The post first appeared on Foreigner Relocation to Florence by Austin Raab.

The post Exercise first appeared on Foreigner Relocation to Florence by Austin Raab.

Renters Searching for Apartments

The post Apartment Exchange first appeared on Foreigner Relocation to Florence by Austin Raab.

Although anything is possible, waiting until you arrive in Florence to find an apartment is not a dependable strategy—particularly during Florence’s peak tourism season and the start of the university school year. Let’s discuss a better approach to improve your chances of finding an apartment.

Clarify your criteria, so you see relevant apartments

Although this might sound trite, the first step is to determine precisely the kind of apartment you are looking to rent. For example, how many bedrooms do you need, what is your budget, and how far are you willing to commute daily? Creating a list of criteria will ensure the properties the agent shows you are relevant. Incidentally, agencies operate more like shopfronts than treasure hunters. These agents only offer you the inventory of apartments for which they represent the landlord. Ideally, you would rent through one agency, but often you will want to see many rental options not listed with the same agency. We can also help you understand the types of real estate contracts, so you know what to look for and avoid.

Become a treasure hunter

Step two, be prepared to search for your real estate treasure yourself.

To do this, use Immobiliare.it or Idealista.it. Also, check the AFFITTO Casa / Stanze a Firenze AFFITTI and Foreigners in Florence Facebook pages. If you are looking for rooms for rent, then Facebook groups are your best bet. Idealista.it has a straightforward translation feature, but you can copy listings from Immobiliare.it into Google Translate and read the descriptions in your preferred language as well. 

Make Contact

Step three, once you find listings that suit your criteria, reach out to the agent through the message feature and call the agency. Many agents will not speak English, but occasionally you will be surprised. You can also try sending a Whatsapp or SMS message to the phone number listed on the website in Italian (translated through Google translate). If the apartment is unavailable, be sure to ask if they have any similar apartments available. Sometimes apartments are available, but the agency hasn’t listed them online. When you speak to the agent, give your pitch. Outline how long you want to rent, the number of rooms, how many people, etc. If you are looking for a short-term lease, be prepared to offer an incentive, such as advanced payments, if the landlord is unwilling to rent for a short-term contract.

If you are searching for apartments from abroad, then request a video tour of the apartment. Make sure to mention anything particularly important to you for the agent making the video ahead of time.

If this process sounds like a headache, we can step in to help. If you need to search across the market for available apartments for rent, and the agencies you’ve approached for help aren’t interested, we can take care of this for you. 

Prepare for the Contract

Step four, prepare your documents. Collect a digital copy of your passport, your visa to stay in Italy, proof of funds (bank statement, tax return, or paystubs), and written references from previous landlords. Remember that wire transfers from abroad often take up to a week. Therefore, iron out the payment details and check in with the agent ahead of time. 

Negotiate and slow down

Step five, negotiate. If the landlord requests a fideiussione bancaria, you can offer to make advanced payments or provide a larger security deposit. A fideiussione bancaria is a bank guarantee in which a tenant, in this case, deposits a certain amount of money into a bank account. Then that bank agrees to guarantee the tenant’s rent payments. The bank can draw from this account to make rent payments if the tenant fails to do so. Many banks refuse to do bank guarantees for foreigners or anyone without a long banking history with a particular bank.

Regarding the security deposit, the law states that the security deposit can only be a maximum of three months’ worth of rent. Still, during private negotiations, a landlord may adamantly request more than three months for the deposit. At this point, be prepared to slow things down. When people move to Florence and search for apartments, they don’t have time to review the contract. It is common for the contract to be thrust upon a potential tenant 24 hours before check-in. The new contract occasionally presents new contract terms inconsistent with the previously agreed-upon terms. Sometimes, a property owner will offer an early check-in as a genuinely generous accommodation. For example, a landlord may allow a tenant to enter an apartment early with several days rent-free. While free rent is good news to anybody who values money, beware that this will minimize the time to deliberate over the contract.

To be continued….

In part 2, we will discuss check-in and how to become established quickly in your new home.

The post Hakuna Matata first appeared on Foreigner Relocation to Florence by Austin Raab.