We have inherited a 4 bed large house

10/18/2019 - 10:48

We have inherited a 4 bed large house in San Giorgio a Liri in Italy. We live in UK. We have the house on the market to sell and it has been 6 months no offers. The house is vacant but will there be any taxes, bills to be paid? Heating is turned off etc. Also, is the property market very slow in Italy? Thank you!

Topic

Selling

Comment

House tax likely, yes. The market is very slow in most places and getting it to market at the right price is essential. Might be worth getting in touch with the comune regards the house tax. Has anyone been resident there since Jaunary?

Thank you! No one has been in the house since June 2015 as my father in law became terminally ill and he sadly died in 2017 (he was born in Italy but moved to UK in 1970’s) but inherited the house in Italy from his parents so we used it as a holiday home. So no one has stayed in the house since 2015 with all electricity, water etc not used.

If it is classed as your second home it could be racking up quite a tax bill over the years, the level of tax varies from comune to comune. In addition ENEL may well be owed a sum for providing the lecky. The house will sell if the price is right. Good luck Billy

Hi billy, thank you. Do you mean a tax bill in England?

If no-one is registered as being residente and the owners are registered as living elsewhere, then there will be local tax charges from the comune who don't seem that good at tracking down. Property market in Italy generally slow outside strong areas as second home taxes have increased and Italians are often looking to get rid of second homes.

Thank you so much this is very helpful.

IMU - council tax and TARI rubbish tax will be payable even if the house is empty. Water will be payable unless the meters have been sealed. Presumbaly you have done the succession of ownership after your father in laws death, in which case the property will be in your name and you should be paying the bills. If you havent done the succession you cant sell the house, so you need to get on to it.

Hi, yes we have done the succession. It’s a bit more complicated because my father in law inherited it along with his sibling. He had already paid over half to buy her out and was in the process of transferring to my husband and my sister in law in 2015 before he got his terminal illness diagnosis. Then 6 months later when he had his brain tumour and health was in such a rapid decline my husband and sister in law could not carry on with the transfer to them. So nothing was done. Now on paper my husbands aunt owns half and him and his sister 25% each, but there will only be less than 20% to pay his aunt when it sells. It’s all so complicated and a bit of an elephant in a room

Italian tax as Modicasa says. Circumstances sound complicted. But you'll get it sorted.

In which case the taxes are payable in quota of the ownership. Except the water which is due in the name of the person on the contract.

You probably have done this already but, just in case :Try visiting real estate websites such as immobiliare.it or casa.it and check on prices of similar properties to yours (in neighboring towns, same sq.m, same amount fo rooms, etc...).Keep in mind that the market value here is all over the place. People do not try to sell based on actual market value but they tend to price their properties based on emotional value or based on the work they did to the place, etc...This means that properties stay on the market for a VERY long time. So, pricing is everything!Hope this will be of support :)

Thank you so much this helps! We had an offer today as we reduced the price. I will post a new post and hopefully can get some advice... thank you again. Super helpful!!

Great! happy to help! :)Hope the offer you received lead to a sale!!Take care,Liz

Do not forget to pay the TARI (refuse) tax...whether you live in Italy or not.

I have just sold my property in Italy. The buyer's want me to dispose of some large pieces of furniture as a condition of the sale. I have no idea who to ask or contact. Need two men with a van who are willing to lift and carry. I live in a village near Pescia, Northern Italy.Anyone have ideas ??

Hi Linda,You could try www.instapro.it , it's a great website through which you can detail your needs and who/what you are looking for and usually, professionals who are connected receive your request and contact you via call or or text (or any contact you gave via the website).We found our electrician and plumber through that site.You can also refer to a "trasloco" company to find movers close to you. Hope this will be of support :)

Some good suggestions from other posts. One thought is that if you pay a rubbish tax then the council might provide a service. Worth giving them a ring. In my part of Italy south of pisa, you ring up and are given a reference number to display and a collection date from the road. They will not enter the property as it is a single bloke in a truck with a lift arm. Different everywhere but worth a check.