Buying Property in Italy: Frequently Asked Questions - Houses in Italy

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Buying property in Italy

1. How much land is required to renovate a house? As long as you are not enlarging the footprint, a house can be renovated in its existing land.

2. How much land is required to do a new build? At present 1 Hectare (2.47acres) of land is required to do a new build but it is rumoured that the law could change in the next year, to 3 hectares per new build.

3. Are there any restrictions on the size of house you can build on one hectare of land? Yes, on 1 hectare of land the maximum floor area for a house is 300 sq m.

4. If we buy a plot of land from Houses in Italy, how long does the paper work and legal documentation take? Because all the complicated paperwork will have been done before the sale to you, the process will take very little time - a matter of a couple of weeks.

5. If the plots of land already have planning permission on them, can they be modified or are they set in stone? It is possible to modify them.

6. Do we have to go to Italy to sign the paper work? No, we can sort out power of attorney for you.

7. What currency do we have to pay in? Sterling or Euros? We can accept Sterling or Euros.

8. Can you organise a viewing trip for us? We are always happy to arrange viewing trips. We can advise on travel arrangements, hotels, car rental etc. and arrange a complete viewing itinerary for you.

9. Once we have bought a plot from you, how do we go about finding builders etc? We have a list of reputable builder and useful contacts that we can pass on to you.

10. As we don't speak any Italian how do we go about managing our project from the UK? This can be a very frustrating time if you don't speak Italian. We have an excellent Italian project manager and we can act as a go between for you.

11. Does Houses in Italy provide a translation service? Yes, one of our directors speaks and writes fluent Italian.

12. If we want to let our property out, can you help us do this? Yes, we can act as your agents. Your property would appear on our website and our team in Italy would be responsible for cleaning, change over, pool maintenance, garden and any repairs.

13. If we rent our property out do we get taxed in Italy or in England? As the property is in Italy, you will be taxed in Italy.

14. How do we go about transferring money to Italy? There are several ways to go about this but contacting your own bank in the UK is a good start. We, again, have many contacts in this area.

15. Can anyone open a bank account in Italy? Yes. You will need to apply for a fiscal code. We can advise on this process.

16. What are the regulations about having a U.K. registered car in Italy for any length of time? You should only have a UK registered car in Italy for a maximum of 3 months but talk to your insurance company, most are happy to insure you whilst abroad.

17. Is it possible to buy a car in Italy? You need to have residency to tax and insure a car in Italy. Most Brits take their own car out.

18. What about house insurance? Most Italians do not have house insurance but we would advise that you do. If you let your property you must have a very comprehensive policy. We can give you names of insurance companies who specialise in this.