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How high is the deposit, the ”caparra” when buying in Italy?
To show evidence that you are really interested in purchasing a property, it is common practice to enclose a sum of money to the proposal contract as a deposit or down payment (caparra confirmatoria, art. 1385 of Italian Civil Law).
To protect the payers:
The bank office always wants to transfer the deposit amount to the notary after receiving a bank statement from the payer and with the TRN-ID (Transaction Reference Number) mentioned.
Therefore, it is important to always send us this proof of payment (bank statement) after transferring any amount.
The deposit is usually 10 to 20% of the agreed sales price, with a minimum of € 10,000.00. A higher amount is also allowed if both parties have decided in favor or if this has been requested.
To whom must the deposit be paid when buying a house in Italy?
There are several ways to make the down payment. Here are the most common:
You pay it directly to the seller, the broker then arranges everything between buyer and seller and then registers the proposal agreement.
Or you pay the down payment via the notary, which is sometimes much better, for example if there are suspensive conditions. After the suspensive conditions have been met, the notary can transfer the amount to the sellers.
For the registration of a purchase proposal contract at the registration office “Agenzia delle Entrate” there are costs for the buyer and amount on average between € 750 and € 1,500. The contract must be registered with the Tax Office (Agenzia delle Entrate) within 20 days of signing.
Updated: 8 September, 2025
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