{"id":1444,"date":"2013-07-09T17:47:46","date_gmt":"2013-07-09T15:47:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rickzullo.com\/?p=1444"},"modified":"2021-11-12T21:54:58","modified_gmt":"2021-11-12T20:54:58","slug":"apartment-rentals-in-rome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/apartment-rentals-in-rome\/","title":{"rendered":"Apartment Rentals in Rome"},"content":{"rendered":"

I recently met a nice couple online who have a website called \u201cWanderlust Marriage.\u201d \u00a0(They have a great story to share, and you can read it on their About Page<\/a>.) \u00a0Anyway, they asked me to contribute to a recent post on long-term rentals in Europe and I thought that some readers of my blog would benefit from this information, too.\u00a0 I\u2019ve expanded my original article for apartment rentals in Rome below and have placed a link to the original post at the bottom of this page.\u00a0 Happy Hunting!<\/p>\n

Renting an Apartment in Rome<\/h2>\n
\"apartment
Most signs offer more information than this.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So you\u2019ve arrived in Italy and now you\u2019re ready to start enjoying la dolce vita<\/i>.\u00a0 Great, but first you\u2019ll need to find a place to stay.\u00a0 Like anywhere else in the world, there are many ways to accomplish this: newspaper ads, websites, word of mouth, or else just walking around a neighborhood and looking for the signs that say, \u201cAffittasi<\/i>.\u201d\u00a0 It stands to reason that you should explore all of these resources.<\/p>\n

If you do not feel confident tackling this process on your own, there are people who are more than willing to help you.\u00a0 However, their service comes with a hefty fee.\u00a0 A broker will happily do all of your legwork and find you the perfect place to live, but it will cost you an additional one month\u2019s rent.\u00a0 Sometimes you can negotiate on this a bit, but still, it\u2019s a big expense and really not necessary.<\/p>\n

Speaking of the rent, how much will it cost?\u00a0 Rome is a large city, so it\u2019s going to be more expensive than a smaller town.\u00a0 And like all cities, the cost of rent is relative to the size, condition, and location of the property. \u00a0If you choose to search for a studio apartment or a (very) small one-bedroom by yourself, you\u2019ll likely pay 900-1100 Euros a month, including utilities.\u00a0 If you find a flatmate to share an average two-bedroom place, you\u2019ll reduce your cost to 650-750 a month.\u00a0 Sharing a bedroom would be cheaper still, of course.\u00a0 I should mention that these figures assume you will\u00a0not<\/i>\u00a0be living in very middle of the historic district where prices are much higher, but still within easy reach by public transportation.<\/p>\n

You should also know that most apartments in Italy come completely furnished, including everything that you\u2019d need in the kitchen.\u00a0 This is standard, but of course always ask to make sure.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Apartment Contracts<\/h2>\n

On the topic of legal agreements, you\u2019ll find a lot of variety.\u00a0 It can be a formal written agreement which is signed by both parties and registered with the commune<\/i> (county).\u00a0 This so called \u201c4+4\u201d is the standard apartment lease.\u00a0 It means that you agree to rent the apartment for four years with an option for another four.\u00a0 It does not<\/i> mean that you can\u2019t break the lease.\u00a0 You can, but you must give at least two months formal notice and then file another legal document to inform the government that the agreement has been terminated.\u00a0 The laws in Italy are heavily skewed in favor of the tenant; they are in place to ensure that a family isn\u2019t suddenly (and illegally) evicted just because the landlord decided to give the apartment to his nephew or to a higher-paying tenant.\u00a0 Which is good for families wanting to stay put, but maybe not ideal for the traveler or expat whose timeframe is uncertain and desires some flexibility.<\/p>\n

The other extreme is simply the good old handshake agreement and there are plenty of these opportunities around.\u00a0 The downside here is that you really have no legal rights if the landlord decides to disregard your agreement.\u00a0 However, since it is the landlord that would be in the bigger legal mess (tax evasion, among other things) if you decided to report him, it is in their interest to maintain a good relationship with you as their tenant.\u00a0 In theory.<\/p>\n

Once again, between these two extremes of transparency and obscurity lurks every hazy shade of gray.\u00a0 In general, landlords\u2014the ones that actually own the property\u2014will be pretty straight with you, if only because it is in their interest to do so.\u00a0 Still, there are dishonest people out there and you just have to trust your instincts.<\/p>\n

How to Search for a Place<\/h2>\n

First know that unless you\u2019re working with an agent\/broker, you won\u2019t likely be able to secure housing until you\u2019ve actually arrived in the city where you want to live. \u00a0As a general rule, Italians do business face to face and would never consider renting to somebody that they haven\u2019t met in person.\u00a0 However, if you want to start your search in advance, you might begin with an expat group in that city.\u00a0 For example, here in Rome there is the group called Expats Living in Rome<\/a> which often lists available apartments and rooms on their message board.\u00a0 Every major Italian city has such groups, but you might not find them in the smaller towns.<\/p>\n

Of course there are several online resources to check.\u00a0 Craigslist<\/a> is worth a quick look, but it hasn\u2019t fully caught on yet in Italy.\u00a0 Also try, Wanted in Rome<\/a>, Wanted in Milan<\/a>, and Wanted in Europe<\/a>, which are good resources for both apartments and jobs.\u00a0 If you just want a room and NOT a full apartment, try Easy Stanza<\/a> which lists all types of options in all areas.<\/p>\n

The place that most Romans go to look for housing (if they don\u2019t have a family\/friend connection) is Porta Portese<\/a>.\u00a0 This is a local newspaper that comes out twice a week\u2014Tuesdays and Fridays\u2014and can be purchased at any newsstand.\u00a0 It lists hundreds of apartments for rent in Rome and it is organized by neighborhood, which makes it very easy to search.\u00a0 Further, on their website you can filter your choices by price and you can also use the integrated map feature to help you find a location if you\u2019re not yet familiar with the city.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the newspaper and the website are only in Italian, but once you learn a few key words, this hardly matters.<\/p>\n

\"rental<\/a>
The view from our balcony<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another good website is Idealista.\u00a0 It has fewer listing, but they are usually of good quality.\u00a0 Again, it\u2019s only in Italian. \u00a0You can also check Solocase and Subito<\/a> (Make sure that you highlight the button \u201cin affitto<\/i>,\u201d for rent, and not \u201cin vendita<\/i>,\u201d for sale.)<\/p>\n

Benvenuti!<\/h2>\n

Italy is known for its deep history, beautiful landscapes, and incredible food.\u00a0 But it\u2019s also known for its inefficient business practices and securing a place to live in no exception.\u00a0 Reward comes to those who are persistent and patient.\u00a0 You must follow up on leads and sometimes even chase down the people who you want to give money to for an apartment.\u00a0 Once you conquer this frustrating task, however, you\u2019ll be living in one of the most culturally rich places on Earth.\u00a0 It will all be worth it in the end.<\/p>\n

You can find the original article entitled, \u201cRenting Tips for Europe<\/a>,\u201d on Alex and Bell\u2019s website, Wanderlust Marriage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I recently met a nice couple online who have a website called \u201cWanderlust Marriage.\u201d \u00a0(They have a great story to share, and you can read it on their About Page.) \u00a0Anyway, they asked me to contribute to a recent post on long-term rentals in Europe and I thought that some readers of my blog would […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1447,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,124],"tags":[16,52,15,14,13],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1444"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1444"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1444\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}