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The documents of a home: which ones you need and where to request them.

A missing document can hold up a deed of sale, or a mortgage.

For each document: what it is for, where to request it, who prepares it. It is best to gather them before putting the home on the market.

Updated on .

A folder with four documents: provenance, land registry, municipality, energy.

Sellers

Which documents do you need to sell?

The notary asks for them for the rogito (the deed of sale signed before the notary), and the buyer’s bank for the mortgage. If something does not add up, it is better to know before the listing.

Compliance is checked by a technical expert (a geometra, that is a surveyor, an architect or an engineer): we tell you when it is needed.

  1. Deed of provenanceThe deed by which you bought, or the succession, or the gift. If you cannot find it, the notary who signed it can provide a copy.
  2. Cadastral record and floor planRequested from the land registry services of the Agenzia delle Entrate (the Italian Revenue Agency), online or in person. The floor plan must match the actual layout.
  3. Building permitsLicences, permits, records of works, any retrospective approvals (sanatorie): they are requested from the Comune (the municipality) with a request for access to records, usually through a technical expert.
  4. Energy performance certificate (APE)Prepared by a qualified technical expert. The energy class must already appear in the listing.
  5. Condominium documentsBuilding rules, service charges, approved works, the payment position: they are requested from the building manager.
  6. Building systems and mortgageThe certificates of compliance for the systems, if there are any; if there is a mortgage, the redemption statement from the bank.

Buyers

What should you check if you are buying?

An accepted offer binds you: the checks are made beforehand. Ask to see the documents in the list alongside, and have them looked at by someone who knows.

For the mortgage, prepare your own: identity document, payslips or tax return, bank statements. The bank will have the home valued.

  1. Does the home match its documents?Cadastral floor plan and building permits compared with what you see.
  2. Where does it come from?A recent gift, an inheritance, a mortgage charge: things to know beforehand, for the bank too.
  3. Is the condominium in order?The buyer is liable for unpaid charges for the current year and the year before: ask the building manager for the position.

Letting and renting

And for letting?

The landlord prepares the details of the home for the contract and its registration; the tenant, the documents showing they will be able to pay.

What to prepare if you are looking to rent

  1. Energy performance certificateIt is also needed for letting: the energy class must appear in the listing.
  2. Cadastral recordThe category and the cadastral income are needed for the contract and for the tax calculations.
  3. For the agreed rent (canone concordato)The contract drawn up with the assistance of the associations, or their certification.

In practice

How to prepare the documents, in four steps.

  1. 01 · Gather

    What you already have

    Deed of provenance, condominium documents, certificates for the building systems, any energy performance certificate.

  2. 02 · Request

    Cadastral record and floor plan

    From the land registry services of the Agenzia delle Entrate, online or in person.

  3. 03 · Check

    Compliance

    A technical expert compares the floor plan, the building permits held by the Comune and the actual state of the home.

  4. 04 · Put right

    Before publishing

    Cadastral updates or retrospective approvals are done before the listing, not on the eve of the deed of sale.

The first step is a conversation

Would you like a hand with the documents?

We go through them with you and tell you what is missing, what needs putting right and who can do it.

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