Buying guides
Buying at an Italian court sale
Italian courts sell homes to repay creditors, and every sale must be published on the Ministry of Justice's sales portal (Portale delle Vendite Pubbliche). Prices often start well below value, but there's a set process, and the right help makes all the difference.
Checked 30 September 2026. Rules and rates change, so confirm the details with a local professional.
Your team
- A geometra (local building surveyor) to check the home against its planning permissions and land registry plan, and to price any fixes.
- An avvocato (lawyer) to file your offer, bid for you by proxy if needed, and confirm what passes to you.
- No notary is needed: the judge's transfer order (decreto di trasferimento) transfers the home.
- You'll need an Italian tax code (codice fiscale).
Read the court's report (perizia)
An expert appointed by the court describes the home, its value, its legal status, and any building or planning problems. We summarise the key points on each listing, but read the whole report, ideally with your geometra.
Planning problems can often be fixed
Court sales often have small differences between the home and its approved plans. A buyer at a court sale can usually apply to regularise them (a 'sanatoria') within 120 days of the transfer order, even where an ordinary buyer couldn't. Your geometra will tell you what's fixable and what it costs.
Viewing
The court custodian (custode giudiziario) shows you round free of charge. Book through the 'Prenota visita' button on the official sale notice.
How much you can offer
Offers are accepted down to 75% of the starting price (the 'offerta minima'). If no one bids, the next sale usually starts up to 25% lower.
Deposit and paying the balance
A deposit (cauzione), usually 10% of your offer, goes in with your offer and is returned if you don't win. If you win, the balance is due within the time on the notice, often up to 120 days. Some banks lend on court sales.
Taxes
You pay registration tax on the home's cadastral value, not the price: 2% for your main home (if you qualify) or 9% otherwise, plus small fixed taxes. Your commercialista or lawyer will confirm.
What the sale clears
The transfer order normally cancels mortgages and seizures registered against the home. Unpaid condominium charges for the current and previous year can pass to the buyer, so check the report.
If someone lives there
If the owner still lives there, the court's custodian normally arranges for them to leave, which can take several months. A lease registered before the seizure may bind you.
General information only, not financial advice. Rules and lender criteria change; confirm with a regulated adviser.