Buying a home in Italy: the notaio, the geometra and the catch with €1 houses
Buying in Italy is slower and more formal than buying back home in Blighty, but it's also harder to gazump you. The deal runs through a public official, the notaio, and the tax bill depends on who sells and whether it'll be your main home.
The short version
- The usual path is an offer (proposta), a preliminary contract (compromesso) and the final deed (rogito) signed in front of a notaio [3].
- Buying from a private seller, you pay registration tax of 9%, or 2% if the home qualifies for "prima casa" relief, with a minimum of EUR 1,000, plus two fixed taxes of EUR 50 each [1][2].
- Buying a new build from the developer, you pay VAT instead: 10%, or 4% with prima casa relief [1][2].
- A geometra (a qualified building surveyor) checks the property matches the land registry and the planning permits. In Italy that's the survey that matters.
- €1 houses are real, but they come with a deposit, a renovation deadline and a bill that can run to tens of thousands of euros [4].
Who does what
The cast list is different from a UK conveyancing chain:
| Who | What they do | Who usually pays |
|---|---|---|
| Agente immobiliare (estate agent) | Finds the property, takes the offer, and must register any preliminary contract they broker [3] | Usually both buyer and seller pay a fee |
| Notaio (notary) | A public official who checks title, mortgages and charges, drafts and reads out the deed, collects the purchase taxes and registers the sale [1] | The buyer, in practice |
| Geometra (surveyor) | Checks the property against the catasto (land registry plans) and planning permits, spots unauthorised works, and can manage a renovation | The buyer, if you hire one |
| Avvocato (lawyer) | Optional, but the FCDO advises contacting an English-speaking lawyer before buying [5] | The buyer |
| Translator | Required at the deed if you don't understand Italian well enough | The buyer |
The notaio is neutral, not your representative. They make sure the deed is legal and the taxes are paid, but they won't tell you the roof leaks or that the price is daft. That's why many Brits hire their own geometra and a lawyer as well.
The process, step by step
- Get your codice fiscale. You can't make an offer, open a bank account or sign a deed without the Italian tax code.
- Make a written offer (proposta d'acquisto). It's usually backed by a cheque or transfer to the agent, and it becomes binding once the seller accepts it. Read it as carefully as a contract.
- Run the checks. The notaio checks title and charges before the deed, and you can do your own ispezione ipotecaria (a search of the property registers) through the Agenzia delle Entrate to see who owns the home and whether there are mortgages or court orders against it [3]. Your geometra checks the catasto plans and planning history.
- Sign the compromesso. The preliminary contract binds both sides to the final sale. It must be in writing and registered within 30 days [3]. It usually comes with a caparra confirmatoria, a deposit: if you pull out, you lose it; if the seller pulls out, they pay you double.
- Arrange the money. Sort your mortgage or transfer funds from the UK. Our guide to sending money between the UK and abroad covers the basics.
- Sign the rogito. You sign the deed in front of the notaio, pay the balance, and the keys are yours. The notaio pays the purchase taxes and registers the sale [1].
The compromesso costs
Registering the preliminary contract costs EUR 200 (about £167) in registration tax plus stamp duty. On top of that, preliminary contracts signed since 1 January 2025 pay 0.5% on any deposit or advance payment, which is then credited against the tax on the final deed [3]. If the notaio drafts the compromesso, they can also record it in the property registers (trascrizione), so the seller can't sell the home to someone else in the meantime. That costs extra but protects you [3].
Purchase taxes
Italy has no stamp duty land tax in the British sense. The taxes are set by the seller and by whether you qualify for prima casa relief [1][2]:
| Seller | Without prima casa | With prima casa |
|---|---|---|
| Private person (or a company selling VAT-exempt) | Registration tax 9% (minimum EUR 1,000), plus EUR 50 mortgage tax and EUR 50 cadastral tax | Registration tax 2% (minimum EUR 1,000), plus EUR 50 and EUR 50 |
| Developer selling with VAT | VAT 10% (22% for luxury categories A/1, A/8 and A/9), plus three fixed taxes of EUR 200 each | VAT 4%, plus three fixed taxes of EUR 200 each |
Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = EUR 1.2002): EUR 1,000 is about £830, EUR 50 about £42 and EUR 200 about £167.
The prezzo-valore rule
When you buy a home from a private seller, the registration tax can be worked out on the property's cadastral value rather than the price you pay, if you ask the notaio for this in the deed. The cadastral value is usually well below the market price. The Agenzia delle Entrate's own prima casa example: a home with a cadastral income (rendita catastale) of EUR 900, bought for EUR 200,000, pays EUR 2,079 in registration tax under the prezzo-valore rule instead of EUR 4,000 on the price (about £1,730 rather than £3,330) [2]. You must still state the real price in the deed; hiding part of it brings penalties [1].
Who gets prima casa relief
Prima casa relief applies to ordinary homes (not luxury categories), in the comune where you live or work, or where you'll move your residence [2]. There are further conditions on other homes you already own, which you declare in the deed. For a Brit, the key point is residence: the relief is for people making Italy home, so it usually doesn't fit a holiday flat. Check the conditions with the notaio before you sign.
Can Brits buy?
Yes. Plenty of Brits own homes in Italy, from flats in Rome to farmhouses in Umbria. Owning a home doesn't give you the right to live there, though. Since Brexit you need a visa or residence permit to stay beyond the 90-day visa-free limit [5]. Our guide to Italy's elective residence visa explains the route most British retirees use.
Once you own Italian property, there's ongoing tax: IMU, the local property tax, is due on second homes, and a rented-out flat brings Italian income tax. Your UK tax position matters too; see double taxation agreements and reliefs. A tax adviser who knows both countries can check your situation.
€1 houses: the catch
The €1 schemes are real. Comuni in depopulated areas, mainly in Sicily, Sardinia, Abruzzo, Puglia and the inland villages, sell abandoned buildings for a token euro to get them restored. Gangi, Biccari and Triora are among those that have run schemes [4]. The house costs a euro; everything else doesn't. Typical conditions [4]:
- a guarantee deposit, often a few thousand euros, refunded when the works are done; each comune's bando sets the amount
- a renovation project, usually submitted within about six months
- works started within about 12 months and finished within about three years, unless the bando (the council's call) says otherwise
- the buyer pays the notaio, the taxes and the fees
- sometimes a duty to take up residence, or not to sell for five to ten years
Renovation commonly runs to tens of thousands of euros, according to Italian press estimates, and that's before surprises in a building that's been empty for decades [4]. Get a geometra's quote before you bid. Miss a deadline and you can lose the deposit and the house.
So who are they for? People who want a project, can manage builders in Italian and are happy to spend a lot of time in a small village. They're not a back door into Rome, and they don't come with a visa. Always read the comune's own bando, and get a geometra to look before you bid.
Before you sign
- Check the mortgage options early. Expect more paperwork as a newcomer than you'd face at home.
- Ask about the spese condominiali (building charges) and any extraordinary works already approved.
- Make sure the energy performance certificate (APE) is provided.
- Join our community group for Brits in Italy and ask for people's experience with an area or an agent.
Sources
- Agenzia delle Entrate: Buying a home – the taxes (checked 7 November 2026)
- Agenzia delle Entrate: Buying with prima casa relief (checked 7 November 2026)
- Agenzia delle Entrate: Before you buy (checks and the preliminary contract) (checked 7 November 2026)
- BusinessOnline: €1 houses, the calls open between late 2025 and early 2026 (29 January 2026)
- GOV.UK (FCDO): Living in Italy (last updated 28 October 2026)