mothra

Has anyone had any experience with long term rentals?
I live in the city, but have been looking (mainly online) for a small long term rental in the country, somewhere not too remote. Emilia-Romagna Apennines, mainly...
But basically anywhere within 2 hours driving of Parma, with a small garden, and in a decent state. And not over priced.

What I've found, is plenty of properties for sale, and also available for short lets...
The properties that I've come across for long term rentals, are few... and many in a dilapidated state. Or huge...!

I was wondering if anyone had any positive experiences...
As I'm beginning to suspect that long term rentals, nicely kept, and fairly priced are just not on the market.

philat98

mothra

Thanks philat98, I never thought of looking at my area's equivalent - might be a good idea.
I've looked at several local estate agents, and the long term rentals seem to be pretty thin on the ground. Perhaps that's because I'm not in a 'touristy' area?! Will check out local papers

Plan B

The house that we rented for a couple of years (while we searched for but then built our house) was not advertised but was through friends of friends. That house and many others we heard about were not advertised in agencies but which we got to know about by word of mouth. If you do not yet know many (or any) people in your target area perhaps you could seek out the most popular bar or café in each town, and let that bar’s owner know of your requirements and leave your contact details?

philat98

From the landlords point of view it is better to have a tenant they know. The law is quite protective of tenants in Italy. To remove a tenant who does not pay the rent takes quite a bit of time and money and involves lawyers and the local court.

mothra

Thanks for your reply Plan B. That makes sense too. Will have to narrow down target locations though as it would mean needing a sabbatical to cover all interesting areas ;-)

mothra

Yes - being in the landlords position isn't exactly an enviable situation here in Italy. That's probably another reason why property development can never be as straightforward here as in the UK....

nicktonight

This must depend on where you live then as in Sicily there is no shortage of long-term rentals and I am now in my 4th in 10 years. You do generally have to do a lot of work on them to make them decent and often have to put in a kitchen but certainly here in Palermo it is worthwhile for the large amount of space you can find

MrsTeapot

Wow you have to put in your own kitchen at your own expense just for four years? Is that standard? I know kitchens don't come as standard but for a 4 year rental...wow.

nicktonight

[QUOTE=MrsTeapot;12620726]Wow you have to put in your own kitchen at your own expense just for four years? Is that standard? I know kitchens don't come as standard but for a 4 year rental...wow.[/QUOTE
The four year contract is always automatically extended for another 4 years so you are safe for at least 8 years. The ceramic tiling is nearly always in place and sometimes there is a sink
People take their kitchens with them when they move, or sell them to other people needing a kitchen.

MrsTeapot

I know people take their kitchen's with them mostly, but I honestly thought that was just for house sales. For rental though; that's nuts.

C.2s

Hi

We rented for a year before buying in order to get to know the area.
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What we found was a good approach, and might work for you too, is to talk to the local agents about the houses they have for sale and any that are normally summer holiday rentals. In some cases the owner will consider renting if the house has been for sale for a long time (many of them are on the market for years with little or no interest), or they will rent a holiday rental to you for the whole year. Obviously in the first case you may have to accept that you may still have potential buyers viewing the property, and it might be sold, so the owner will appreciate it if you are flexible...though if you have a years contract then you can stay until the end of the term. In the second case you might need to offer a bit more money. But you can make it financially attractive to the owner. If the house is likely to rent for ten weeks at 500 euro a week during the season, and you offer 450 a month for 12 months, the owner may consider it (especially as the summer rentals aren't guaranteed ). Some owners like this because your contract will be a tourist one and you have less rights. In return you'll probably get somewhere fully furnished which you can use immediately and lock up and leave when you need to. Eventually this period might lead to a longer contract in time, once the owner knows they can trust you.

Overall, we certainly had a really good experience doing this (there are some downsides but you asked for positive comments).