One of the most intricate issues in the Italian system concerns house regulation.
It is not difficult, especially in southern Italy, to find a bargain, a cheap house in a nice place with a fantastic landscape, a historic center near well-known cities, or surrounded by nature.
Not all shine is gold, and on the other side, not all cheap houses are full of issues to face.
First advice: leverage the local house agent, who knows the area well, to get the house.
The second issue to meet is to check the certificates (building permit, date of building, energy certificates, etc.), all documents required by law for regular purchases.
How to buy a cheap property in Italy, pay attention to building permit
Pay attention, if your house hasn't had such documentation, it's unsure that you can retrieve or produce it.
For such instances, if your house doesn't have any building permits, you should check the construction date, it must be “before 1967,” a real watershed from what could be considered “regular” if before such a date, and what must comply with a building permit if one exists.
And if a building permit doesn't exist?
In such cases, there are many regularization options that “permit amnesty.”
One of these is “SCIA”.
Such practices must align with the municipal zoning plan, whether the one in force at the time of construction or the one in force at the time of the SCIA application process. It is the so-called “double conformity”.
The secondo one is "CILA"
A minor infraction, not regarding the building itself but concerning operations that have changed the original internal design, can be submitted to the "CILA".
How to buy a cheap property in Italy, pay attention to building permit
Let's take one piece of advice:
“Pay attention to the building permit when buying a cheap property in Italy”.
Both “Scia” and “Cila” and other regularization options must be submitted by Law 380/2001, Building Law, with the assistance of an engineer (or equivalent).
Our goal is to keep you aware of the related issues that must be considered in the preliminary contract BEFORE the acquisition, especially to strike a good bargain at a low price.
For any queries regarding contracting, don't hesitate to contact us.
Law Firm Angelini Lucarelli
Attorney Aldo Lucarelli