Italian property glossary

The 48 Italian words that decide your purchase — in plain English, from the checklist our analysis engine uses.

Compromesso

Everyday name for the contratto preliminare: the binding preliminary sale contract. Despite the casual name, signing it commits you to the purchase — with your deposit at stake.

Contratto preliminare

The formal name of the preliminary contract (art. 1351 c.c.). Fixes price, property, conditions and the deadline for the final deed. Fully binding on both parties.

Proposta d'acquisto

The purchase proposal — the first document you sign. Once the seller accepts, many proposal forms already bind you like a preliminary contract. Never treat it as casual paperwork.

Rogito

The final deed of sale, signed before a notary, which actually transfers ownership. Read aloud in full at the closing appointment.

Notaio

The notary: an impartial public official who validates the deed, runs the legal checks and registers the transfer. By custom chosen and paid by the buyer.

Caparra confirmatoria

The standard Italian deposit (art. 1385 c.c.). If the buyer backs out, the seller keeps it all; if the seller backs out, they owe double. No cooling-off period.

Caparra penitenziale

A rarer deposit type (art. 1386 c.c.): the agreed price of walking away. Either party can exit by forfeiting it, with no further claims.

Acconto

A simple advance on the price with no penalty function. If the deal collapses, in principle it must be returned.

Condizione sospensiva

A suspensive condition: makes the contract effective only if an event happens — classically, mortgage approval. The single most important protection for a financed buyer.

Visura catastale

The extract from the cadastre: identifies the property, its category, size, notional income and registered owners. Not proof of ownership and silent about debts.

Visura ipotecaria

The extract from the property registers showing mortgages, foreclosures, judicial claims and transfers. This is where financial surprises live — always check it.

Catasto

Italy's cadastre — the national property database run by the Agenzia delle Entrate, used mainly for identification and taxation.

Foglio / Particella / Subalterno

The three coordinates that identify a property in the cadastre (sheet / parcel / sub-unit). They must match between contract, visura and floor plan.

Rendita catastale

The property's notional cadastral income: the base for several taxes, including purchase tax under the prezzo-valore rule.

Categoria catastale

The cadastral classification (A/2 civil home, A/3 economic home, C/6 garage, etc.). Luxury categories A/1, A/8, A/9 lose the prima casa benefits.

Planimetria

The official floor plan filed with the cadastre. Since 2010 the deed must declare the property matches it — unregistered changes must be fixed before closing.

Ipoteca

A mortgage registered against the property. It follows the property, not the debtor — which is why the visura ipotecaria matters.

Pignoramento

A foreclosure/seizure registered against the property. A serious red flag that must be resolved (or handled through a judicial sale) before you buy.

Trascrizione

Registration of an act in the public property registers, making it effective against third parties. A preliminary contract can be registered too (art. 2645-bis c.c.) for extra protection.

Condono edilizio

An extraordinary building amnesty (laws of 1985, 1994, 2003) to legalize unpermitted works. A granted condono is history; a still-pending one is inherited uncertainty.

Sanatoria

The ordinary procedure to regularize works that could have been permitted all along. Simplified in part by the 2024 'Salva Casa' decree.

Abuso edilizio

Building work done without (or against) a permit. Can affect the deed's validity, mortgages and future works — get specifics, not reassurances.

Agibilità

The certificate declaring the building fit for use (habitability). Its absence is common in older stock but should be understood, not shrugged off.

APE

The energy performance certificate, mandatory in every sale, ranking the property from A4 to G. Valid ten years; the seller must provide it.

Conformità urbanistica

Consistency between the building and its permits. Together with cadastral conformity, one of the two compliance checks every purchase needs.

Difformità

A mismatch between the actual property and its permits or cadastral records — from a moved wall to an illegal extension. Someone must pay to fix it: make sure it's not you.

Geometra

A licensed surveyor/technician — the professional who typically verifies compliance, files cadastral updates and handles sanatorie.

Perizia

The expert's appraisal. In judicial auctions, the court expert's report on the property — occupancy, violations, arrears — and the single most important document to read before bidding.

Asta giudiziaria

A court-ordered property auction (foreclosures, bankruptcies). Real discounts, no seller guarantees: the perizia is your only due diligence.

Prezzo base

The starting price of a judicial auction, set from the court appraisal. It typically drops 20-25% with each round that receives no bids.

Provenienza

How the seller acquired the property (purchase, inheritance, donation). The notary checks the chain of title, and gifts or recent inheritances in it deserve specific questions.

Donazione

A gift. Donated provenance used to be a serious risk for buyers; the L. 182/2025 reform (in force 18 December 2025) removed the heirs' action to recover the property from a third party who bought it for value. Still worth a check with the notary, and some banks remain cautious in practice.

Successione

Inheritance. Recently inherited property deserves similar caution to donated property: verify all heirs consented and reserved shares are respected.

Azione di riduzione

The action heirs can bring against gifts that damaged their reserved inheritance share (artt. 555-564 c.c.). Since the L. 182/2025 reform it gives them a monetary claim against the donee, not the right to take the property back from a buyer who paid for it.

Usufrutto

A life right to use and enjoy a property owned by someone else. If an elderly parent holds usufrutto, you're buying only the bare ownership — very different value.

Nuda proprietà

Bare ownership: the property minus the usufrutto. Full ownership recombines only when the usufruct ends (typically at the holder's death).

Prelazione

A pre-emption right: someone else's legal right to buy before you at equal conditions — agricultural neighbours, the State for listed buildings, sometimes sitting tenants.

Servitù

An easement burdening the property (rights of way, pipes, views). 'Apparent and non-apparent easements' in a contract deserve a specific question: which ones, exactly?

Spese condominiali

Condominium fees. Unpaid arrears follow the apartment: the buyer can be liable for the current and previous year. Always request the administrator's statement.

Prima casa

Italy's first-home tax regime: substantially reduced purchase taxes in exchange for serious commitments, chiefly taking residence in the municipality within a strict deadline.

Prezzo-valore

The rule letting individual buyers of homes be taxed on the (lower) cadastral value instead of the price. Usually advantageous — ask the notary to apply it.

Codice fiscale

The Italian tax code. Every buyer needs one to sign the deed — free, from a consulate or the Agenzia delle Entrate.

Procura

A power of attorney: lets someone sign in your name, e.g. to close the purchase without flying to Italy. Make it special (one act, one property, capped price), never general.

Apostille

The Hague Convention certification that makes a foreign notarized document (like a procura) valid in Italy, together with a certified translation.

Mediatore / Agenzia

The estate agent. Commission (typically 3-4% + VAT, from each side) is due when the deal is concluded — clauses making it due earlier and non-refundable are worth challenging.

Deposito prezzo

Price escrow: the notary holds the purchase money until pending issues (mortgage cancellations, arrears) are resolved. Ask for it whenever something is unresolved at closing.

Vizi occulti

Hidden defects. The seller answers for them within legal limits (artt. 1490-1495 c.c.) — but auction sales and 'as seen' clauses change the picture. Short deadlines apply.

Assegno circolare

A cashier's check — the standard instrument for paying the balance at the deed. Your Italian bank arrangements should be ready days before the rogito.