@_elena @tommi @mavnn tyvm! he has tried immobiliare and idealista and directly emailing agencies but nothing's worked out so far.
he was about to close on a place a few weeks ago for 900€, then a 500€ deposit, then then they wanted to charge an extra month of rent in fees, and an agency fee, and more fees on top of that and he couldn't afford it 😢
@wohali @_elena @tommi @mavnn tbh, 1m rent + 1m deposit and agency fees sounds pretty standard to me (not much different than in the UK), especially when renting to someone with no "credit record" in the country, payslips from a local employer, or local relatives who can guarantee for them. But not sure he can get a much cheaper place if he wants to be in a city rather than more rural areas. Sorry not very helpful
@wohali @_elena @tommi @mavnn also, I suspect dealing remotely with someone who doesn't speak Italian too well may "attract" extra fees. He may want to take a short term rental (generally more expensive, but lower upfront costs) and then search for longer term rental while in already in Italy, ideally accompanied by someone local. But hopefully the Fediverse has some leads 🤞
@[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] I think one of the hardest things to adjust to coming from the UK, is that bureaucracy in the UK may be ridiculous but in general you're told everything that needs to happen up front. In ITA you tend to gets things sprung on you as you go along, and frequently no one person in the process knows the details of the whole process.
Coming from the UK, this is extremely difficult to tell apart from people being dishonest and trying to take advantage, and unfortunately its just as true dealing with the authorities as it is dealing with businesses. Translation issues amplify this enormously, so finding at least one trusted person locally really is a priority.
@[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] A lot of the best deals here go by word of mouth, so if he is moving there for a job or similar it may also be worth asking any local contacts. It's far more acceptable here to both ask for and recieve help with this type of thing from 'professional' contacts than it can be in the some parts of the UK.
@[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] Ah, yes. That is hard. Although mentioning remote work has reminded me of somebody else. @[email protected] , do you happen to know anybody in Padua who can recommend reputable estate agents? I know it's not right in your stomping grounds but I don't have many contacts "up North"