage (mutuo prima casa): how it worksA first-home mortgage (mutuo prima casa) usually covers up to 80% of the property's value. Here is how it works, what costs to expect and what to check before signing.
- First-home mortgage (mutuo prima casa): requirements and how to get one, including for under-36s and at 100%A first-home mortgage (mutuo prima casa) usually covers 80% of the value; with the Consap Fund up to 100% for under-36s and priority categories with an ISEE below €40,000.
- Mortgage transfer (surroga del mutuo): how it worksMortgage transfer (surroga del mutuo): you move your loan to another bank without penalties and at lower costs. How it works, an example with numbers and what to check before you apply.
- Mortgage rate: how to get a low one and when it becomes usuryFor a low rate, compare the TAEG of several banks. A rate is usury only if it exceeds the anti-usury threshold that the Bank of Italy publishes every quarter.
Tasse 2
- Cedolare secca: how it worksThe cedolare secca is a flat tax on rent: 21% for open-market leases, 10% for agreed-rent leases in the municipalities that provide for it. Here is how it works, with examples.
- IMU on the first home: when you payThe first home where you live is exempt from IMU, except A/1, A/8 and A/9. The second home pays at the municipality's rate, up to 1.06%.
Affitto 4
- Renting a home: what to know before you sign (termination, TARI, tax deductions)Before you sign a rental: type of contract, termination with 6 months' notice, TARI payable by whoever lives in the home, deposit of no more than 3 monthly rents.
- Short-term rentals: 2026 rulesShort-term rentals last 30 days at most: flat-rate rental tax (cedolare secca) of 21% on the first flat, 26% from the second to the fourth, and the CIN code is mandatory.
- Rent to buy (affitto con riscatto)With rent to buy you pay rent and commit to buying later. Here is what you sign, how much deposit you pay and when the estate agent is entitled to their commission.
- Estate agency: how much it charges on sales and rentals, and when you payThe agency has no fixed fee: the commission is agreed in writing. For a sale it usually falls due when the preliminary contract (preliminare) is signed.
Condominio 2
- Condominium administrator: what they must doThe condominium administrator manages expenses, accounts and shared works. Here is what they must do, what they must not do and how to check them.
- Condominium administrator: how much it costs, how long the appointment lasts, who paysThe administrator's fee is decided by the assembly and paid by the condominium according to millesimi: there is no fixed amount, so check the contract.