Finding a rental home in Italy

The best-known sites are Immobiliare.it, Idealista, Casa.it and Subito.it, and for rooms and shared housing Idealista Rooms, Roomz and Bakeca, and local Facebook pages and community groups.

• Many flats are rented through estate agencies (agenzie immobiliari) that often impose a commission on the tenant usually one month's rent plus tax, and it is better to negotiate it. Turn on instant alerts via apps since good offers are rented within hours.
• Tell your friends and colleagues that you are searching, since recommendation is important.
• And check that the advert is real and that the owner or agency actually exists.
• Search in suburbs and cheaper neighbouring towns near the train, and widen your search to small towns if your work is flexible.

Landlords usually ask for a permanent work contract and payslips (buste paga) for three months or proof of income of at least three times the monthly rent, a copy of your passport, residence permit and tax code.

• Many prefer employees with permanent contracts, and some refuse temporary contracts or students or foreigners or large families, which is illegal discrimination but a reality.
• They may request a guarantor (garante) from your family or a bank guarantee or a deposit.
• Prepare a clear digital file and a short letter in Italian explaining who you are, your job and when you want to move.
• If you are new and without Italian payslips offer your work contract or employer letter or a bank balance.
• And do not hesitate to ask frankly what they need.

The free contract (canone libero 4+4) lasts four years renewable for four, and the landlord cannot end it in the first eight years except for specific reasons, and the rent is free.

• The agreed-rent contract (canone concordato 3+2) is for three years with a two-year renewal at rent that varies according to an agreement between the comune and unions, and landlord and tenant enjoy tax advantages, and it is often cheaper.
• The temporary contract (transitorio) is from one month to eighteen months for justified reasons, and the student contract (studenti) from six to thirty-six months.
• The contract must be registered with the tax authority within thirty days, which falls on the landlord and its fee is shared.
• The deposit (deposito cauzionale) is capped at three months and returned with interest.
• And an off-the-books contract is illegal and does not protect you.

Fraud spreads because of intense demand: a fraudster advertises a flat at a tempting price and says he is abroad and asks for a deposit or advance rent transfer to reserve the flat before viewing, then disappears, and often requests payment by prepaid card or Western Union or a bank transfer to a foreign account.

• The golden rule: do not pay any amount before you see the flat yourself and verify the owner's identity (by matching the ID with the title deed, the visura catastale) and sign a written contract and receive the keys.
• Beware of very low prices and urgency.
• Search for the photos online to check that they are not copied.
• And check the agency exists.
• Report any fraud to the police (Polizia Postale) and the advertising platform.

Before finding a flat you can rent a room (stanza) in a shared flat, which is common in university cities, or student housing through the university or right-to-study institutions (ADISU and DSU), or a short-term flat.

• Check that you can register at the address and the room contract.
• Some comuni and regions offer rent aid for low-income earners (contributo affitto) and a support fund for struggling tenants, and there is public housing (edilizia residenziale pubblica, ERP) at reduced rent by registering on waiting lists at the comune under income (ISEE) and residence conditions, and lists may be long.
• For refugees and protection holders there are reception centres and the SAI system.
• Ask your comune's social services, and organisations such as Caritas and ACLI, and tenants' unions (SUNIA, SICET and Unione Inquilini).

What is the usual duration of the free contract?