Living in an Italian Condominio: What to Expect
If you rent or buy an apartment in Italy, there is a good chance you will encounter one of those Italian words that seems simple until you discover how much is hidden behind it: condominio.
A condominio is essentially a building, or sometimes a group of buildings, in which individual apartments or other units are privately owned while certain areas and services are shared. The Italian Civil Code recognizes common parts such as foundations, structural walls, roofs, stairs, entrances, courtyards and installations serving the building.
But in everyday Italian, condominio means much more than shared ownership.
It means the monthly or quarterly bill for maintaining the building. It means meetings where owners vote on repairs. It means the administrator who sends notices and collects payments. It can mean arguments over elevators, balconies, pets, parking, heating, noisy neighbors and who should pay when the roof starts leaking.
For foreigners renting or buying a home in Italy, understanding the condominio before signing a lease or purchasing an apartment can prevent some very expensive surprises.
The system is not particularly difficult once you understand its basic rules. The most important thing is to find out exactly what you are paying for, what belongs to you, what belongs collectively to the building and which expenses are your responsibility.
What Exactly Is a Condominio?
Imagine buying an apartment on the fourth floor of a six-story building.
The apartment itself belongs to you. However, you do not own the staircase outside your door individually. Nor do you normally own the entrance hall, roof, foundations, elevator or main structural walls.
Those parts serve multiple apartments and are generally considered common property.
Depending on the building, common areas and systems can include:
- Entrance halls
- Staircases
- Elevators
- Roofs
- Exterior walls and façades
- Courtyards
- Gardens
- Driveways
- Garages or common parking areas
- Central heating systems
- Water systems
- Drainage and sewer systems
- Lighting in common areas
- Intercom and entrance systems
- Concierge or porter facilities
Italian condominium law is principally contained in Articles 1117 onward of the Civil Code, substantially revised by the condominium reform that took effect in 2013.
An apartment building therefore involves two different types of property at the same time: your private unit and your share of the common property.
That distinction determines many of the rules—and many of the bills.
What Are Spese Condominiali?
One of the first expressions you will hear when looking for an apartment is spese condominiali.
These are condominium charges: the expenses required to operate, clean, maintain and repair the building’s common areas and services.
If you see an apartment advertised for €900 per month plus €120 spese condominiali, your real housing cost starts at €1,020 before considering electricity, internet and any other utilities that are not included.
Condominium charges can cover things such as:
- Cleaning stairs and entrances
- Electricity for hallways and common areas
- Elevator operation and routine maintenance
- Building insurance
- Administrator fees
- Gardening
- Concierge or porter services
- Central heating
- Communal water
- Minor repairs
- Maintenance of gates and intercoms
- Cleaning and maintenance of courtyards
- Management of common facilities
Exactly what is included varies enormously from one building to another.
A small building without an elevator, porter or central heating may have modest condominium charges. A prestigious building with an elevator, landscaped garden, concierge and centralized services can cost considerably more.
That is why asking only for the rent is a mistake.
Before renting an apartment, ask:
Quanto sono le spese condominiali?
Then ask what those charges actually include.
If you are trying to calculate a realistic monthly budget, see our Cost of Living in Italy: A Realistic Monthly Budget. Condominium expenses should be treated as part of your housing cost, not as an insignificant extra.
How Condominium Expenses Are Divided
Not every owner necessarily pays the same amount.
Italian condominiums commonly use millesimi, or thousandths, to calculate each property’s share of certain common expenses.
The entire condominium is represented as 1,000 shares. Each apartment is assigned a number of those shares according to technical criteria associated with the property.
A larger or more valuable apartment might therefore carry more millesimi than a small apartment in the same building.
Article 1123 of the Civil Code establishes the general principle that expenses for the conservation and enjoyment of common parts, common services and innovations approved in the interest of the condominium are divided according to the proportional value of each owner’s property, unless otherwise agreed. Different criteria can apply where a service benefits owners differently.
This explains why two neighbors in the same building can receive different condominium bills.
You may also encounter separate tabelle millesimali for particular expenses, such as elevators or stairs.
