My friend has been unable to find housing for the fifth month — she’s been living in Italy for five years, works for an Italian company on a permanent contract, has no children, and all her documents are in order. But they refuse her with the explanation “no husband — so there would be no one to pay if something happens.” We ourselves looked for housing for several months and out of all our attempts they only agreed to show us three apartments. Has anyone encountered this when moving to Italy? Are there any real ways for a single woman to rent a place without this discrimination?
For a rental contract, a Codice Fiscale is mandatory — here’s how to get it before the permesso (residence permit):
Also useful: which banks open accounts for Russians to pay rent:
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Renting is really a problem for single women, especially in the south, but there are plenty of landlords like that in Milan too. In practice the most workable option is to go through an agency that works with foreigners — they know which owners are reasonable, and a bank guarantee (fideiussione bancaria) sometimes solves the trust issue better than any documents. If I were in my friend’s shoes I’d also try offering to pay six months up front; that convinces some people.
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This is a real sore spot in Italy, yeah. When I didn’t yet have a residence permit (carta di soggiorno), they turned me down too, even though my contract was permanent. A bank guarantee (fideiussione bancaria) really helps, and another option is to bypass the big agencies and look through small local ones — they often know the landlords personally and can put in a good word.
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Bank guarantee (fideiussione bancaria) — yes, it’s a workable option, but not all banks issue it to foreigners without problems — you need to check the terms with your bank in advance. Sometimes landlords simply don’t know what it is and refuse to look into it; that’s where an agency as an intermediary really helps to explain. If I were my friend, I’d also be checking private listings on subito and idealista at the same time — you sometimes find reasonable owners there who care more about a stable tenant than about marital status.
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To be honest, five years in the country with a permanent contract and they still refuse — that’s over the top even for Italy. Most likely your friend is looking in the wrong places or presenting herself the wrong way, because a fideiussione (guarantee) plus six months’ rent upfront usually settles things even with the most paranoid landlords. And yeah, small agencies here really do work better than the big ones — they’re on first-name terms with the owners and can properly explain how everything works.
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Listen, five years and an open-ended (permanent) contract — that’s basically every landlord’s dream. I’d tell my friend not to go to the big agencies but to actually go around and visit the small local ones in the neighborhood where she wants to live — literally walk in and talk to them in person. Here in Tuscany many people find places that don’t even show up on websites that way. And a six-month prepayment plus a fideiussione (rental guarantee) together usually convince even the most stubborn ones )
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There’s another point — going to agencies in person is the right move, but you shouldn’t just pop in once; you need to keep reminding them about you, leave your phone number and call from time to time. Often good listings don’t even get to the websites; they’re taken through personal contacts. And which city she’s looking in also makes a big difference.
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The city question — yes, it’s a key factor, because in Milan, for example, competition for apartments is such that landlords just take the first person who meets all the criteria and don’t bother, whereas in the south they might, as a rule, refuse to rent to single people. But if your friend actually goes with a fideiussione (rental guarantee) and advance payment and still gets turned down, maybe it’s not the paperwork but how she presents herself at viewings — sometimes tiny details make the difference.
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By the way, about how you present yourself at viewings — that’s actually a really important point; a lot of people underestimate it. I saw someone who just turned up with a printed income statement and a letter from their employer, and the landlords immediately started treating them differently. Also, you need to keep reminding agencies about you regularly, don’t be shy — the best places get snapped up before they even make it onto the site)