Property risk checks
Trust the Florence purchase after verification.
English fluency, a polished listing, or a familiar logo is not enough. Verify the person, firm, fees, property records, building, condominium, payment path, and independent team.
Mediator verification
A trustworthy introduction begins with an official record.
Florence’s Chamber of Commerce states that real-estate mediation activity requires professional qualifications, a SCIA filing into the Business Register/REA, and professional liability insurance. Verify the individual actually acting—not only the storefront or portal account.
- Identify the person and firm
Ask for the mediator’s Chamber identification card, exact legal entity name, VAT number, REA number, office, and authority to act.
- Order the visura
Use the official Registro Imprese service; match active mediation activity, status, offices, representatives, and history to the proposal and invoice.
- Verify insurance
Request insurer, policy, insured legal person, period, limit, and activity. A 2025/26 Chamber review notice cites minimum cover of €260,000 for an individual enterprise, €520,000 for a partnership, and €1.55 million for a capital company; confirm the current requirement and actual policy.
- Put economics in writing
Commission, VAT, trigger, exclusivity, expenses, withdrawal, dual-side payment, referral fees, conflicts, services, documents, and complaints process.
- Verify payments independently
Never wire to a personal account merely because an email says so. Confirm legal payee, account ownership, invoice, purpose, bank details, and any change through a trusted second channel.
Official sources: Florence Chamber mediation requirements and review notice; official visura service.
Professional roles
The notary, technician, lawyer, and agent do different work.
| Role | What they usually do | What not to assume |
|---|---|---|
| Notary | Acts as an impartial public official; checks identity, legal title, the deed, taxes, and formal filings | That the notary is the buyer’s advocate or inspects the property and planning history |
| Architect, engineer, or geometra | Checks the home as it exists against planning, building, and cadastral records; may also inspect systems or structure if hired to do so | That the selling agent’s plan or a matching cadastral plan proves municipal legality |
| Buyer’s lawyer | Advises on the contract, conditions, remedies, disputes, powers, ownership, and other legal questions the buyer assigns | That every purchase needs the same work or that the notary replaces personal legal advice |
| Tax advisers | Explain Italian purchase and ownership taxes plus U.S. reporting and estate questions | That advice about one country answers questions about the other |
| Mediator | Introduces the parties and supports the transaction within the agreed role | That the mediator is independent of both sides or acts as a valuer, lawyer, technician, or notary |
Role source: Italian Notariat foreign-party services and real-estate checklist. Confirm every professional’s work, credentials, conflicts, fees, and reporting line.
The property record
Reconcile the home you see with the home the authorities recognize.
- Ownership and encumbrancesChain of title, seller authority, mortgages, liens, seizures, easements, options, rights of first refusal, occupancy, leases, and pending releases.
- Municipal planning historyOriginal and later permissions, plans, changes of use, amnesties/condoni, completion and occupancy/agibilità records, protected-building or landscape permissions.
- Cadastral recordPlan, identifiers, category, class, income, boundaries, accessory units, floor, and match to the deed and actual state.
- Actual conditionIndependently measured layout, walls, doors, mezzanines, terraces, windows, systems, cellar, parking, annexes, structure, moisture, and defects.
- Energy and systemsAPE identity and SIERT record, heating, cooling, electrical, gas, plumbing, flues, maintenance, declarations, meters, and upgrade feasibility.
- Hazard and insuranceFlood/hydrogeological map, drainage, prior claims, ground-floor/cellar exposure, roof, slope/retaining walls, policy terms, and uninsurable conditions.
A cadastral plan can match the physical home while the municipal authorization file does not. Require an independent technical report that traces the authoritative building history and explains discrepancies, correction path, cost, timing, and closing condition.
Official records: Comune di Firenze building-practice consultation; Tuscany APE guidance and SIERT; Florence landscape authorization.
The condominium
Buy the common obligations with the private rooms.
Rules and shares
Regulation, millesimal tables, exclusive/common spaces, use limits, pets, works, short lets, facade, courtyard, roof, lift, cellar, parking.
