Letting your property in Italy

Do you have a property in Italy that you would like to rent? Or are you travelling and need to rent your house while you are on the road? Or have you bought a house in Italy, but you live in your home country? Whatever the reason, renting your home for part of the year, or for a longer period of time, can generate a great income. Indeed, letting your property in Italy could be a way of recovering some of the costs of buying and restoring your house, but to be successful you need to ensure that your property is ready to satisfy the needs of renters. The main potential renters in the Italian market are middle-class British families, Americans, Germans and Scandinavians, and they have high expectations. The more facilities you offer, therefore, the more you will be able to charge and the greater number of clients you will attract. Properties that have facilities such as Internet, TV, a cook and maid service, swimming pool etc, can command higher prices in what is a competitive market. 

Here are some tips for renting your property in Italy:

- Rental Contract: Have a look at the rental contracts offered by professional Real Estate Agencies and use them as a guide for your own. If you want to specify conditions, such as no smoking or no pets, make that clear in the contract. We also suggest you to ask for a 50 % of the cost as an advance deposit and ensure that the remaining 50 % is paid within two weeks before the arrival. Furthermore, you should secure a deposit against damages that may be incurred and do not repay it until all the costs have been cleared. 

- Advertising: If you are planning to rent your property yourself, it will be worthwhile to create a website so that you can attract potential clients through photos, decsriptions of the surroundings, special offers etc. You can also advertise you property on other websites. That will be less expensive, easier and faster. For example, our Italian property portal Gate-Away has create a section completely dedicated to Holiday Rents (please click here to have a look http://www.gate-away.com/holiday), where potential renters will get in touch directly with you.

- Information pack: You should prepare an information pack on the house and the surrounding area including a map, a list of nearby restaurants, supermarkets, banks, pharmacies, worthwhile sightseeing trips, other local tourist attractions and a list of emergency numbers, such as local hospitals and visiting doctors. It would be also welcome to signal cultural events and traditional festival in the area.

- Local help: Generally, the main concern in renting a property in Italy is to not find someone you trust and also to not have enough time to manage the rent. In these cases, you can take advantage of the services of an Italian Real Estate Agency, who are specialized in finding the right match between potential renters' tastes, budget, needs and your property. Moreover, it is important to have someone locally, who can sort out problems, if you are not in Italy, (such as no hot water, no electricity etc.) and an Italian Real Estate Agency is what you need. 

Finally, remember that you should declare the income from letting your property, whether you are living in Italy or in your home country. Good luck!