Renting an apartment or house in Italy for vacation …
If you’re like us, we prefer to rent apartments or houses when we travel to Italy. To use as a home base for day trips, or to be able to have a more local Italian experience with cooking, dinner parties, etc. Heck, we enjoyed it so much we bought one!
There are a few things to watch for, be prepared for, beware of, or be sure to check on, when you rent an apartment in Italy. A few are:
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Bed sheets (linens) or no bed sheets (linens).
Many apartment rentals do not include bed sheet (linens) or towels … especially if they are not set up to appeal to the American market. You’ll want to check this out ahead of time, and either take your own, or be prepared to hit the local market and buy the there.
Washer? Maybe. Dryer? Doubt it.
Many apartment rentals will include access to a clothes washer. This could be right there in the house or apartment or in a communal basement or garage area where the owner of the apartment has their own lock off area.
Finding a rental with a dryer is unlikely. Italians are really just starting to find dryers popular. Utility costs are high, so dryers are a financial luxury. As well, with Italian construction, venting a dryer to the outside is very difficult and expensive (and may not be legal by local code). Therefore, the dryers we’ve seen all have a water collection mechanism that you have to empty from time to time. Essentially, the dryer is self contained … a closed system.
Air conditioning? Unlikely, but getting more popular.
Air conditioning used to be almost non-existent in rental apartments and houses 10 years ago. Now, it seems that the newer technology, higher efficiency “transom” type air conditioners are much more popular. If this is a necessity for you, ask.
Dishwasher? Doubt it too.
We rank dishwashers right up there with clothes dryers. Highly unlikely you’ll find a rental with one. Get ready to use the “scolapiatti” (dish drying rack) in the cabinet(s) above the sink.
Shower/bath drainage.
Because of the age of many building and the construction materials used, you’ll find that drainage of waste water from sinks, showers, and bathes is often slow … sometimes very, very slow. We’ve often ended a quick (and I mean quick) shower standing in 6” of standing water.
Heat / hot water.
Many Italian homes are heated by hot water radiator heat systems. The hot water heater warms both the water for the heating system, as well as for the bath, shower, and tap. Because of space limitations, these are often very small units. Thus, you can run into hot water shortages while a heater recharges or heats water. Solution? Shower fast and don’t waste water.
Fridge / freezer – likely. Ice cube trays? Maybe not.
Most apartments will have a combination refrigerator and freezer. Some though may not have a freezer unit. Best to confirm. Since Italians tend not to use as much ice in beverages as Americans do. You may find no ice cube trays or only one small one available for your use. The solution here is to either bring a tray (or two) with you, or buy one or two at the local market on arrival.
Beds … comfortable or uncomfortable … big or small?
We’ve found rental apartment beds to be a real crap shoot. Some are so comfortable you want to sleep all day. Others, not so comfortable. On average, a standard American double bed is about the biggest bed you’ll find in Italy (in most rentals) … and often these are really two twin (single) mattresses put together on a double bed frame. If you’re accustomed to a queen or king bed at home, and are a sleeper who likes to make use of the real estate, be prepared to adjust.
Utility surcharge.
You may find that the rental charges for an apartment or house rental during months when heat is necessary or air conditioning is available comes with a surcharge for gas and/or electric consumption. This is because utility charges in Italy are dear, and the owner of the rental prefers to know that a renter’s consumption will be covered. This is not a scam, but rather a way to know that if you prefer to crank up the heat with all the doors and windows open, and I prefer to keep the heat off and wear a sweater (or two) that we’re charged fairly.
Final Cleaning Fee.
Some apartment rentals require you to pay a final cleaning fee that can be a flat rate (like E50) or a fee based on occupancy (like E20 per person). Often, this is a fee based on the work that has to be done to prepare the apartment for the next rental. Rather than give you a bundled price (one complete charge for everything), the owner or rental manager has decided to break up the charges accordingly. This, in fact, may be what the actual charge is to that owner or manager for the cleaning person or service they use.
____________________________________________________________
This is certainly not the exhaustive list of items, but it’s a good start. Send me an e-mail or leave a comment if you have any questions about renting a place in Italy that I haven’t covered.
