Agencies for holiday property rentals

If you do not wish to handle the regular rental of your property yourself, or if you do not live on site and cannot take care of certain organizational tasks personally, it makes sense to entrust your property to an agency. Conveniently, the agency can also handle the registration formalities for the holiday property, which are usually only available in Italian and require an Italian certified e-mail address (PEC).

In addition to numerous agencies that specialize exclusively in the rental and management of holiday apartments, more and more real estate agencies now offer this as an additional service. Simply ask your trusted real estate agent whether they can take over this service for you and under what conditions, or which agency they would recommend.

Some agencies offer only a full-service package and take over the rental of your holiday property completely. The advantage here is that you do not have to worry about anything and maintain only one contractual relationship with the agency, rather than with each individual tourist. Other agencies, however, also allow you to book individual services, such as cleaning or key handover.

As a rule, agencies charge either a fixed percentage of the rental price or a fixed fee for individual services requested. Regardless of which services you choose, you should ensure that the percentage or fixed price includes all claims of the agency and that no recurring additional costs arise for you. Also check the cancellation policies carefully: often, in case of a cancellation, you receive no refund, while the agency retains part of the deposit paid.

Since June 1, 2017, rental agencies have also been obliged to automatically pay rental income to the tax authorities on behalf of the property owner. As unpaid or late-paid taxes are often penalized years later with high fines and surcharges, you should make sure in advance that the agency you choose complies with the following obligations: all new contracts must be reported to the tax office; 21% of the rental income must be withheld by the agency and paid to the tax authorities using the “Modello F24” form; if the property owner has opted for the flat-rate tax, no further taxes are due; if instead the income is declared as part of personal income tax, the 21% already withheld is treated as a prepayment; and the agency must provide the property owner with a confirmation of the amounts paid.

As with all real estate contracts, before signing anything make sure you have fully understood the entire content of the agreement, especially if it is written in Italian. In such cases, it is highly advisable to have the contract reviewed by a lawyer before signing, or to request a copy in German for a small additional fee. Finally, ensure that the agency acts in its own name towards the tenant, so that you cannot be held liable for the subsequent contractual relationship between the agency and the tenant.