Do not assume that “one apartment equals one equal share.”
Ordinary Versus Extraordinary Expenses
This distinction becomes particularly important for both owners and renters.
Ordinary condominium expenses are the recurring costs of operating and maintaining the building.
They can include cleaning, routine elevator servicing, common electricity, ordinary gardening and similar services.
Extraordinary expenses involve major repairs, replacements or improvements.
Examples might include:
- Replacing the roof
- Major façade restoration
- Structural repairs
- Replacing an elevator
- Major work on plumbing or heating systems
- Waterproofing terraces or roofs
- Significant renovation of common areas
For an owner, extraordinary work can mean a substantial bill.
A beautiful apartment in an old palazzo may look like a bargain until you discover that the condominium has already approved €300,000 of façade and roof work.
Your share could amount to thousands or even tens of thousands of euros.
This is why anyone buying an apartment should investigate the condominium’s finances as carefully as the apartment itself.
Who Pays Condominium Fees: Tenant or Landlord?
This is one of the most important questions for renters.
As a general principle, ordinary costs connected with using the apartment and common services are often charged to the tenant, while extraordinary maintenance and major capital works normally remain the responsibility of the property owner.
Agenzia delle Entrate guidance identifies expenses such as cleaning, operation and ordinary elevator maintenance, water, electricity, heating, air conditioning and certain common-area costs among expenses payable by the tenant. It also distinguishes ordinary small maintenance from extraordinary maintenance, which is generally borne by the landlord.
For example, the tenant may normally be responsible for everyday condominium services, while replacing an obsolete central boiler or carrying out major structural work would generally fall to the owner.
Porter services are another interesting example. Agenzia delle Entrate guidance states that 90% of porter-service expenses are normally charged to the tenant, although a lower percentage can be established contractually.
The rental contract matters.
Before signing, look for the section dealing with oneri accessori or condominium expenses and make sure you understand how they will be calculated.
Do not rely solely on a verbal statement that the expenses are “about €100 a month.”
Ask whether that amount is fixed, an advance against actual costs, or subject to an annual adjustment.
The Amministratore di Condominio
Many apartment buildings have an amministratore di condominio, or condominium administrator.
This person or company manages the practical and financial affairs of the condominium.
The administrator’s responsibilities can include:
- Collecting condominium payments
- Paying suppliers
- Arranging routine maintenance
- Keeping financial records
- Implementing decisions made by owners
- Calling condominium meetings
- Managing contracts for services
- Handling insurance matters
- Pursuing unpaid condominium fees
- Maintaining required condominium records
For a foreign owner, a competent administrator can become an extremely useful contact.
If you live abroad for part of the year, the administrator may be the person who tells you that work is planned on the roof, the elevator has broken down or an owners’ meeting has been scheduled.
For renters, the landlord remains your principal contractual contact, but knowing how to reach the administrator can still be useful for practical building matters.
The Condominium Assembly
Italian condominium life also comes with meetings: assemblee condominiali.
The assembly is where owners discuss and vote on condominium matters.
Typical subjects include:
- Annual accounts
- The following year’s budget
- Administrator appointments
- Repairs
- Renovations
- Major contracts
- Heating
- Elevators
- Common areas
- Building improvements
Voting is more complicated than simply counting people in the room. Depending on the type of decision, Italian law uses voting requirements involving both the number of participants and the millesimal value they represent.
That becomes particularly important when expensive work is proposed.
If you own an apartment but cannot attend, it is generally possible to appoint someone to represent you by proxy.
Do not ignore condominium meeting notices simply because you are abroad. A meeting can approve work that has a direct effect on your property and finances.
The Regolamento di Condominio
Many buildings also have a regolamento di condominio, essentially the building’s condominium rules.
These rules govern the use of common spaces and aspects of life within the building.
They may address matters such as:
- Use of courtyards
- Bicycle storage
- Parking
- Garbage disposal
- Use of elevators
- Common gardens
- Laundry
- Moving furniture
- Renovation work
- Noise
- Use of common rooms
If you are renting, ask the landlord or agent for a copy before moving in.
