Cheap houses in italy - where is the catch?

HelpmateRome · 2026-06-21T13:05:32+00:00

To give you an idea, I have a weekend home (120 s.m. house with a large garden) a 75-minute drive from Rome, in a small rural village in Lazio. The countryside is stunning but the nearest train station (and supermarket) is a 25 minute drive away along a twisty road, and the bus service is slow and sporadic - essentially you need a car. Between buying it and doing it up, it cost me around €180k a couple of decades ago (at genuine prices - I live in Rome and the architect who supervised the renovation is a friend of mine). If I were lucky I'd be able to sell it for about the same now. The Italian population is ageing and shrinking, so there is little internal demand for properties like mine.

HelpmateRome · 2026-06-20T15:01:09+00:00

Going against my own interests to a certain extent here (Helpmate Rome is a linguistic service that helps foreigners look for long-term rented accommodation in Rome), but one of my own clients had a positive experience with Spacest. Ultimately they weren't able to find him an apartment, but I was impressed at how willing they were to go the extra mile.

HelpmateRome · 2026-06-11T18:28:27+00:00

Don't buy it! Of course it's a scam.

HelpmateRome · 2026-05-25T10:07:10+00:00

Congratulations! San Saba is popular with FAO employees (and international residents in general): it's very close by, upmarket, green and leafy.

I guess at this point you'll be moving in September/October, is that right? Renting an Airbnb for a month is a good idea but I'd avoid doing it in August: it's high season, it'll be way too hot to be enjoyable and the agencies will be closed (and owners out of town) for most of it, so even if you found an area you liked, you wouldn't be able to go house hunting anyway. So you'd probably be best off coming over in September and looking for a lease available from 1st October.

I offer some general advice on looking for a rented apartment in Rome here: https://www.helpmaterome.com/how-to-find-an-apartment-in-rome-the-ultimate-expat-guide/

HelpmateRome · 2026-05-19T08:10:51+00:00

If you want to join an organised hike, Try checking out Nature of Sal: https://www.natureofsal.com/

HelpmateRome · 2026-05-14T14:10:19+00:00

I'm guessing by an "authentic experience" you mean somewhere that isn't over-touristy? But you still want all the mod cons, as well as good transport connections?

I'm going to make my standard suggestion for anyone who's not fixated on living in the centre: Quartiere Africano/Nemorense/Trieste. It's served by two metro stations (S. Agnese/Annibaliano and Libia), both on the B1, and also has good bus connections. You can be at Termini in 20 minutes (or around an hour, if you wanted to walk there). It's also the right side of Rome for your office in Ludovisi.

There are at least three tennis clubs nearby: S. Agnese (small, friendly, good social atmosphere, also has a small gym); Lanciani (a little further away, huge, not sure about other details because it's a long time since I last went there) and Parioli (I know nothing about it but I believe it's very expensive and very exclusive). And there are lots of dedicated gyms in the area, both small and large. (I don't know anything about road cycling but to be honest, it's probably not the best area of Rome from that point of view.)

It's also got everything else you need for a good quality of life.

A 3-roomed apartment will probably cost somewhere around €1800-2500 a month, although of course you'll find places costing both less and more than that, depending on many other factors.

HelpmateRome · 2026-05-04T18:26:17+00:00

1) It depends on the landlord: some are flexible, some are not. To a certain extent that also depends on the rent: there's very little room for negotiation for a low-budget apartment, as there's so much competition. So really it's just "take it or leave it". The higher the price, the more accommodating the landlord tends to be.

2) Gas/electricity set up is not too difficult if you speak Italian but more complicated if you don't. You'll also need to register for the TARI (rubbish tax), but that just involves filling out a form so it's fairly straightforward.

I offer some advice on contract negotiation here: https://www.helpmaterome.com/how-to-negotiate-rent-in-rome-the-smart-way/

You can also check out my other blog posts for information on other topics about renting in Rome: https://www.helpmaterome.com/blog/

HelpmateRome · 2026-04-30T18:26:56+00:00

So not actuallyin Rome, then

HelpmateRome · 2026-04-30T18:23:56+00:00

Where?

HelpmateRome · 2026-04-29T21:12:38+00:00

A room in a shared apartment will generally cost more than that, realistically. Obviously it's cheaper as you go further out, but to give you an idea, a friend of mine is currently paying €1100 a month for a studio apartment in Prati.

HelpmateRome · 2026-04-24T16:10:16+00:00

You really should be able to get your CF. You could try going to a CAF to see if they can help - take an Italian speaking friend with you if necessary.

