Listed building status

Vincoli are more specific than 'listed building' status.  it depends what sort of vincolo you have, whether it is for a building of artistic merit, or a traditional style building, and so on.  The Beni Culturali impose the vincoli and they can be of a type - ie you must do the roof in a certain way, or they can be very prescriptive, even down to the colours you can use on internal walls.   Where are you buying? The rules change area to area. 

 Knowing the love that Italians have for bureaucracy - the cons will be enormous

 i have had some second hand experience of these situations.ie. people i know who entered this labarynth.Basically depending on it's precise status in tech. terms THEY decide what you can/must do they dictate even the exact building materials (often hard to get,nearly always expensive) they can,for example decide that you cannot put in radiators for example or double glazed windows,they can decide colour schemes (even the paint to be used) and a lot else all this at your expense.BE VERY CAREFUL as you won't be able to get all the answers you need/want up front until the building is your own by which time it can be too late......bargepoles anyone...

Obviously they wont be too keen on your pebbledashing a palazzo on the Grand Canal, by the same token I can build a house if I use traditional roof tiles.  In Ortigia (Siracusa) they will tell you how you can decorate your house, but they will give you 75% of the dosh.  In Siena you arent allowed to hang your smalls out of the window ever.   The big cost is that you must usually use a registered (and preferred) restorer who wont come cheap but can make an intonaco using bees wings, and unicorn horn.   If you like a building and want to 'restore' it and not turn it into a plasterboard maze then why not? 

We live in a listed building.  One thing to bear in mind is that after you've signed the final contracts and exchanged the money, the building will technicqally not pass into your posession for another 3 months.  During those 3 months the Italian state has a theoretical right to buy your house off you again at the declared price.  In other words it would be very risky to under declare the value of your house to save on taxes etc., a practice otherwise common.  You may find yourself seriously out of pocket.

Since the law changed two years there is now no benefit in underdeclaring the purchase price of your property.  Thankfully it is no longer common and/or accepted.  Underdeclaring also lays you open to a fine and other unpleasantness.   You save a pittance by underdeclaring, and the seller alos saves nothing if he has no capital gain on the property.  if he does its his problem.  Dont underdeclare! 

Firstly, thanks for these posts. (Shame the re-launched forum doesn't allow one to thank people for particularly useful points, but that's another issue.) I did imagine there'd be some controls, but not as tight as have been set out here. I did not think there'd be the extent of regional variations as Ram set out in his post, but I hope I'll be able to clarify exactly what applies here in Abruzzo, in the next week or two. We already have the house, and this has come up in the context of public funding for earthquake repairs, for some very specific restoration. Thanks again to all. (I had half-expected a post on listed buildings to prompt some smart-a comments on another sucker buying the Leaning Tower of Pisa.....) cheers

Ram, I didn't realise the law had changed.  When we bought a piece of agricultural land some 5 years ago, we weren't asked whether we wanted to under-declare.  We simply sat as virtual spectators in the notary's office, with the vendor and agent, the notary and our lawyer discussing what they should declare it at.  I only found out the declared value by looking more closely at the contract afterwards.  The declared value was so low, that we paid practically no taxes.  As the vendor was also the agent, we didn't pay any agency fees either, leaving us only with notary and lawyers fees.   As all the legal people were in the room discussing this, I was going to be the last person complaining.

If you need more clarification you can contact me directly. Fulvio www.studiotroiano.com

These conditions exsist but almost everyone seems to get round them in Abruzzo at least!There's a reason for them too as anyone who has looked at buying a 'period property' in the UK will understand. While Italy at least has retained some of its original buildings in Cornish villages almost every dwelling has been cement rendered and horribly 'restored' with cheap double glazied plastic windows and doors and as Ram states a maze of plasterboard rooms and ceilings.Any unspoilt properties sell for a huge price. Intonaco using local and cheap materials doesnt have to contain bees wings! And it gets its colour from earth pigments - all free if you know where to dig for them! I've put lots of info on my website and anyone wanting advice is welcome to pm me http://www.myabruzzohome.com