If you are buying, review it before completing the purchase.
You do not want to discover after moving that something important to your lifestyle conflicts with the building’s rules.
Noise, Neighbors and Everyday Condominium Life
Living in an Italian apartment building is not just a legal arrangement. It is a social one.
Buildings can contain families who have lived there for generations, elderly residents, students, professionals, vacation properties and short-term rentals all under the same roof.
That mixture can be wonderful—or occasionally difficult.
Noise is one of the most common sources of friction.
Individual condominium regulations may establish quiet periods or rules intended to reduce disturbances, and municipal rules can also matter. Rather than assuming that Italy has one universal nationwide “quiet time” applying identically to every apartment building, check the condominium regulations and local rules.
Common courtesy goes a long way.
Late-night parties, loud televisions, barking dogs, furniture dragged across floors and renovation work early in the morning can quickly turn neighbors against one another.
In many Italian buildings, maintaining good relations with neighbors is genuinely valuable. They may collect a package, alert you to a water leak or notice something unusual when you are away.
For anyone moving to Italy, learning a little Italian is particularly useful here. Your neighbor may not speak English, and neither may the cleaner, plumber, caretaker or administrator.
Elevators Can Affect Your Costs
An elevator deserves special attention when viewing an Italian apartment.
Many older buildings were constructed before elevators were standard. Some had lifts installed later, while others still have none.
If you are considering a fourth-floor apartment in a historic building, do not assume there is an elevator because the property listing says palazzo signorile.
Check.
If there is an elevator, also ask about its age, condition and planned replacement or modernization.
Elevators can be expensive to repair or replace.
This matters particularly when buying. Recent condominium meeting minutes may reveal discussions about major elevator work that has not yet appeared in the property’s asking price.
For renters, ordinary elevator operation and maintenance can form part of the condominium charges.
Central Heating Versus Autonomous Heating
Another important distinction is between riscaldamento centralizzato and riscaldamento autonomo.
With autonomous heating, your apartment has its own heating system, commonly a boiler, and you have greater control over when and how much you heat your home.
With central heating, the condominium operates a system serving multiple apartments.
This can affect both your comfort and your bills.
Before renting or buying, determine:
- Whether heating is centralized or autonomous
- Whether hot water is centralized
- How consumption is measured
- Which costs appear in condominium charges
- Whether there are fixed and consumption-based components
- When the system operates
The same applies to water. In some buildings, each apartment has a direct account; in others, water is managed collectively and allocated through the condominium.
Our guide to Setting Up Utilities in Italy: Electricity, Gas, Water and Internet explains these arrangements in more detail.
Renovating Your Apartment
Owning an apartment does not necessarily mean you can carry out any work you want without considering the rest of the building.
Renovations inside your private unit may affect common structures, pipes, façades or other residents.
Replacing kitchen cabinets is very different from altering a structural wall.
Likewise, changing windows, installing exterior equipment or modifying something visible on the façade can raise condominium and planning issues.
Before major work, owners should determine:
- Whether municipal authorization is required
- Whether a qualified technician is needed
- Whether common property is affected
- Whether the administrator must be notified
- Whether the condominium rules impose restrictions
- Whether the work affects the building’s appearance or structural integrity
Never assume that because work is physically inside your apartment it concerns only you.
Buying an Apartment? Read the Condominium Documents First
If I were buying an apartment in Italy, I would never rely solely on the appearance of the apartment itself.
I would want to know what is happening in the entire building.
Before completing a purchase, ask for the condominium documentation available for the property, particularly recent accounts and meeting minutes.
Look for evidence of:
- Unpaid condominium fees
- Approved extraordinary work
- Proposed extraordinary work
- Roof problems
- Façade repairs
- Elevator replacement
- Structural concerns
- Legal disputes
- Problems with central heating
- Large debts owed to the condominium
- Repeated water infiltration
- Major insurance claims
Our guide to renting or buying a home in Italy covers the wider due diligence that buyers should carry out.
A low purchase price means very little if you inherit a large financial obligation immediately afterward.