Buon viaggio!
There are a few things to watch for, be prepared for, beware of, or be sure to check on, when you rent an apartment in Italy. A few are:
____________________________________________________________
Bed sheets (linens) or no bed sheets (linens).
Many apartment rentals do not include bed sheet (linens) or towels … especially if they are not set up to appeal to the American market. You’ll want to check this out ahead of time, and either take your own, or be prepared to hit the local market and buy the there.
Washer? Maybe. Dryer? Doubt it.
Many apartment rentals will include access to a clothes washer. This could be right there in the house or apartment or in a communal basement or garage area where the owner of the apartment has their own lock off area.
Finding a rental with a dryer is unlikely. Italians are really just starting to find dryers popular. Utility costs are high, so dryers are a financial luxury. As well, with Italian construction, venting a dryer to the outside is very difficult and expensive (and may not be legal by local code). Therefore, the dryers we’ve seen all have a water collection mechanism that you have to empty from time to time. Essentially, the dryer is self contained … a closed system.
Air conditioning? Unlikely, but getting more popular.
Air conditioning used to be almost non-existent in rental apartments and houses 10 years ago. Now, it seems that the newer technology, higher efficiency “transom” type air conditioners are much more popular. If this is a necessity for you, ask.
Dishwasher? Doubt it too.
We rank dishwashers right up there with clothes dryers. Highly unlikely you’ll find a rental with one. Get ready to use the “scolapiatti” (dish drying rack) in the cabinet(s) above the sink.
Shower/bath drainage.
Because of the age of many building and the construction materials used, you’ll find that drainage of waste water from sinks, showers, and bathes is often slow … sometimes very, very slow. We’ve often ended a quick (and I mean quick) shower standing in 6” of standing water.
Heat / hot water.
Many Italian homes are heated by hot water radiator heat systems. The hot water heater warms both the water for the heating system, as well as for the bath, shower, and tap. Because of space limitations, these are often very small units. Thus, you can run into hot water shortages while a heater recharges or heats water. Solution? Shower fast and don’t waste water.
Fridge / freezer – likely. Ice cube trays? Maybe not.
Most apartments will have a combination refrigerator and freezer. Some though may not have a freezer unit. Best to confirm. Since Italians tend not to use as much ice in beverages as Americans do. You may find no ice cube trays or only one small one available for your use. The solution here is to either bring a tray (or two) with you, or buy one or two at the local market on arrival.
Beds … comfortable or uncomfortable … big or small?
We’ve found rental apartment beds to be a real crap shoot. Some are so comfortable you want to sleep all day. Others, not so comfortable. On average, a standard American double bed is about the biggest bed you’ll find in Italy (in most rentals) … and often these are really two twin (single) mattresses put together on a double bed frame. If you’re accustomed to a queen or king bed at home, and are a sleeper who likes to make use of the real estate, be prepared to adjust.
Utility surcharge.
You may find that the rental charges for an apartment or house rental during months when heat is necessary or air conditioning is available comes with a surcharge for gas and/or electric consumption. This is because utility charges in Italy are dear, and the owner of the rental prefers to know that a renter’s consumption will be covered. This is not a scam, but rather a way to know that if you prefer to crank up the heat with all the doors and windows open, and I prefer to keep the heat off and wear a sweater (or two) that we’re charged fairly.
Final Cleaning Fee.
Some apartment rentals require you to pay a final cleaning fee that can be a flat rate (like E50) or a fee based on occupancy (like E20 per person). Often, this is a fee based on the work that has to be done to prepare the apartment for the next rental. Rather than give you a bundled price (one complete charge for everything), the owner or rental manager has decided to break up the charges accordingly. This, in fact, may be what the actual charge is to that owner or manager for the cleaning person or service they use.
____________________________________________________________
This is certainly not the exhaustive list of items, but it’s a good start. Send me an e-mail or leave a comment if you have any questions about renting a place in Italy that I haven’t covered.
Buon viaggio!
posted by Mark Pukita | 6:56 AM
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