# Florence agency recommendation for apartment rental



## sancerre (Mar 4, 2010)

Hello,
I am an American who will be applying for an Elective Residence visa with a plan to move to Florence Italy on May 1, 2016. I am taking a trip to Florence next month to secure a short term furnished apartment (3 - 6 months), as I know that I need to have a rental agreement to show and submit with my paperwork to obtain the visa. A woman I have been communicating with who lives there told me that it is better to start off in something short term, as the longer term apartments come on the market and are available immediately, therefore would be hard to secure one in February for a May 1 start. 
Does anyone here have experience with or a recommendation of an agency in Florence? I have been in touch with an agency called Pitcher & Prestigiacomo but would appreciate if anyone on this forum has a first-hand experience with someone in Florence they would recommend.
many thanks.


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## accbgb (Sep 23, 2009)

sancerre said:


> Hello,
> I am an American who will be applying for an Elective Residence visa with a plan to move to Florence Italy on May 1, 2016. I am taking a trip to Florence next month to secure a short term furnished apartment (3 - 6 months), as I know that I need to have a rental agreement to show and submit with my paperwork to obtain the visa. A woman I have been communicating with who lives there told me that it is better to start off in something short term, as the longer term apartments come on the market and are available immediately, therefore would be hard to secure one in February for a May 1 start.
> Does anyone here have experience with or a recommendation of an agency in Florence? I have been in touch with an agency called Pitcher & Prestigiacomo but would appreciate if anyone on this forum has a first-hand experience with someone in Florence they would recommend.
> many thanks.



Give these people a try: Apartments Florence, vacation short and long term home rentals Florence, Tuscany, Italy

All of these agencies in Italy charge significant fees, so be sure to inquire about them. Typically one month's rent per one-year lease, with a repeat fee due each time the lease is renewed.


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## accbgb (Sep 23, 2009)

Also, while your friend is correct about short term rentals being a good idea for newcomers generally, such a lease may not satisfy the consulate when considering your ER visa request.


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

To elaborate, one key criterion to qualify for an ER visa is that you must have the intention to reside in Italy for (at least) over one year. (_Exactly_ one year isn't quite enough.) A lease of shorter term than that would be inconsistent with such an intention. That's not necessarily fatal (unless you have only hotel or guest house reservations, which would be) if you can overcome that discrepancy with other documentary evidence. But don't lie, don't prevaricate.

One simple way to address this problem is to get a longer term short-term lease (14 or 18 months for example) but have an "exit clause" in the lease -- for example, that you can leave early, after the first three months, if you pay an extra month. (In Singapore such clauses are called "diplomatic clauses," but I don't think that term is universal.) If the "headline" lease term is OK, and if the exit clause isn't too generous, that should pass muster. Yes, that'll cost some more money if you really do want to hop somewhere else after 4 months (or whatever), but it's even more expensive if you don't get your ER visa approved.


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## sancerre (Mar 4, 2010)

accbgb said:


> Also, while your friend is correct about short term rentals being a good idea for newcomers generally, such a lease may not satisfy the consulate when considering your ER visa request.


Thanks for your responses! Another couple I have been in touch with told me that a 3 month rental agreement was accepted at the Los Angeles consulate by them when they applied for the elective residence visa. I will be sure to call and ask them before I take my apartment hunting trip in February. If their requirement is one year, then i will obtain a 1 year lease instead of a 3 or 6 month lease. Whatever is required.


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