Have your notary and, where appropriate, your lawyer or property professional clarify the allocation of condominium debts and already-approved extraordinary expenses before signing.
Renting? Ask These Questions Before Signing
Renters need less documentation than buyers, but they should still investigate the building.
Before signing the lease, ask:
- How much are the current condominium charges?
- What exactly is included?
- Is heating included?
- Is water included?
- Is there an elevator?
- Is there a concierge?
- Are charges paid monthly, quarterly or another way?
- Are payments based on an estimate?
- Is there an annual adjustment?
- Which expenses does the landlord pay?
- Which expenses does the tenant pay?
- Are major building works scheduled?
- Are there rules about bicycles, parking or common spaces?
- How is garbage handled?
- Is there a condominium regulation?
- Who is the administrator?
It is also sensible to ask for recent condominium expense figures rather than relying exclusively on an advertisement.
A €950 apartment with €250 monthly condominium charges can be more expensive than a €1,050 apartment with €70 in charges.
What Happens If Condominium Fees Are Not Paid?
Condominium charges are real financial obligations, not optional contributions.
For owners, persistent nonpayment can lead to formal debt-recovery action.
For tenants, failure to pay condominium expenses that are contractually and legally their responsibility can also create a dispute with the landlord.
If you believe a bill is incorrect, do not simply ignore it.
Request the relevant accounting, determine how the charge was allocated and obtain professional advice if necessary.
A disagreement about an expense does not automatically make the payment obligation disappear.
Condominio Fees Should Be Part of Your Housing Budget
Foreigners moving to Italy sometimes focus so heavily on the advertised rent or purchase price that they underestimate the cost of actually occupying the property.
Condominium charges belong in your budget alongside:
- Rent or mortgage
- Electricity
- Gas
- Water
- Internet
- Waste charges
- Insurance
- Maintenance
- Property taxes where applicable
Our realistic cost-of-living guide for Italy uses condominium charges as a separate housing expense precisely because they can materially change the cost of an apartment.
An older building is not necessarily cheaper to operate, and a newer building is not necessarily more expensive.
What matters is the combination of services, maintenance needs, energy efficiency and the financial health of the condominium.
A Few Italian Words Worth Knowing
You will quickly encounter a small vocabulary of condominium terms.
Condominio — condominium or apartment building under shared ownership.
Condomino — an individual condominium owner.
Amministratore di condominio — condominium administrator.
Spese condominiali — condominium charges.
Assemblea condominiale — condominium owners’ meeting.
Regolamento di condominio — condominium regulations.
Parti comuni — common parts of the building.
Millesimi — the proportional shares used to allocate ownership interests and many expenses.
Manutenzione ordinaria — ordinary maintenance.
Manutenzione straordinaria — extraordinary maintenance.
Riscaldamento centralizzato — central heating.
Riscaldamento autonomo — individual heating.
Learning these expressions makes property advertisements, rental contracts, bills and conversations with an administrator much easier to understand.
The Bottom Line
Living in an Italian apartment building is not fundamentally different from condominium or apartment living elsewhere, but the Italian system has its own terminology, legal framework and habits.
For renters, the most important issue is understanding the real monthly cost of the apartment and knowing which expenses belong to the tenant and which remain with the landlord.
For buyers, the stakes are higher.
You are not simply purchasing an apartment. You are acquiring an interest in a building, along with a share of its common areas, maintenance requirements, financial obligations and future decisions.
Before buying, examine the condominium accounts and recent meeting minutes. Ask about extraordinary works. Understand your millesimal share. Find out whether the roof, façade, elevator or heating system will soon require major investment.
Before renting, ask what the condominium charges include and insist on understanding how they are calculated.
Do that homework before you sign, and condominio becomes much less intimidating. It simply becomes another part of everyday life in Italy.
This article provides general information about condominium living in Italy and is not a substitute for individualized legal, tax or property advice.
External Sources
Italian Civil Code — Normattiva
Law No. 220/2012 — Reform of Italian Condominium Law — Normattiva
Agenzia delle Entrate — Guide to Residential Rentals
