We know how confusing it can be to buy property in a country that is not your native home and deal with all your basic needs such as connecting utilities to ensure you have all the basics you need before when you move into your dream home.
You don’t need to let difficulties like this put you off from buying your dream property and living in Italy. We will walk you through some of the essential requirements for connecting utilities when living in Italy and you’ll find it’s not so very bewildering.
First Things First
Before making any application for utilities in Italy you’ll need a valid tax number. The tax number is known as a Codice Fiscale and you can obtain yours from your local tax office (Ufficio delle Entrate).
Once you’ve obtained a valid tax number, apply for utilities as follows:
Water
When it comes to water, you’ll find each Italian region has different policies, as it depends on the regional water reserves. Water rates will depend on regional reserves held and also the amount of rainfall received in each separate area. Your water supply will be limited to a yearly, fixed amount which is measured by meter. If you do exceed water limits you will receive additional bills. Water bills are issued twice per year and if you have any requirement for additional water supplies, such as for a swimming pool, you will be billed separately for an extra metered supply. Registering for a water supply is just a simple matter of providing your tax code and identification details, together with the address of your property.
Electricity
You will need to apply for your electricity through ENEL, which is the Italian national power company. You can apply in person by contacting your local ENEL office or by telephone via their free phone number 800 900 800 or on +39 023 017 2011 from mobiles. You’ll need proof of identity, tax number and bank details to progress your application and need to give details of your property. Typical Italian homes run on between 3 and 3.2 kilowatts of power, though you can apply for larger household power supplies up to 6 kilowatts, though the flat rate charge for higher power supplies does cost more.
>> Bear in mind that there are also many other companies.
Phones
Most landlines in Italy are supplied by Telecom Italia and arranging connection is simply a case of calling their customer service centre on 187 or applying via their website. You’ll need to prove your identity and give your tax code to set up your service and the company will then send an engineer out to your home to connect a landline service. Telecom Italia also provide Internet services, if required. Infostrada and Fastweb also provide landline telephone services in Italy and popular mobile providers include Telecom Italia Mobile, Vodafone and Wind.
General
Paying your utility bills is generally just a case of making payment via your local post office, once a bill has been received or arranging for direct debits from your bank account. You can expect meter readings to take place around once or twice a year, but you’ll receive estimated bills every two months and these will then be adjusted to reflect the correct use once a meter reading has taken place.
Some points to note about Italian utilities include:
– transferring utility accounts from the previous property owner to yourself is the easiest way to handle these accounts, rather than setting up new accounts. Ask the previous owner not to cancel the utility accounts but arrange for transfer to you instead
– when accounts are transferred, take time before you move into your new home to look at the most recent utility bills and check the meters to make sure there will be no unexpected charges after you have taken possession of your property
– if you’re moving into a newly constructed home you will need to set up accounts for all your utilities.
