Homes at auction across Italy
Summary
Homes at auction are apartments, villas and rural buildings sold in enforcement proceedings (esecuzioni immobiliari) and insolvency ones. In enforcement proceedings you can bid up to a quarter below the starting price; in insolvency ones the notice governs. Search free by municipality. Before bidding, check the appraisal report, visit and costs.
What you find among homes at auction
Most homes at auction are apartments; villas, small villas and rural buildings are fewer.
| Type | Active auctions | Median starting price |
|---|---|---|
| Apartments | — | — |
| Villas and detached houses | — | — |
| Rural buildings | — | — |
| Garages and parking spaces | — | — |
| Cellars and storage | — | — |
The median price says little about a single property: it includes the home at the first attempt and the one at the fifth, the one-room and the four-room apartment, the whole property and a 1/2 share. It gives an idea of the order of magnitude. Each listing shows the starting price, minimum bid, sale date and published documents (notice of sale, order and appraisal report). With an account you also see the history of attempts and the estimated value.
Garages (box) and cellars are sometimes separate lots, sold apart from the apartment in the same proceedings; other times they are part of the main lot, and then you buy them together, at a single price. The lot composition written in the notice of sale (avviso di vendita) applies.
How to search by area
In the auction search, you choose region, province and municipality, then the property type and price range. The municipality is where the home is, not the court's or the sale delegate's office: a home in Pozzuoli stays in Pozzuoli even if a professional from Naples handles the sale. Go to the auction search
The largest cities have dedicated pages with the active auctions and the competent courts: Milano, Roma, Napoli, Torino, Palermo, Bologna. If you prefer to start from the court, there is the list of courts with active auctions.
| Region | Homes at auction |
|---|---|
| Abruzzo | — |
| Basilicata | — |
| Calabria | — |
| Campania | — |
| Emilia-Romagna | — |
| Friuli-Venezia Giulia | — |
| Lazio | — |
| Liguria | — |
| Lombardia | — |
| Marche | — |
| Molise | — |
| Piemonte | — |
| Puglia | — |
| Sardegna | — |
| Sicilia | — |
| Toscana | — |
| Trentino-Alto Adige | — |
| Umbria | — |
| Valle d'Aosta | — |
| Veneto | — |
Homes = apartments, villas and small villas, rural buildings. The figures by area, with average prices and price cuts, are in the judicial auction observatory.
What to know before buying a home at auction
You buy the property as it is. In a forced sale there is no warranty against defects (art. 2922 of the Italian Civil Code, c.c.): a leak discovered after the transfer decree (decreto di trasferimento) is your responsibility. For this reason read the appraisal report (perizia) in full, especially occupancy status, compliance with zoning and cadastral records, and regularization costs, and visit the home: you request the visit from the custodian (custode giudiziario), who must arrange it even when the property is lived in.
How to read a judicial auction appraisalCourt-appointed custodians and property viewings at auction: how to book a visit and what to check
The minimum bid is not the price. In real estate enforcement proceedings you can bid up to a quarter below the starting price (art. 571 c.p.c.): with a starting price of €80,000, the minimum bid (offerta minima) is €60,000. In insolvency proceedings the notice of sale governs, and the minimum bid often equals the starting price. If there are other bidders, there is a competitive bidding round and the price rises; if you are the only bidder and you bid below the starting price, the bid may not be accepted.
Other costs come on top of the price. Transfer taxes, the part of the sale delegate's fee charged to the winning bidder, any costs to cancel registered encumbrances (cancellazione delle formalità), renovation work, and condominium arrears for the current year and the previous one.
The home may still be lived in. In proceedings where the seizure (pignoramento) was served after February 28, 2023, the debtor who lives there with the family may stay until the transfer decree, unless the judge orders vacating earlier; the custodian then carries out the vacating (liberazione), at no cost to you. Older proceedings follow the earlier rules and the judge's order. A tenant with a lease with a certified date (data certa) predating the seizure may have the right to stay until expiry: beyond nine years only if the lease is recorded in the land records (trascritto), and never if the rent is clearly below market value (canone vile) (art. 2923 c.c.).
