Renting a Holiday House in Italy

| Thu, 05/30/2013 - 10:02

What to ask when you get to a rented holiday house in Italian.

As more and more people prefer renting a house or apartment for their holidays in Italy, we thought it would be useful to know what to ask once you get there and meet the owner/agent in Italian.

About the deposit

You are often asked to give a deposit when you arrive that should be returned to you before you leave, unless the property was damaged during your stay. So it is important that you ask details about it and tour the whole house with the owner/agent upon arrival to show them any preexisting damages.

Posso avere una ricevuta per la cauzione?
Can I have a receipt for the deposit?

Avete notato che questo è già rotto/danneggiato?
Did you notice that this is already broken/damaged?

Chi ci restituirà la cauzione e quando?
Who will give us the deposit back and when?

You might also have questions about settling in the house.

Remember that in any case, it is always advisable to clarify all these points beforehand, possibly via e-mail so that you can print all the details out and take them with you.

About the house

Dove si accende la luce?
Where does one turn the light on?

Come si accende il riscaldamento?
How does one turn on the heat?

Potrebbe mostrarmi come funzionano le chiavi?
Could you show me how these keys work?

Come funziona l'ascensore?
How does the elevator work?

C’è anche il telefono e possiamo usarlo?
Is there a telephone and can we use it?

Qual’è la password per collegarsi a internet?
Which is the password to connect to the internet?

Dove si butta l’immondizia?
Where should we throw the trash?

Ci sono medicine di pronto soccorso in casa?
Is there a first aid kit in the house?

And obviously you might want to take advantage of the owner/agent local knowledge to ask about the area.

About the area

I vicini sono amichevoli?
Are the neighbours friendly?

C’è un supermercato qui vicino?
Is there a supermarket nearby?

C’è una farmacia qui vicino?
Is there a pharmacy nearby?

Dov’è la spiaggia più vicina?
Where is the nearest beach?

Ci può consigliare dei ristoranti della zona?
Could you suggest some restaurants in the area?

C’è un servizio taxi nella zona?
Is there a taxi service in the area?

C’è una lista dei numeri per l’emergenza?
Is there a list of emergency numbers?

About check out

A che ora dobbiamo lasciare la casa?
What time should we check out?

Chi verrà a prendere la chiave e restituirci la cauzione?
Who is coming to pick up the keys and return the deposit?