There are a number of ways of finding a property to rent, including the following:
- Ask your friends, relatives and acquaintances to help spread the word, particularly if you’re looking in the area where you already live. A lot of rental properties are found by word of mouth, particularly in major cities, where it’s almost impossible to find somewhere with a reasonable rent unless you have connections.
- Check online platforms for housing in the city you move to
- Check the small advertisements in local newspapers and magazines (see below).
- Look for properties with a ‘to rent’ sign (affittasi or da affitare) in the window.
- Visit accommodation and letting agents. Most cities and large towns have estate agents ( agenzie immobiliari) who also act as letting agents for owners. Look under Agenzie Immobiliare in the yellow pages. It’s often better to deal with an agent than directly with owners, particularly with regard to contracts and legal matters.
- Look for advertisements in shop windows and on bulletin boards in shopping centres, supermarkets, universities and colleges, and company offices.
- Check newsletters published by churches, clubs and expatriate organisations, and their notice boards.
It is not easy to find the right apartment that ticks all the check boxes right away. You can also view rental advertisements on the Internet, and all major newspapers have websites. Other sources include expatriate publications published in major cities such as Wanted in Rome and small newspapers such as Porta Portese(Wednesdays and Saturdays) in Rome,La Pulce(Florence) and Secondamano (Milan) – there are equivalents in most cities. Some estate agents also provide apartment listings in their real estate magazines, such as Solo Casa in Rome.
You must be available to inspect properties immediately or at any time. Even if you start phoning at the crack of dawn, you’re still likely to find a queue when you arrive to view a property in Rome or Milan.
Finding a property to rent in Rome is similar to the situation in other capital cities in Europe, where the best properties are usually found through personal contacts. The worst time to look is during September and October when Italians return from their summer holidays and students are looking for accommodation.
If all the above sounds too stressful there is always the option to rent a furnished apartment through a trusted platform, for example Spotahome , either for the full time of your stay or to actually get you going when moving to Italy. From there you have time to look for a longer term accommodation without any stress.
This article is an extract from Living and Working in Italy from Survival Books.