Occupied property at auction: who vacates it, how long it takes and who pays
Deadlines are strict. The bid deposit (cauzione), at least 10% of your bid, must be paid together with the offer, by the deadline for offers; the balance is due by the deadline in the notice, usually no later than 120 days. If you need a mortgage, arrange it before bidding.
Mortgage to buy a home at auction: timing, banks and how it works
A very low price needs explaining. In real estate enforcement proceedings, at each failed sale (no bids), the starting price can drop by up to a quarter and, after the fourth failed sale, by up to half of the previous price (art. 591 c.p.c.): after four failed sales it may reach about a fifth of the appraised value. Sometimes it is a bargain; other times the property is occupied, has building violations, is sold as a share, or is in an area with no market. Always compare the minimum bid with an estimate of market value.
Auction starting price and market value: how to compare themBuying a home at a judicial auction: a practical guide
How ImmobilScan helps
The search and listings, with prices, dates, map position and published documents, are free and need no registration. With an account (access is by invitation, with a trial period) you also see the history of attempts and an estimate of the home's market value, based on OMI quotations (official property value bands published by the Italian Revenue Agency) and similar homes for sale. ImmobilScan reads the appraisal report and the notice for you and shows you on one page the occupancy status, irregularities and costs flagged, with a link to the page of the document; and it emails you when a home at auction matches your saved search. ImmobilScan does not sell properties and is not the official portal: to take part, what counts is the notice on the Public Sales Portal and the sale delegate.
Frequently asked questions
- Where can I find homes sold at auction by the courts?
- On the Public Sales Portal of the Ministry of Justice (Portale delle Vendite Pubbliche), where every judicial sale must be published. On ImmobilScan you find the same homes at auction in a free search by region, province and municipality, with a link to the official listing.
- Are homes at auction really cheaper?
- The first starting price comes from the appraisal by the court-appointed appraiser, which already discounts the lack of a warranty against defects (art. 568 c.p.c.), and after one or two failed sales it falls further. The final cost is not always lower, though: taxes, fees, works and condominium arrears are added to the price, and if there is competition the price rises. It is best to set your maximum price before bidding.
- Can I buy a home at auction without an upfront payment?
- No. To take part you must pay a bid deposit (cauzione), in real estate enforcement proceedings at least 10% of the price you bid, and if you win you must pay the balance by the deadline in the notice, usually no later than 120 days. The balance can be paid with a mortgage disbursed directly to the procedure, but the deposit must be paid with your own funds.
- Can I visit homes at auction?
- Yes. You request the visit from the court-appointed custodian (custode giudiziario) named in the notice, or from the listing page on the Public Sales Portal when the booking is active. The debtor who lives there must allow it.
- What happens if the home at auction is lived in?
- In proceedings where the seizure was served after February 28, 2023, the debtor may stay until the transfer decree; then the custodian carries out the vacating, at no cost to the buyer. For older proceedings the earlier rules and the judge's order apply. A tenant with a lease with a certified date (data certa) predating the seizure may stay until expiry, within the limits of art. 2923 c.c. The appraisal report always states the occupancy status.
- Can I use primary residence tax relief (agevolazioni prima casa) when buying a home at auction?
- Yes, on the same terms as an ordinary purchase. If you are a private individual not buying in the course of a business, the property is a dwelling (with its pertinences) and the sale is not subject to VAT, you can ask for registration, mortgage and cadastral taxes to be calculated on the cadastral value instead of the price (price-value option, Constitutional Court ruling no. 6/2014). Requests and declarations must be made before the transfer decree, within the deadlines in the notice.
Find your home at auction
Search apartments, villas and rural buildings at auction by municipality for free, then request access for the appraisal and notice analysis and the market value estimate.