Why Venice needs its own checklist
In most cities a careful viewing and a good survey are enough. In Venice the building sits on timber piles in salt water, it is almost certainly protected, and everything that goes in or out travels by boat. Most problems are not visible on a sunny afternoon, and many of them only matter once you try to change something.
The time to find them is before the offer becomes binding. In Italy the decisive moment is usually the preliminary contract (the compromesso), not the final deed, so the checks belong before it.
The papers
- Planning conformity. What is built must match what was authorised. Past works without permits are common, and a deed cannot be signed without the references of the building's permits. Ask a technician to compare the plans on file with what is actually there.
- Land registry conformity. The deed must declare that the cadastral plan matches the property. Small differences are often easy to correct, but they must be corrected before signing.
- Listed status. Many buildings are protected by the Soprintendenza. Works then need its approval, and when a listed building is sold the State has a right of pre-emption: the sale is notified and becomes final only once that period has passed.
- The condominium. Ask for the last accounts, the minutes of recent meetings and any works already approved. In Italy a buyer can be held liable, together with the seller, for unpaid contributions of the current and the previous year.
- The energy certificate (APE). It is required for the sale. It also gives a first idea of windows, heating and insulation.
The building
- Water. Find out how high the floor stands above the tide, whether the ground floor has taken water before and how often. The MOSE barriers protect the city from the highest tides, but lower ground floors can still flood. Look at the base of the walls: salt and rising damp leave clear marks.
- Structure. Timber floors and beams, the roof, cracks in the walls and any movement in the foundations. In a protected building, repairing them often means traditional materials and methods, which take longer and cost more.
- Drains and services. Much of the historic city has no public sewer, and buildings rely on their own treatment systems. Check whether the building has one, whether it is compliant and who maintains it. Check electricity, gas and water supplies too, and whether they can be upgraded.
- Access. Distance from a waterbus stop and from a canal where a boat can unload, steps, bridges and the width of the stairs. It decides how easily you live there, and how much every delivery costs during works.
Who does the checking
A geometra, architect or engineer carries out the technical and planning checks, and a notary verifies ownership, mortgages and the deed. The estate agent works for the sale, not for you.
From abroad, the difficulty is putting those people in the same picture before you commit. That is the work Gibson does: it brings in the right professionals, attends the visits with your questions in hand, and gives you one clear written report, so you decide with everything in front of you.