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| Renting an Apartment |
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A quick guide to renting a room or apartment in Florence.
La Caparra Like anywhere else in the world, you will be expected to provide a security deposit, or caparra, when renting. This will most frequently be equal to one month's rent, to be paid along with the first month's rent before you move in. Some landlords will ask for a caparra which is equivalent to two month's rent, plus the first monthly rent payment before you move in.
Handing a security deposit over to a landlord is always far easier than getting it back when leaving an apartment. Florenine landlords working on short-term rentals to foreigners often expect to keep a large chunk of the deposit, whether they are entitled to it or not.
Cleaned out Professional cleaning expenses are the most common excuse for holding on to your money. Often (not always) someone will clean your apartment after you leave but tenants are often vastly overcharged for this so it is a good idea to check beforehand how much of your deposit you will definitely be losing.
Record the damage The first day that you enter the apartment it is a very good idea to make a note of any existing damage that an unscrupulous landlord may try to bill you for. Take pictures, write a list and as far as possible make it well known to the landlord or agency. This is by no means going to totally protect your deposit, but the more evidence you have, the better.
Keep it tidy In defense of Florentine landlords, it is not easy to keep a property ticking over with 3 month lets to tenants who a) don't really care about the property and b) have varying standards of cleanliness and hygiene. You should be able to retain the goodwill of your landlord (and hopefully most of you money) if you don't abuse the place, and leave it in a clean state. Now this may seem too obvious to be considered advice, but its surprising how often people get caught out because they don't leave enough time to clean up when they leave.
Paying your bills
If you are renting directly from an agency or landlord then you will probably be responsible for paying your utility bills. This is quite simple, if a little time-consuming. Take the bills that need to be paid to the Poste get a line-ticket for Bolletine. Pay the bill in cash and you will receive a receipt. It is always a good idea to hold onto receipts as proof that the bills have been paid – you never know in Italy.
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