Renting a home in Italy
The lease is the document everything else hangs on: without a registered contract you cannot register residency at that address — and residency is the gateway to the whole journey. Facts verified ; orientation, not legal advice.
The contract types (L. 431/1998)
| 4+4 (canone libero) | Min. 4 years, auto-renews +4; 6-month registered-letter notice; free-market rent |
| 3+2 (canone concordato) | Min. 3 years, +2 by right at first expiry; rent capped by local accords — often the cheaper deal |
| Transitorio | Up to 18 months for a documented temporary need; ends automatically, no notice |
| Student (6–36 months) | University towns; auto-renews for the same period unless the student cancels |
At the first expiry of a 4+4 or 3+2, the landlord can decline renewal only on listed grounds (own use, sale, major works…) with at least 6 months' notice by registered letter.
Registration: the non-negotiable
Every lease over 30 days a year must be registered with the Agenzia delle Entrate within 30 days of signing (the RLI online service). Costs in the ordinary regime: 2% of the annual rent (minimum €67 the first year) plus €16 stamp duty per copy — split 50/50 between landlord and tenant by law. If the landlord opts for the cedolare secca flat tax (21%, or 10% on concordato contracts in housing-shortage municipalities), registration and stamp taxes drop to zero — and your rent is frozen, with no ISTAT updates, for as long as the option lasts.
Why you should insist on it: an occupant without a registered title cannot register residency at the address or activate utilities in their own name (D.L. 47/2014, art. 5). Ask for the registration receipt.
Deposit and the non-EU notice
- The security deposit is capped at 3 months' rent and earns you legal interest, payable yearly (L. 392/1978, art. 11).
- If the tenant is non-EU: whoever houses or rents to a foreigner must notify the local public-security authority within 48 hours (TU art. 7; fines €500–3,500). Lease registration does not absorb this notice (D.L. 79/2012) — expect it, and keep a copy: the registered contract also feeds idoneità alloggiativa and visa accommodation files.
- Agency fees of roughly one month's rent are market custom, not law — get them in writing early. (No official source sets them.)
Sources
Primary, official sources this page is based on — each fetched and checked on 23 July 2026.
- Normattiva — L. 431/1998, artt. 2, 3, 5 (contratti di locazione abitativa)
- Normattiva — L. 392/1978, artt. 8 e 11 (spese di registrazione, deposito)
- Agenzia delle Entrate — Registrazione di un nuovo contratto (RLI)
- Agenzia delle Entrate — Cedolare secca (scheda informativa)
- Normattiva — TU 286/1998 art. 7 (comunicazione ospitalità stranieri) e D.L. 79/2012 art. 2
- Normattiva — D.L. 47/2014, art. 5 (titolo di occupazione, residenza e utenze)