Buy an Apartment in Rome: Prices, Neighbourhoods and the Buying Process

The historic centre (Centro Storico, Monti, Trastevere) is expensive and tourist-heavy, with small flats in old buildings. Prati, close to the Vatican, is an elegant residential district with a high number of professionals. Testaccio and San Giovanni are lively and local. Parioli and Aventino are leafy, upmarket areas. Eur, a planned district built in the 1930s, has offices and apartments, and the coast at Ostia is a suburb with beach access.

Rome's metro is limited, with a new line C in progress, so living near a metro or tram line is helpful. Rome has two airports, Fiumicino and Ciampino. Heat in July and August affects comfort; top-floor flats without air conditioning can be very hot, and ground floors can be damp.

The process generally runs through four stages.

1. Proposta d'acquisto: a binding offer, often with a deposit cheque.
2. Compromesso: a preliminary contract with a deposit of around 10-30%.
3. Due diligence: a notary checks title, planning compliance (conformità urbanistica and catastale) and any mortgages.
4. Rogito: the final deed signed in front of a notary, who registers it.

Costs include registration tax (about 2% of the cadastral value for a primary residence and 9% for other residential purchases when buying from a private individual), notary fees and agent commission (commonly 3% plus VAT from each side). Buying from a developer attracts VAT instead. The annual IMU property tax applies to second homes, not primary residences. Verify rates with a notary. Non-EU foreigners can generally buy if reciprocity exists with their home country, and an Italian tax code (codice fiscale) is needed.

Our Italy buying guide, Italian mortgage guide and Italy market analysis help with planning.

Most Roman apartments are in condominiums with an administrator who sets annual expenses. Request the last two years of meeting minutes (verbali) to see whether roof, façade or lift works are planned, because major works are shared among owners. In historic centres, protected-building rules restrict renovations and require approvals from the heritage authority (Soprintendenza), which can delay or complicate a refit. Bonuses for energy-efficient works have changed over time, so ask an accountant what is currently available. Check the energy certificate (APE) which sellers must provide, and the cadastral plan (planimetria), which must match the actual layout.

If Rome is beyond your budget, explore Perugia, Cosenza, Naples, Sassari, Campobasso or Aosta. Prices in the south and in smaller regional capitals are far lower. The Italy hub lists more, and the mortgage calculator can estimate costs.