Money
Current and prior budgets, statements, owner arrears, vendor debts, reserves, heating allocation, expected increases, and seller/buyer apportionment.
Decisions
Recent minutes and notices for approved, proposed, disputed, or deferred roof, facade, structure, lift, energy, systems, drainage, and legal work.
Claims and contracts
Litigation, insurance, water ingress, defects, administrator, service contracts, employees, energy contracts, warranties, and expert reports.
Have the notary, lawyer, technician, and condominium administrator answer the questions within their roles. A seller’s statement about “no works planned” is not the same as minutes, budgets, tenders, or a technical inspection.
Before proposal or deposit
Put the property checks in writing before you commit.
- Document deliveryList every title, planning, cadastral, condominium, energy, system, occupancy, identity, tax, and authority document with a deadline.
- Independent reviewAllow enough access and time for notarial, legal, technical, financing, tax, insurance, and translation review before commitment or release.
- Conditions and remediesClearly state the financing, property-review, correction, release, vacant-possession, approval, and document conditions, along with refund and default terms.
- Type of depositUnderstand whether the payment is a caparra, advance, amount held for the parties, or another kind of payment; confirm who holds it and when it may move.
- When commission is dueDo not assume the agent is paid only at the deed. Read the signed mediation terms and what happens if conditions fail or a dispute arises.
- Language and wire safetyUnderstand the controlling text, translation, payee, bank, IBAN, verification method, proof of payment, and process for changed instructions.
Read before signing: Italian Notariat purchase and sale and buyer checklist. Contract wording and remedies require advice on the actual document.
Intended use
Verify rental legality before underwriting income.
Florence’s short-tourist-rental rules took effect in 2025 and remained subject to legal and administrative developments in 2026. Check national, regional, municipal, condominium, planning, safety, tax, CIR/CIN, platform, and insurance rules for the exact property at the time of purchase. Do not buy on an assumed Airbnb permission or yield.
Official starting points: Comune di Firenze tourist-rental information, regulation, and May 2026 update.
Reasons to pause
Red flags do not always end a purchase—but they stop the clock.
Identity mismatch
Name, firm, VAT, REA, invoice, account, card, listing, or authority does not align.
Urgency before papers
Pressure to sign or wire before notarial and technical access, translation, or conditions.
Personal-account payment
Deposit or commission requested to an individual or newly changed account without independent verification.
“Cadastral is enough”
Resistance to a full municipal building history or an independent comparison with the home as it exists.
Missing condominium file
No minutes, arrears statement, budgets, records of planned work, administrator contact, or insurance.
Guaranteed outcome
Promises of visa, tax relief, appreciation, rental legality or income, mortgage approval, correction, or closing.
Property-check FAQ
Verify first, then decide whom to trust.
How do I verify a Florence agent?
Match the individual’s Chamber card to the agency legal entity, VAT and REA; order the official visura; verify active mediation, insurance, authority, fees, conflicts, and bank details.
Does the notary represent me?
The notary is an impartial public official, not the buyer’s personal advocate. Hire a separate lawyer or technical professional if the property or contract calls for one.
Does a correct cadastral plan prove legality?
No. Ask a qualified independent technician to compare the home as it exists with both cadastral and municipal planning and building records.
Which condominium papers matter?
Rules, shares, recent minutes, budgets, accounts, arrears, litigation, insurance, contracts, technical reports, and decisions about major work.
About this checklist
This checklist is general educational information, not legal, notarial, brokerage, valuation, tax, engineering, surveying, energy, insurance, lending, or fraud-prevention advice. It cannot confirm title, compliance, condition, licensing, or transaction safety. Independently qualified professionals must review the actual parties, property, documents, payments, and contract.
Make every “trust me” produce a document.
NOTICE coordinates your purchase priorities and work with independent professionals without brokering, valuing, inspecting, or giving regulated advice.
Plan a Florence purchase ↗