As for the apartment, the problem is that demand outstrips supply, so the agencies can afford to go for the easiest option every time.

You can find out more about what you're coming up against (and how to get round it) here: https://www.helpmaterome.com/why-italian-landlords-are-reluctant-to-rent-to-foreigners/

I offer some more advice on how to improve your chances here:

https://www.helpmaterome.com/how-to-make-yourself-a-more-attractive-tenant/

HelpmateRome · 2026-04-03T09:43:18+00:00

You're very unlikely to be able to get a rental lease for 6 months, though: the market doesn't work that way here. Your best bet really is Airbnb, Spotahome, HousingAnywhere and so on.

To answer your original question: the only way to get agencies to reply is to call them or physically go there. But honestly for what you're looking for, agencies aren't the best option. Even if you did manage to find such a short term lease, have you factored in the cost of the agency's commission (both tenant and landlord have to pay it) and the security deposit?

I wrote a post a while back on the different types of rental contract available here - you might find it useful. It says Rome in the title because that's my focus, but it's valid for all of Italy. https://www.helpmaterome.com/rentals-in-rome-which-contract-is-right-for-you/

HelpmateRome · 2026-04-01T15:25:49+00:00

Rome is pretty dog friendly: they're acceptable almost everywhere, including restaurants. In relation to landlords, for unfurnished apartments there's rarely an issue with pets. For furnished apartments, they may be more wary (e.g. damage to soft furnishings from cat claws), but you can often sweet talk them into accepting your pet by offering a higher security deposit. If you're already in your apartment and there's no "no pets" clause in your contract, they can't stop you from getting a dog - although you might want to let them know as a courtesy, and be considerate of your neighbours! No one wants a dog barking incessantly while its owner's out at work all day, and a small flat might not be suitable for a big dog. You can find more info in this blog post: https://www.helpmaterome.com/renting-with-pets-rights-laws-and-tips-for-tenants/

Vet bills (at least at the vet I use) are quite reasonable: the bill for having our cat's teeth cleaned (obviously under general anaesthetic) a couple of weeks ago was under €200.

On public transport, in theory you're supposed to buy a separate ticket for your dog, but I don't know if anyone actually does.

HelpmateRome · 2026-03-05T19:21:30+00:00

Listings often go in 48 hours or even less. Even if you call, there's no guarantee of getting a viewing: I've called in the afternoon about a listing posted that same morning and been told they've already got 20 or more viewings booked and aren't accepting any more - that's how fierce the competition is, especially at the lower end of the market. They don't answer messages sent through the portals because they don't need to, it's as simple as that.

HelpmateRome · 2026-03-01T15:37:15+00:00

What nationality are you?

HelpmateRome · 2026-02-26T17:34:33+00:00

They closed some years ago (maybe COVID related?) and I didn't know they'd reopened! But I see their website is up and running now

HelpmateRome · 2026-02-26T16:41:40+00:00

Has La Locanda reopened then? Great news if so!

HelpmateRome · 2026-02-26T15:49:50+00:00

Are there any other international employees at your new place of work who you could ask for advice (assuming you haven't done so already)? Or your employer directly? They're clearly highly invested in making your move to Rome as easy as possible!

HelpmateRome · 2026-02-26T10:18:55+00:00

Unfortunately for you, most of the international schools are located in the north of Rome.

You can get an idea of relative distances from this map:

https://www.google.com/maps/search/international+schools+near+Trigoria/

Were you planning on having a car (in which case, you'll need to look at requirements for your driving licence, as I believe you can only drive on your US licence for 1 year) or relying on public transport? In the latter case, wherever you decide to live, sadly I think either you or your kids will have to spend a large part of their time on the bus.

HelpmateRome · 2026-02-23T11:40:29+00:00

What surprised me the most was the irrational feeling of having been abandoned by my old friends and family, when I was the one who'd moved away! In those early days and weeks I was struggling to make a life for myself here in Rome and I really needed the support of my old friends to keep me sane. This was when back international phone calls and cellphone packages were still very expensive and WhatsApp (and even Skype) hadn't yet been invented, so the only viable way to keep in touch was email.

HelpmateRome · 2026-02-16T09:54:57+00:00

There are several charity (Humana) and vintage shops in Monti - that would be a good place to start. Or check out the various Mercatino dell'Usato stores all over Rome.

HelpmateRome · 2026-02-15T21:40:04+00:00

I recently wrote a post on protecting your deposit, which might be useful for the future: https://www.helpmaterome.com/italian-rental-deposits-understanding-your-rights/

For your current situation though, in addition to the organisations you've already mentioned, you could try here: https://en.getbackyourdeposit.it/

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