# English speaking Italian Lawyer conveyancing



## TrevorC (Oct 26, 2021)

Hi

Apologies if I make any forum mistakes but I’m new and this is my first post.

I’m not an ex pat yet but am just about to start the process of purchasing a house in the Chieti region of Abruzzo. I’ve been reading up and I know a lawyer isn’t essential but it does seem and sound a good idea especially as I’ve never bought a house abroad before and know only a very little Italian.

My query is whether anyone can recommend an Italian lawyer who speaks English to act on my behalf on my proposed purchase. Also what sort of fee is usual/customary/reasonable.

Thanks in advance to any who can help.

Trevor


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## GeordieBorn (Jul 15, 2016)

You really do not need one, but I understand why you would want to, we did also. Cristina Mattei lives/works between Pescara and the USA (American/Italian speaking). No idea as to cost now as this was quite some time back. Charlotte Oliver has been recommended by many on various forums, however she is based in Rome.


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## TrevorC (Oct 26, 2021)

GeordieBorn said:


> You really do not need one, but I understand why you would want to, we did also. Cristina Mattei lives/works between Pescara and the USA (American/Italian speaking). No idea as to cost now as this was quite some time back. Charlotte Oliver has been recommended by many on various forums, however she is based in Rome.


Thanks for that.

I currently live in Chester le Street but was born in North Shields. Couldn’t help but notice your user name. It seems like a small world.


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## GeordieBorn (Jul 15, 2016)

Most of our life in West Monkseaton, then Italy and now Yorkshire. So you know where you are heading!


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## Troz (Jan 29, 2018)

Italians don't generally use lawyers when buying property, and when we were buying our place our Italian acquaintances thought we were silly for doing so, on the basis that we were paying someone to do what the _notaio_ (notary) would do anyway. But we were very glad we did. The _notaio _doesn't work for you, he or she works for the state, so it is good to have someone at the table whose job is to look out for your interests_. _

And apart from anything else, if you are not fluent in Italian you may not legally sign a contract for purchase of a property unless the _notaio_ is satisfied that you understand the implications. So this means either paying to get a government-licensed translator to translate every page, or giving your lawyer power of attorney to countersign on your behalf and attest that you know what you are getting into. We did the latter, and it all worked fine.

Another expat acquaintance of ours told us a story of an Australian couple who bought a property in a rural area, without a lawyer. When they arrived to take possession they found the gate to the driveway locked. What no-one had told them (and a lawyer would have found out) was that the driveway crossed a neighbouring farmer's property, and that he had the right to deny access. It cost them quite a lot of money to sort that out - with a lawyer, this time.

No point in recommending our English-speaking lawyer as we are in Umbria, and I would recommend you consider getting one from where you are buying, or close by. He or she will know who is a good _notaio_, have connections with the local _comune_, and all the other things that help things run smoothly.

As for costs, in mid-2018 our lawyer quoted us as follows:

_For real estate selling between € 52.001,00 and € 260.000,00, the fee is between € 2.160,00 (minimum) and 4.320,00 (medium).The average between two amounts is € 3.240,00. My fees, including power of attorney, will be therefore approximately 3.240,00 plus 4% (129,60 €) for pensionistic lawyer contribution. _

To be honest I have no idea whether that was representative, or if we were ripped off. But in terms of peace of mind, we were very happy to pay.

Good luck!


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Another option, which may or may not be a bit less expensive than finding a lawyer, might be to find a translator (actually an interpreter) who specializes in legal matters. In a different context I found that "specialized" interpreters and translators have experience and/or qualifications in their specialty field and by having someone who is translating for you at the closing meeting, you meet the notary's requirement that you must understand the proceedings and all the paperwork. (Other advantage is that the interpreter can probably explain things in layman's terms better than an attorney might.)


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