toscanaman's activity

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Fri, 05/30/2014 - 14:27

Yes, you definitely need a codice fiscale - that's independent of everything else. Just go to the office and get that issued.Codice FiscaliCodice Fiscali

Wed, 05/28/2014 - 21:53

If you rent a place to stay rather than buying a house, you can actually avoid all registration, taxes etc. simply by getting on with your life. Whether its legal or not is almost irrelevant. If you don't want any benefits from the Italian state, no one will care. If you want to do it all legally, it's also easy if you don't plan to seek employment and have the means to support yourself. Italy is full of retired foreigners, some of whom have lived here for decades. Come for a three month holiday and decide on whether you like the life. Also check on whether you're elegible for a British passport, that would make it even easier.

Sun, 05/25/2014 - 21:16

If the tenant does not stay there, maybe it's not essential for him have the space? Talk to him first to get a feel for the situation. If you want the space for your own family, you can get him out but it could take a long time depending on what he uses the space for. It helps that he doesn't live there. If the tenant is totally resistant, then you need a lawyer, but remember, paying off the tenant could cost a lot less than paying a lawyer. Of course, the tenant will also have to pay a lawyer - take that into consideration.

Sun, 05/25/2014 - 21:10

Insure her place as well. Your insurance rep will handle it. He has to ask her but she can hardly say no - possibly can't say no. Then it's the insurance company that will squeeze her for damages caused to you by her own negligence because of course they'll want to recover anything they pay you.

Sun, 05/25/2014 - 15:02

You need a lawyer but a cheaper one. If the leak is from an apartment above, the owner has to fix it, but you'll very likely have to go to court to get any action. Don't be afraid to do that but don't expect to recover costs - usually, the losing party will give up at the last minute so as to not pay costs. As Gala Placidia says above, try to get your insurance company to handle it - they're expert in this kind of thing. I actually insure the upstairs apartment to avoid exactly this problem. It costs less per year than the cost of one letter from a lawyer.

Sun, 05/25/2014 - 14:56

Your tank is leaking - basically your gas is disappearing into the atmosphere. At the rate you describe, just go down to the tank and you'll hear it hissing. You could get the tank checked but for the short time you're there, I really recommend that you simply change everything to electricity and buy plenty of firewood. Also, dump the agent. He's not working in your interest. Hire a gardener to come round from time to time to check the place out. BUT if you have the heating going full blast in the middle fo winter, you can go through 2000 euros in three weeks. Turn down the heating during the day and off at night. Keep fires burning all day long. Wood is cheap.

Sat, 05/24/2014 - 07:07

Read this and be prewarned: http://tuscany-toscana.blogspot.it/2013/08/what-you-need-to-know-before-renting.html

Fri, 05/23/2014 - 09:31

My personal favorite is Villa Gamberaia

Sun, 05/18/2014 - 19:39

Hospitals are pretty rough and ready in most parts of Italy, including north of Rome. Pharmacies are excellent with highly trained staff. Doctors make house calls (at least they do where I live in Tuscany) - remember those? Good, modern ambulance service even out in the country. OK, back to hospitals. I had my life saved in a Florentine hospital (not the best one) - in a way that's all that mattered at the time. Wards not rooms and three guys died very audibly in my ward while I was there. Very good nurses. Doctors seemed good but you can't tell because they absolutely do not pass on any information to the patient - that's a marked difference between Italy and any other place of which I have experience. I once required some work done on my head - I have to say I went to Switzerland to get that done. There the doctors provided total information and the physical structure and equipment of the hospitals was much, much better. Of course, it was free in Italy and, um, not free in Switzerland.

Sun, 05/18/2014 - 19:23

I suspect a 1450 euro boiler isn't going to have the zap to heat a place that size. I recently bought a new boiler under a super-cheap special offer from ENI - the price was 2000 euros, installation included, payable monthly over 2-3 years. In my case, installation meant an additional half a day of work finding a way to run a modern outlet pipe up the old chimney plus another half a day boring a hole through the wall to the exterior for the air intake. This was all required to get certification. They did a fantastic job - replaced wall tiles, replastered, painted etc afterwards. When the inspector came to measure CO, gas leakage etc it passed with flying colours. I got some outside quotes for comparison and they were in the 3,500 to 4000 euros range for a similar boiler installation but I'm sure they would have charged extra when they found that the chimney and intake weren't up to scratch. I can't remember what my radiators cost - I got that done years ago by a plumber who specialised in that kind of thing.